SULLY Indoor Bowling team made the journey to Newport on Saturday to play top of the table Newport IBC in a team championship league game.

This is always a difficult fixture on Newport’s own green and with Sully having to make six changes to their original team selection it showed what a strong squad they have.

The game began evenly with Sully holding the home team during the opening exchanges and by the fifth end the scores were level 23 – 23.

With four rinks close, Ken McLeod’s rink was seven shots down but covered by Brian Foscolo’s rink who were five ahead at this stage.

Over the next five ends the Sully rinks were playing well, unfortunately Brian Griffiths’s rink was struggling against the fine bowling of the Nicholls brothers, especially skip Tom who was in superb form putting the home rink ahead by 10 shots at the end of the tenth.

Yet at this stage Sully were in the lead by four shots, 52 – 48, playing confidently and looking towards a shock result.

As the game progressed Griffiths’s rink was falling further behind and at the 15th end found themselves 18 shots adrift, fortunately Foscolo’s rink was 10 ahead.

The rinks skipped by Chris Ackland, Martin Clarke-Squires and Fred Phillips were involved in close tussles whilst McLeod’s rink had fought back to just one down leaving the game at the 15th end 73 – 82 in favour of the home side.

The nine shot difference with six ends still to play could easily be overturned and this gave Sully players the lift they required to play these ends.

The 16th end saw the Sully rinks claw back three shots reducing the deficit to six, then Newport claimed two shots on the 17th end to extend their lead back to eight.

The 18th end was disappointing for Sully as they dropped six shots putting them 14 down with three ends to play and the game appeared over but Sully kept fighting picking up eight shots on the 19th end to be just six behind with two ends to play.

The 20th end was even leaving Sully to get seven to win an exciting game but their efforts were not enough to reduce the deficit although picking up two shots finally losing by four shots, 107 - 111

Sully six points – Newport 16 points

Rink Scores:

B Foscolo 25 v 9 G Smith

C Ackland 18 v 18 M Lewis

M Clarke-Sqires 23 v 21 R Boots

B Griffiths 8 v 26 T Nicholls

K McLeod 19 v 19 B Sansom

F Phillips 14 v 18 B Howard