SULLY Indoor Bowls team travelled to the Rhondda Valley on Saturday to play Rhondda IBC in the championship with an outside chance of maintaining their challenge for the league title.

This game was important to Rhondda as they were in prime position to win the league should they beat Sully and win their last game against Ogwr and on current form they should obtain a minimum 18 points enough possibly to win the title.

Once again Sully had to produce two, three rink teams, one for the morning session and one for the afternoon session due to Rhondda having just a four rink Stadium. Sully were two skips short with Martin Clarke-Squires playing in the Champion of Champions and Matthew Woodcock unavailable but Chris Ackland was available to return to ease selection issues.

The morning rinks skipped by regulars Brian Griffiths and Brian Foscolo were joined by Steve Close who was given an opportunity to skip after some good performances in previous games.

After the first five ends Sully held a seven shot lead due to Close's rink getting off to a flying start and holding an eight shot advantage at this stage and after 10 ends the Sully players were continuing to play well and were still holding the advantage by six shots. As the game continued to end 15 the rinks of Close and Foscolo were ahead by nine and five respectively but Griffiths's rink had fallen behind by nine shots but Sully still held an overall five shot lead.

Over the final six ends Griffiths's rink dropped a further nine shots to lose their game 9 - 27, while Close supported by Phil Gershenson, Clive Collins and Mel Newman continued their good form to win comfortably by 26 - 11. Foscolo's rink of Cogbill, Eastment and Doyle held the advantage throughout the game and were four ahead when Foscolo played a driving wood which worked out perfect making a five but this was nullified on the next end when the Rhondda skip took a Sully bowl out leaving six to the home team.

Foscolo's rink held their nerve to run out winners by 27 - 24 leaving the overall score at the half-way stage at 62 apiece giving every opportunity to the afternoon rinks.

The Sully afternoon rinks were up against some strong Rhondda rinks but were hopeful of pinching a result. Once again Sully had a skip in Dave Curtis making his championship

debut in this position, with Fred Phillips and Chris Ackland skipping the other rinks.

The rinks of Phillips and Ackland got off to a good start but unfortunately Curtis's rink dropped 10 shots in the first four ends and were 10 -1 down at the end of the fifth with little between the other rinks. As the game progressed to the end of the tenth Ackland's rink were competing well and were just two shots down, while Curtis's rink were rallying a little 5 - 12 down with Phillips's rink beginning to struggle against some fine bowling by Welsh International Mark Thomas and were now behind 7 - 16 and Sully with a deficit of 18 shots.

Sully's rinks were being out bowled by the Rhondda rinks and by the 15th end the deficit had grown to 21 shots. The result was becoming ominous as Phillips's rink had no answers to the opposition play and finally lost 13 - 25 but Ackland's rink dug deep and fought all the way losing by just two shots.

The one shining light in the afternoon's play was the performance of Curtis's rink of Andy Morgan, Roy Richards and Mat Gershenson after being 10 down in the early stages they fought all the way winning the last five ends to force a draw 18 - 18. The final result was an overall win for Rhondda by 129 -115 with 17 points to the home side and five to Sully.

Sully have one more Championship game left against Taff Ely on Saturday, February 6 and with Taff Ely currently top of the league Sully could have an influence on the final table.

This is followed by the quarter final of the Knock Out Cup on February 7 away to Cynon Valley.