BARRY Romilly Bowling Club began their competitive start to their season last Saturday 12th May when welcoming Belle Vue Penarth to Romilly Park for the first Carruthers Shield Match in their group.

With home advantage and playing a team three league divisions lower, the ‘Rom’ were expected to win comfortably.

The game began on a playing surface in better condition than at any time in previous years with the opposition although seven behind after the first five ends clearly enjoying the conditions.

At this juncture Belle Vue were ahead on two rinks and only one behind on another, but the Romilly rink of Des Bannister, Gwynne Rees, Gary Eastment and skip Jeff Wright got off to flying start holding a twelve shot lead which gave the ‘Rom’ that early lead.

As the game progressed Wright’s rink continued to play well and by the tenth end had gone twenty shots clear.

Other rinks skipped by Mike Doyle, Graham Cogbill and Brian Foscolo were one up, three up and six down respectively with the overall score 47 – 29 in Romilly’s favour.

Between the eleventh and fifteenth ends Wright’s rink went further ahead by twenty five

shots, Cogbill and Doyle’s rinks were maintaining their slender advantages whilst the rink of Eric Fortt, Paul Swannick, Roger Jones and Foscolo had reduced their deficit to one giving Romilly a thirty one lead 70 – 39.

The final quarter began with the sixteenth end being shared and although the overall result was never in doubt for the ‘Rom’ it was Wright’s rink who fortunately was responsible for securing this.

Also the rink of Jerry Daly, Terry Bloomfield, Clive Collins and Doyle produced a brilliant final five ends scoring eighteen shots without reply winning 34 – 13.

The other rinks of Alan Bannister, Phil Edwards, Kelvyn Mills and Cogbill along with Foscolo’s were way below what was expected with both losing by three and nine respectively.

Although Romilly won by forty five shots 105 - 60 they will need to improve over the coming weeks should they wish to progress in the Carruthers and get a positive start to their league campaign.

Rink scores

B Foscolo 13 v 22 D Furser

G Cogbill 15 v 18 T Ford

M Doyle 34 v 13 C Scammell

J Wright 43 v 7 M Thomas