Cup joy follows bowls league misery for Vospers
VOSPERS have completed a bitter-sweet Portsmouth & District Bowls League season.
They replaced the misery of being relegated from the top flight with the joy of winning the Rowland Cup final against Milton for the first time in their history.
As a result, they emulated Cowplain’s feat of winning the cup after being demoted from the first division - and prevented Milton from becoming the first second tier club to lift the silverware.
Vospers made the fastest start, opening up a 14-shot lead after the first five ends of the
game, led by Dave Harding’s rink.
They increased that advantage to 20 shots at the halfway point before Milton, thanks to the efforts of the rinks of Mick and Dave Brown, scissored the lead down to eight.
However, over the next three ends, the Vospers rinks got their acts together again to
stretch their lead back to 20 shots against a side who had finished their league season in third place.
Milton were forced to call a halt to their history-making bid as they couldn’t get enough shots on the two remaining ends to be played to force an extra end.
Harding’s rink led the way for Vospers with their eight-shot win, whilst at least Mick Brown’s
quartet had the satisfaction of ending with a tie on their rink.
However, over the next three ends, the Vospers rinks got their acts together again to
stretch their lead back to 20 shots against a side who had finished their league season in third place.
Milton were forced to call a halt to their history-making bid as they couldn’t get enough shots on the two remaining ends to be played to force an extra end.
Harding’s rink led the way for Vospers with their eight-shot win, whilst at least Mick Brown’s
quartet had the satisfaction of ending with a tie on their rink.
Harding’s rink led the way for Vospers with their eight-shot win, whilst at least Mick Brown’s
quartet had the satisfaction of ending with a tie on their rink.