Salopian went into their fourth fixture away to Worcestershire in Division Two of the UKDA National League top of the table on seventy-three points and guarding a 100% win record with their hosts placed third on sixty-six points, so a win was vital for both teams.
The home team got the better start in the ladies ‘B’ match as Maggie Deakin won 3-1 against Rachael Mooney, Lynne Arnold beat Chloe Ames 3-2 and as early as the third game the hosts were assured of at least a draw when Jackie Mackenzie made it 3-0 with her 3-1 success over Julie Griffiths. Salopian’s lady of the match Sue Lane pulled one back in the fourth when she won a close encounter with Steph Konya 3-2 with a 17.23 average.
Worcestershire’s award winner Chloe Luscott (18.79) chalked up the necessary fourth stripe to secure the win for the home side as she defeated Claire Boyle 3-0 before Hayley McGuinness made the result a little more respectable for Black Country when she beat Kim Jones 3-2 to take the final score to 4-2 in favour of Worcestershire.
As in the ladies ‘B’ game Worcestershire’s men’s ‘B’ once again had the better start as Jack Higgins put them one up when he beat Rob Trumper 3-1 and their man of the match Paul Wallace (25.05) made it 2-0 with his 3-0 win against Shaun Price. Jacob Perrins was taken to a decider by Andy Pullen but his 3-2 result gave Salopian their first winner and him the match award for his 24.30 average before the hosts won another two-in-a-row thanks to James Woodhouse who beat Glyn Thomas 3-1 and Paul Bailey who had a 3-2 win over Eddie Austin. The half ended with a second win for the visitors as Rowan Price won 3-1 against Jack Harrison.
Trailing 4-2 the away side needed to step up a gear and that was what happened as Jason Davies won 3-2 against Chris Jennings and James Mansell levelled the score at 4-4 with his 3-1 win over Dave Honey. The home team forged ahead again in the ninth when Ian Oliver won 3-0 against Dean Rogers only to see the score levelled at 5-5 when Steven Ritchie beat Peter Wright 3-2. From there on in Worcestershire went on to win 7-5 as Mark Smith beat Jay Adams 3-1 and Phil Rooney won the final game against Ian Evans 3-2.
Tracey Dean gave Salopian the first win in the ladies ‘A’ match as she accounted for Sophie Hadley with a 3-1 result. Jenny Shail levelled for Worcestershire with her 3-2 success against Emma Tapp and then the host’s lady of the match Zoe Jones (24.74) put her team 2-1 up with her 3-1 win over Evonne Taylor. From 2-1 down the away side then went 3-2 up as the visitors award winner Sarah Roberts (22.91) defeated Mandy Morgan 3-1 and Steph Clarke won 3-2 against Claire Dicken. The sixth and final game saw Jenny Jones win 3-1 against Kate Titley to put the final score at 3-3.
With only the men’s ‘A’ result to be added Worcestershire were leading 14-10 but that lead was reduced as the men’s ‘A’ match got underway with Matt Elsey winning 4-3 against Ian Mackenzie and Mark Crutchley beating Tom Garfield 4-2. After Salopian’s two games win it was then the turn of the hosts to win two-in-a-row, Nick Evans taking out Ben Bevan with a 4-2 result and Ant Butler winning 4-3 against Terry Nash. The two-in-a-row pattern continued as Jamie Kynaston and Jon Mansell rounded off the half with their respective 4-3 and 4-2 wins over Lee Furneaux and Jakob Webster to put the away side 4-2 up at the break.
The second half continued in the same vein as the home side rattled off two more wins to level the score at 4-4, Phil Whitlock winning 4-3 against Ben Morgan and Luke Smith, Worcestershire’s man of the match beating Paul Rowley 4-0 and averaging 30.83. Game number nine saw the visitors take the lead once again as Gary Crowther added his 4-3 win over Richard Hosey to their total, but it was level pegging once again in the tenth when Terence Webster beat Ash Hilditch 4-2.
Keeping the win still within reach was Salopian’s man of the match Eddie Price whose 4-1 win against Elliott Hancox not only took his side to a 6-5 lead but also earned him the match award for his 28.70 average. The end result was a 6-6 draw as George Connolly rounded off the weekend’s proceedings with a 4-1 win over John Roberts to give Worcestershire an overall 20-16 victory.
The defeat cost Salopian the divisional leadership and saw them drop to fourth in the table with their victors third, both on the same eighty-nine points as each other, which leaves them just two points short of new leaders Middlesex whose ninety-one points is just one to the good on second placed Wiltshire.
—–ENDS—–
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