Eastenders ensure they remain top of Division One table

Eastenders faced Invaders in the Orchard Health Group Division One this week and took all six points, winning 38-17.

Chris Gill’s rink started very well to lead 14-2 after eight ends and didn’t let Invaders back, ultimately winning 20-7. On the second rink, the score was close after seven ends, after which Paul Flatters’ team took control and won 18-10.

Holland Fen proved too strong for Strollers, winning 6-0 and moving into second place in the table.

Barry Wilson, Jim Gott and Richard Vinter took control of their rink immediately to lead 12-0 after seven ends, then kept control to win 18-11 at the end. Strollers started better on the other rink to lead 4-1, before the Fenmen scored 18 shots without reply over the next six ends to build an unassailable lead and win 20-12.

Parthians won their first match of the season, 4-2, to lift themselves off the foot of the table, beating A40 by 28 shots to 19.

Skip Keith Nix, supported by John Clark and Ann Martin, steadily built their lead to win 18-7 on one rink.

There was little between the teams on the second rink, the scores being tied after four, six, eighth and 11 ends, but A40’s Janet Vinter, Maggie Kisby and Sue Hoyles had the better finishing run to win 12-10.

In the T&B Containers Division Two, Nomads head the table by one point from Royal Mail in second place.

In this week’s matches, Nomads beat Pilgrims 6-0 and Royal Mail beat Cosmos 5-1. For Nomads, Barry Beagles skipped one rink to convincingly win 17-7.

The other match was much closer, still tied at 7 all after 10 ends, before Mel Maddison saw his team score four shots over the last three ends to get the win, 11-7.

In the match between Royal Mail and Cosmos, Geoff Taylor’s team for the Mail were in total control to win 17-6.

On the second rink, Cosmos were 9-5 ahead after 10 ends and hoping for the victory, but Royal Mail won each of the next four ends by a single shot to claw their way back and draw the match at 9-9.

Breakaways and Dynamics both have eight points in the table, sitting fifth and sixth respectively on shot difference after this week’s encounter.

Graham Wilkinson for Dynamics and Mark Brown for Breakaways won their rinks, the extra two points for shots scored going to Dynamics by virtue of a single shot advantage overall, 21-20.

The scramble for points between the teams in Cammacks Division Three is generating some exciting contests and close matches.

Vectors are now top of the league with 14 points, ahead of Shipmates by virtue of shot difference, with Vikings, who had a bye this week, two points behind.

Hats off to Phantoms who played Vectors and won 26-21 to record their first four points this season.

Initially behind by five shots after two ends, the Phantoms team of Janet and Ted Woods with skip Graham Taylor then scored 15 without reply and ran in 17-11 winners at the end.

The other rink was won by Vectors by a single shot, 10-9. From six shots to nil up after four ends, Vectors hung on as Phantoms fought back resolutely.

Five shots scored over the final ends by Colin Beecham’s team was not quite enough to get the draw.

Still, Phantoms have now got their season up and running.

Amateurs recovered from a poor performance the previous week to challenge Shipmates, two places above them in the table, and beat them 31-23.

They won well on Tony Nixon’s rink, 17-8.

The other match was a very close affair, 15-14 in favour of Shipmates at the end.

Amateurs were 6-13 down after 8 ends but staged a determined fightback to leave the match tied at 14-14 on the penultimate end.

Shipmates then managed to get the winning shot on the final end to save two points from a close contest.

Patriarchs beat U3 by 6-0 in a real scrap where each rink won by only a single shot, 15-14 and 11-10.

Patriarchs are still in sixth place in the table, but now only two points behind the teams above them, U3 and Amateurs.