Win feels like a loss

On Wednesday night, the Saffron Walden Town Bowling Club A team played Clavering in a must win game and whilst the match was won 54 - 35, after the allocation of bonus points both sides ended with four points. This was made the more galling by the late Clavering comebacks on two of the rinks. On both rinks, Walden were comfortably leading with five ends to go and both skips held a lead on their penultimate ends. Such are the margins in bowls that this was not enough as both rinks ended up in one shot defeats. The game was won on the third rink where skipper, Derrick Giffin, held a 10 bowl margin. The win plus all six bonus points, which were so nearly theirs, would have given the Town a strong chance of overtaking Clavering and Dunmow in the title chase as they have to play the latter in their last game.

Elsewhere, the B team’s hopes of an instant return to the top flight suffered with a 2- 6 defeat to second placed Dunmow leaving Dunmow in a tight fight for the title with Walden’s opponents on Wednesday, Thaxted. The C team’s 0-8 loss did not reflect the effort put in by some of the new bowlers who were given their opportunity as their season comes to a close. The May/June form seems to have deserted the Essex and Herts Senior side who also slumped to a 0-8 loss against title favourites, Bishops Stortford. The SBBL side had a rest week