pendine 80 (10 pts)

MILFORD HAVEN 69 (4)

After a disappointing start to the season, Pendine at last had three of their regulars back to play for the first time this season.

Having been without five players, missing with illness, family or work commitments, the improvement to the team's construction showed up at Milford Haven last Saturday, where on a fine day and on an excellent playing surface, they won on two rinks and lost on two, but won overall.

On rink one, Stewart King Thomas's four were up against Brian Davies's quartet and this game, as on most rinks, was a hard fought encounter. Pendine picked up five shots on the first four ends, but from here to the end each side only scored ones or twos on each end, with the respective skips playing some excellent saving shots.

Rink two had Malcolm Thomas's lads against the experienced Tony Ellyat and Peter Collins's team and after eight ends it was six-all. After that Pendine pulled away, with lead Don James playing a sound game, Mal Read producing one or two very telling bowls and Geoff Hale and Malcolm consolidating things at the back as they ran out 26 shots to 10 winners.

Rink three saw Mal Evans's four versus the canny Roy Thomas's rink, who played some very good bowls to be 19-8 up after 11 ends, but Mal fought back to go down by only five shots at the end.

Lastly, on rink four, skip David King Thomas was opposed by Barry Howells's rink and this was close on 11 ends, with the score at 10 shots to 11. But Milford then won the next three ends, going 12 shots up, with Barry and this third clearing or killing the ends, only for Pendine to pull themselves together, with lead John Jones pegging the jack, to win the last four ends to lose by only five shots and provide Pendine with an overall win.

Rink scores (Pendine first) were as follows:

J. Bosier, C. Rance, M. Dix, S. King Thomas 17; G. Jones, P. Lonnon, K. Wood, B. Davies 12.

D. James, M. Read, G. Hale, M. Thomas 26; B. Graham, J. Thomas, P. Collins, T. Ellyat 10.

N. Thomas, D. Roberts, A. Edwards, M. Evans 20; M. Whiting, M. Connah, L. Power, R. Thomas 25.

J. Jones, D. Bosier, D. Stewart, D. King Thomas 17; M. Power, C. R. Howells, B. Lewis, B. Howells 22.