Saturday proved to be a historic day for Spalding Indoor Bowls Club as they won the illustrious Denny Cup for the first time.
Dubbed the “FA Cup of bowls”, The Denny Cup is the most prestigious club knockout event in the sport and has been contested since the 1934/35 season.
With wins throughout the season against Peterborough (116-52), Stamford (81-67), Leicester (88-49), Lincoln (85-53), South Shields Vipers (89-80) and Wey Valley (72-61), Spalding’s last test was against Norfolk in the final.
And boy did they deliver, winning on all four rinks to seal a 80-44 success that was conceded by their opponents with 12 ends remaining.
For Spalding skipper Graham Smith, the victory was something from his “wildest dreams” and a “magical moment” for all at the club to savour.
He said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would ever get a chance to win the Denny Cup.
“It was an absolute magical moment for me. Thank you to all my players for their enthusiasm and team spirit for the whole season, not just in the final.
“Not much I can say other than I’m a very proud captain!”
On paper, Norfolk looked a tough test for Spalding – given that they have twice been runners-up in the competition in recent years (2016 and 2018).
The atmosphere was electric and cheered on by their travelling supporters, Spalding won the early exchanges and made a dream start in their first Denny Cup final.
The rink skipped by Jordan Philpott started exceptionally well as they raced into an 11-1 lead at five ends.
All four rinks complimented each other and the team spirit was evident as they raced into a 20-shot lead (40-20).
The lead stayed between 15 and 20 shots for some time until Spalding pressed on again, mainly thanks to the rink skipped by Mathew Orrey, with Stephen Harris, 12-year-old Ollie Jeapes and Smith, who eventually won their rink, 25-7.
Norfolk soon acknowledged defeat and conceded when Spalding were 80-44 ahead with only 12 ends left to play across the board.
Making the win even more impressive was that all four rinks returned winning scorecards to ensure all of the members in action on the day played their part.
Rinks: Stephen Harris, Ollie Jeapes, Graham Smith and Mathew Orrey – won 25-7; Kevin Ekins, Simon Lilley, Martin Spencer and Jordan Philpott – won 19-11; Harry Mycock, Lewis Parnell, Andy Dunham and Dominic McVittie – won 18-12; Brian Martin, Mike Robertson, Ean Morton and Tristan Morton – won 18-14.
