Four bowlers from Spalding’s Royal Mail Cart came up just short in their quest for National Mixed Fours glory.
Ruby Hill, Chelsea Tomlin, Ashley Caress and Martin Spencer were representing Lincolnshire at the national championships in Leamington Spa, having played through a series of qualifying rounds over the season.
They performed superbly over the course of two days in Warwickshire, but were ultimately beaten by a very strong Gloucestershire quartet in the final.
Still, a runners-up trophy and a cheque for £300 did at least soften the blow for South Holland’s finest.
Having sealed their qualification with an impressive win against a set from Leicestershire which included former Commonwealth Games medallist and current ladies’ national singles champion, Jamie-Lea Winch, Mail Cart had high hopes at the finals.
In the last 16 they held off a spirited fightback by the qualifiers from Kent, skipped by Clive Burnham.
Hill, Tomlin, Caress and Spencer were always in control and eventually closed out a 22-15 win.
Tough opposition awaited the young Royal Mail Cart quartet in the quarter-final as they faced a rink skipped by Durham’s former world and Commonwealth Games medallist David Bolt.
This is when the talented South Holland side hit top form as they comfortably despatched their opposition to secure their place in the semi-final.
Already leading 19-5 after 11 ends, Spencer’s rink scored a count of five shots on the 12th end to take a 24-5 lead before the set from Durham accepted defeat.
Their semi-final opponents were Julie Hudson, Hazel Gabriel, Alan Geary and Chris Daniels from Hampshire.
The Royal Mail Cart foursome established an early 13-2 lead before the Hampshire quartet provided some resistance to fight back to 13-8.
However, Hill, Tomlin, Caress and Spencer soon took control again as they secured their place in the final with an impressive 25-11 win.
There, Hill, Tomlin and Spencer were looking to make it a career national mixed fours double after they won the indoor version of the competition back in 2018 when they teamed up with Mathew Orrey.
As was to be expected in a national final, tough opposition awaited from Gloucestershire, in the form of Joan Surman, Penny Callaghan, 2014 men’s national singles champion, Lee Williamson and skipped by current under-25 international Nathan Kitchen.
A combination of quality bowls from their opposition and bad fortune saw the Royal Mail Cart four fall behind 13-1 early on.
But some top class bowls of their own soon saw them fight back to 20-15 with three ends to play to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats.
Unfortunately for Hill, Tomlin, Caress and Spencer, they had to accept they were second best on the day as Kitchen and his Gloucestershire mixed four side won 23-15.
