Success for Spalding Lightning under 30s team

On Sunday, Lincoln & District Indoor Bowls Club hosted the men’s county singles playoffs.
Spalding’s qualifiers were Martin Spencer, Graham Smith, Dominic McVittie, Jordan Philpott and Kevin Ekins.
After winning three games, Spencer and Smith progressed to the semi finals.
Spencer had wins against Dennis Skayman (Lincoln) 21-6, Colin Barks (Dunholme) 21-17 and Jake Meakins (Grantham) 21-12 whilst Smith beat Jeff Pitt (Stamford) 21-3, Philpott 21-11 and McVittie 21-6.
McVittie had already beat Ekins in the last 32 earlier in the day 21-15.
In the semi final, Spencer will play Sleaford’s Paul Oke whilst Smith will play Boston’s Adrian Field.
County semi finals day will take place at Sleaford on Sunday, April 2.
qOn Sunday, Spalding Indoor Bowls Club’s men’s county league team had a comfortable win at home against Stamford B.
Spalding were in control from the outset, won on three of the four rinks and the aggregate score was 103-44.
Spalding also secured 12 of the 14 available match points.
The rop winning rink was skipped by Dan Mills, with Mick Dolton, Eric Wakefield and Mike Robertson who had an impressive 33-9 rink win.
Rink scores: Dolton, Wakefield, Robertson and Mills won 33-9; Jack Wells, Oliver Stanley, James Teesdale and Brian Martin won 28-7; Nick Wilkie, George Almey, Nathan Puttrell and Martin Simpson won 30-11; Tony Westland, Paul Turner, Anthony Cronin and David Nunney lost 12-17.
qOn Saturday, Spalding Lightning progressed to the national semi final in the under 30s double triples competition with a comprehensive quarter final win against South Shields Vipers.
The match was played at the neutral venue of New Earswick IBC and with both rinks flying out of the blocks, South Shields Vipers conceded with one rink played 11 ends and the other rink only ten ends.
Spalding Lightning won by 27 shots, 35-8 and will now play Exonia in the semi final which will take place at the national championships on Saturday, April 1 at Nottingham.
Rink scores: Ollie Jeapes, Ruby Hill and Dominic McVittie won 18-3; Dan Mills, Stephen Harris and Jordan Philpott won 17-5.
qOn Thursday, Spalding Indoor Bowls Club’s ladies returned to form from last week’s defeat with a win away at Boston in the southern section of the county Trudy Bates league.
Spalding started well, never looked back and were always in front on aggregate, eventually winning by 20 shots, 87-67.
Winning on two rinks and losing on two, Spalding won 10-4 on match points.
This win puts Spalding eight points ahead of Boston at the top of the league but Boston have a game in hand.
Next up will a home game against Grantham on Thursday, February 23.
Rink scores: Ann Newbury, Sue Slayven, Freda Huggins and Betty Deaton won 32-11; Jean Patterson, Petrine Ault, Maggie Wheatley and Annie Dunham won 29-9; Freda Lyon, Jan Sinclair, Sandra Hammond and Maisie Belding lost 15-20; Carole Nunney, Sheila Chamberlain, Mandy Parkin and Julie Hicks lost 11-27.