Home favourite Jordan Philpott won the Spalding Under-25 Open for the third time in his career on Saturday – beating his girlfriend and team-mate Ruby Hill in the final.
The tournament, sponsored by Jet2Holidays, was played in the premier threes format at Spalding Indoor Bowls Club meaning players contested three sets of three ends, played with three bowls and the match going to a one bowl shoot-out if the sets scores were tied.
After a series of group games, the final eight players standing were Philpott and Hill from Spalding, Dan Mills (County Arts in Norfolk), Nathan Richards (Scarborough),
Sam Ashton (Lincoln), Connor Cinato (Kingsthorpe), Nicole Moseley (Lynnsport) and Ben Bywater (Nottingham).
After the live, open draw, all quarter-final ties were decided relatively comfortably as Philpott beat Mills (3-1, 4-0), Hill saw off Richards (2-1, 5-0), Bywater knocked off Ashton (2-1, 3-1) and Cinato toppled Moseley (2-2, 3-1, 4-1).
The semi-finals saw Philpott beat Bywater (4-3, 4-1) and Hill moved past Cinato (3-3, 4-0, 4-0) to set up an all-Spalding final.
It was a highly-competitive affair, which went all the way to the deciding set before Philpott emerged victorious 2-1 (1-3, 5-0, 6-0) to complete a hat-trick of Spalding Under-25 Open wins.
He also walked away with the £300 first prize.
A Spalding IBC spokesman said: “Congratulations to Jordan and commiserations to our runner-up Ruby, who certainly contributed to a high quality final.
“Thanks go out to all our organisers, especially club captain Graham Smith, markers, umpires and of course, sponsors Jet2Holidays. Well done to everyone involved.”
- Are you new to the area and looking for a new sport or would you just like to make new friends?
Well, bowls could be the sport for you. Bowls is certainly a sport for all ages, sex and physical ability, not just for the stereotypical older generation. It is a sport that can be enjoyed by the whole family and is an easy sport to learn the fundamentals but can take a while to become a master. Whether you are playing socially or are a dedicated bowler, it brings out the competitive but fun spirit in us all.
For the competitive bowlers, there are a number of competitions that you can enter, from club level, right the way through to international.
Spalding Indoor Bowls Club pride themselves as a club that has attracted members of all ages and from all walks of life. At the club, they boast seven current internationals from under-18 to senior level and have won a series of county and national titles.
For the more social bowler, the club’s leagues or friendly games could be the thing for you.
Throughout the summer, a ten week beginners programme is available from Tuesday, May 14 (6.30pm) or Wednesday, May 15 (2pm).
For those bowlers out there who are looking to get better, a ten week ‘improvers’ programme is available from Tuesday, June 25 (6.30pm) or Wednesday, June 26 (2pm). All sessions must be booked and paid in advance.
This can be done at the main reception at the Castle Sports Complex. For further information, please call the Complex on 01775 762178.
