London Parks Triples competition - the team rolls on!

St Chads team: Ben Torr, Keith Hutton, John Torr (skip) Following our “giant killing” success at Wansted Central, against a team of experienced Essex County players (see previous match post), our intrepid heroes made their way to Elm Park for the next round of the London Parks Triples competition. What happened next was almost a carbon copy of our match against Wansted Central – uncannily and eerily so. We were well received and made to feel welcome. The Elm Park team were more than useful, and like our match against Wansted, we got off to a shaky start, going 5-1 down after 3 ends (exactly the same as at Wansted), and we were struggling in the 4^th: The demeanour of our opponents was such that I go the impression they expected an easy win: However, we kept our nerve and plugged away at it. We got back into it, and we played as a team, in that when one of us had a below average end, the other two made up for it with very good ends. John, as skip, did the sensible tactical thing: when we were holding, he put blockers in, and tried to defend our lead: in this way, we won 6 consecutive ends, albeit all of them by a single shot. As at Wansted, the scoring was neck and neck, and the last 6 ends were: 11-12; 11-13; 13-13; 13-14;15-14; 15-16. At Wansted we went into the final end 19-17 down and won it on the last end 20-19 (by one point) and here again we went into the last end down at 15-14, and won it by just one point – 16-15. Just before the last end started, the “heavens opened” with rain like I’ve never seen before. With only one point in it, we had to play out the last end in a torrential downpour. Within 15 minutes of the match ending, half the Green was flooded (see photos). Many thanks to John Lizziemore for coming along to give us some support, and now it’s onwards and upwards to the Quarter-Finals. Reported by Keith Hutten