Barry Rattenbury takes hat-trick in Lyme Regis Bowls Club finals

There were very few surprises amongst the winners, but many of the favourites were pushed all the way.

First up, Lyme staged the Married Couples event.

This saw Simon and Helen Dowling take on Paul and Judith Moffitt in a ding-dong battle.

At 10-7 to the Dowlings, Paul then asked his wife to bring the mat up to within a few metres of minimum and this threw Simon who had bowled impeccably.

Finally, after 16 ends, the Moffitts took the lead for the first time before the Dowlings fought back to take the contest to an extra end where the Moffitts prevailed.

In the Ladies Invitation final, Joe Morris and Ann Allman lost 21-13 to Barry Rattenbury and Nicky Driscoll.

An expert drive from Rattenbury killed the 13th end and, from thereon in, they were always in charge.

Paul Pomeroy claimed a comfortable 17-6 win over Rom Hunt in the Men’s Two-Wood Singles, his consistency proving impossible to match as he eased to an unassailable lead after 16 ends.

Pomeroy claimed more success in the Men’s Four-Wood Championship, beating father Steve 21-13.

Paul continued his earlier form and never really looked in trouble, cruising to a comfortable win to add to his many former wins in the championship. He will represent Lyme in the Champion of Champions in 2023.

Rattenbury then claimed his second title with a 21-10 win over Alan Weech in The Rocky, stretching his legs after the tenth end.

Helen Dowling made up for the earlier disappointment with a resounding 16-5 win over Ann Allman in the Ladies’ Two-Wood.

Allman never got into her stride as Dowling took a title she desperately wanted.

Paul Stoke-Faires added his name to the winners’ list by taking the Henry Broom Trophy, beating Keith Barnes 21-9.

Stoke-Faires went 6-1 down early on before the pendulum swung his way and he cruised to victory.

Avril Sherring and Alan Nabarro took a 19-17 victory over Erica Sarson and Steve Pomeroy in the Two-Wood Mixed Drawn Pairs.

Level at 9-9, Sarson and Pomeroy looked to have the game sewn up at 17-9 before Sherring and Nabarro staged a memorable fightback to win.

Rattenbury clinched his third title with a 21-18 success over Rom Hunt in the Men’s Four-Wood Handicap.

Rattenbury was 16-6 up after ten ends but withstood a Hunt comeback to 20-18 before waiting four ends to earn the winning point.

Allman was another to put previous disappointment behind her with a 21-11 win over Nicky Driscoll in The Fillies.

The duo were neck and neck for 15 ends until Driscoll’s form suddenly left her and Allman capitalised.

Pam Weech became Ladies Four-Wood champion with a 24-14 win over Helen Dowling.

In a match between two ladies who have never won this title, Weech looked at her absolute best as she won six unanswered points to take victory.

There was an emphatic 22-6 win for Simon Dowling and Steve Pomeroy 22 over Barry Driscoll and Joe Morris in the Men’s Four-Wood Drawn Pairs.

Steve Pomeroy then powered to a 3-1 victory over Hunt in the Men’s Four-Wood Five-Set Singles, having been locked at 1-1.

Jasmine Bishop and Sue Rowe defeated Mary Haseman and Pauline Knight 22-20 in the Ladies Four-Wood Pairs in one of the best games of the weekend.

Bishop and Rowe opened up a five-shot margin before Haseman and Knight roared back to level the scores at 20-20 with one end to play but it was Bishop and Rowe who held their nerve to pick up victory by two shots.

The Ladies 4 Wood Handicap between Helen Dowling and Jan Parsons will be played at the beginning of 2023 as Parsons was not able to play. Lyme wish Brian Parsons a speedy recovery.

Finally, perhaps the most coveted trophy of all, the Captain’s Plate, was awarded to Rom Hunt.

This plate is given to the member the captain feels has gone above and beyond in their duties for the club.

Hunt has run all this year’s competitions with military efficiency, always arrives early to set up the rinks, marshals the car park for big games and helped with the maintenance during the winter. This award was richly deserved.