2019/20 champion: Ellaine Jopling
Championship sponsored by Brighton Beach Physiotherapy
THE novices of 2007 were clearly a vintage crop as Ellaine Jopling and Lionel Peacock, both winners that year, made it a unique double by becoming champions in their respective blue riband events in 2020. Ellaine, beaten in 2017 by Marilyn Bradbury, has made her name as one of the best skips in the club, both in penannts and championships. On Sunday (August 23, when the season finally came to an end, she produced an accomplished performance to beat Lyn Sibson 21-11 in a game that provided more drama than the men's event. Lyn, chairman of selectors for 2020/21, will be joined by Ellaine in the selection room and both played a prominent role in Merriwa regaining their Division One status. In her semi final against Marj Morton, Lyn had to mount an impressive fightback and she did again against Ellaine. Having made the worst possible start (0-6 after two ends), Lyn won five ends between nine and 14 to reduce the arrears to two shots (11-13). But any suggestion that Ellaine was going to succumb to the pressure, was erased with a blistering finish - nine shots in four ends for an ultimately comfortable margin of victory. Plate final: Ann Walsh beat Elizabeth Jackson 21-19. ELLAINE JOPLING and Lyn Sibson will contest the final on Sunday Augusr 23 after contrasting semi final victories over Julia Barron and Lyn Ker. In the battle of the Lyns, Sibson overcame Ker over 23 ends by a nine-shot margin, 21-12, while Elaine recovered from a shaky start to beat Julia 21-14, taking just 17 ends. Ellaine will be appearing in her second final in four years, having lost to Marilyn Bradbury in 2016, while Lyn will be having her first crack at the title, hoping to go one better than husband Laurie, who lost to Les Mikowiec in 2015. It was hard fought affair between the Lyns, neither scoring more than two shots in any one end. The other game could not have been more different. Ellaine, 10-2 down after six ends, collected three maximums as she won nine of the next 11 ends for what was ultimately a comfortable success. Plate: Ann Walsh beat Ronda Macgregor 21-5; Elizabeth Jackson beat Norma Futter 21-17. THE second round finally got underway after the coronavirus-enforced break, and produced two thrilling comebacks - one that fell agonisingly short and the other successful as Lyn Sibson, Ellaine Jopling and Julia Barron joined Lyn Ker in the semi finals due to be played on August 12. The gallant failure came from May O'Neill, twice runner-up to Marilyn Bradbury in 2018 and 2019, who looked to have no chance as she trailed Julia 16-3 on 12 ends. But May, showing bags of Yorkshire grit, staged a fightback that would have succeeded except for a moment of magic from her opponent. May won nine of the next 11 ends and held the three shots she needed for a 21-19 victory before Julia's last bowl settled next to the jack. Julia lost the jack advantage by putting it out of bounds and with the adrenalin pumping proceeded to put two bowls in the ditch before winning a scrappy end and the match with last bowl. With Marilyn absent because she was meant to be in Texas visiting her daughter when the competition was originally due to be played, the championship is wide open. Marilyn's beaten finalists in 2015 and 2016 - Julia and Ellaine - will now meet in the semi finals. Ellaine's passage was less stressful, a 21-8 win over Barbara Wilkins, but Lyn had a real fight on her hands before putting out Marj Morton 21-19 in 25 ends. Marj, who had set the scene for this season of backs-to-the-wall victories when she came from 6-20 to beat Joy Gillian in the previous round, had the better of the opening stages, leading 12-4 (10 ends) and 15-7.(13). From then on Marj barely got a look in as Lyn took ten of the final 12 ends to win 21-19. An unfortunate accident to Veronica Thysse, who fractured her patella after falling of her bike, left Lyn Ker with a walkover to the semis. Plate: Norma Futter beat Joy Gillian 21-20; Ann Walsh beay Kaye Gedling 21-12. Elizabeth Jackson beat Elaine Weskin 21-17 ON an opening day of comebacks none surpassed that of Marj Morton, who clinched a remarkable 21-20 victory over Joy Gillian who needed just one shot to get over the line but failed to get it in any of the last eight ends. A victory for Marj was inconceivable when she trailed 20-6 after 15 ends of outstanding bowling from Joy. It almost appeared that she felt uncomfortable with such a big lead and started to offer words of encouragement. Marj found inspiration from somewhere and in three ends she more than doubled her score. The game took on a different complexion as Marj grew in confidence and Joy's early form deserted her. A three on the 22nd end brought the scores level and both players were edgy with neither threatening the jack. But Marj got reasonably close with her second bowl and Joy, who was fancied to win the competition in the absence of defending champion Marilyn Bradbury, could not re-discover her magic touch, sending her bowls through the head. All three of Marilyn's beaten finalists - Julia Barron (2016), Ellaine Jopling (2017) and May O'Neill (2018, 2019) - are all through to the next round but Julia also had to produce a fightback, although not quite of the same magnitude. Kaye Gedling, who has made rapid strides in the past couple of seasons and plays pennants with Julia, raced into a 12-1 lead in seven ends that included two full houses. From then on the pendulum swung in completely the opposite direction as Julia stormed to a 21-15 victory in the next ten ends. Ellaine was given a real fright before progressing at the expense of Gayle Harding. On 17 ends it looked relatively plain sailing at 18-12 but three winning ends reduced the deficit to 18-17 before Ellaine finished it off with a three. May went through after four-times champion Ann Walsh conceded the match at 14-14 on 22 ends suffering from the heat. Another game to go to 22 ends involved Veronica Thysse and rookie Elaine Weskin, who gave a good account of herself before going down to a 21-16 defeat, while Veronica's friend, Norma Futter, put up a spirited performance against the more experiened Lyn Sibson. This too went to 22 ends before Lyn prevailed 21-13. Ladies captain Ronda Macgregor had a rare tussle with Barbara Wilkins. The lead changed hands several times but Barbara produced a big finish to clinch a thriller, 21-18. The most convincing display came from former Sorrento champion, Lyn Ker,, a 21-8 winner in 17 ends over Elizabeth Jackson.