2023/24 champions: Chris Beaney, Joe McKenna, Ian Edgar, Barry Whinfield
Group ASkips P W L D F A PtsBob Barsden 1 1 0 0 19 12 2Barry Whinfield 2 1 1 0 35 37 2Neville Palmer 1 0 1 0 18 23 0
Group BSkips P W L D F A PtsLen Paterson 1 1 0 0 24 12 2
Ivor Thomas 1 1 0 0 15 10 2Alan Arter 2 0 2 0 22 39 0
BARRY WHINFIELD kept his hopes alive of becoming champion skip for the second year running by winning his second game against Singles champion Neville Palmer and his team of Sergio Sanabria, filling in for Mitch Brown, Bill Kell and Colin Tremlett.
Barry and his team of Chris Beaney, the only other member of last season's successful side, Brian Binney and Les Kempton, now have to rely on Neville's men beating Bob Barsden's rink, which will then decide who tops the group on shot difference with all three in the mix.
Barry's team dropped a five on the second end and trailed 6-11 on eight before 13 shots in the next five ends put them in the driving seat for a 23-18 victory.
The other section will be decided between skips Len Paterson and Ivor Thomas, both of whom have defeated a strong looking Alan Arter rink.
With Ivor's team sitting this one out, Alan's side of Ian Edgar, Eddie Eation and Lindsay Marsh had to win to stay in contention. They started brightly in taking a 12-7 lead on 11 ends but then never scored another shot as Len, newcomer Ian Ellis, Joe McKenna, substituting for Brian Barron, Les Mikowiec and Len finished the remainder of the game in great style to take the game 24-12.
BARRY WHINFIELD, champion skip from last season, suffered an astonishing collapse from a lead of 12-1 on ten ends to go down 19-12 to the Bob Barsden rink that turned the game on its head after taking a four on the 11th end.
There was no stopping Bob, Ray Bedford, Bill Nicoll and the in-form Fred Emmerton.
Barry, with only Chris Beaney from last season's success still in the team, left the green shell-shocked along with Brian Binney and Les Kempton.
The competition has been split into two groups of three with the winners playing off for the title in a final that will be played alongside the ladies, which also kicked off yesterday,
In the other group, the Alan Arter rink that looked stronger on paper, with a team of Ian Edgar, Eddie Eaton and Lindsay Marsh, were all square at 10-10 on 15 ends before Peter Cutten, Merv Davies, Greg Boyd and Ivor Thomas finished on a high note to win 15-10.