CORNWALL COUNTY SHORT MAT BOWLING ASSOCIATION - NEWS RELEASE 27 August 2023

CORNWALL COUNTY SHORT MAT BOWLING ASSOCIATION

NEWS RELEASE - 27 August 2023

Eight local bowlers travelled to Chelmsford to take part in the first Short Mat Players Tour event of the 2023/24 season, the UK Open.

Luke Jolly (Holmans) making his first appearance in an SMPT singles event since 2018 came away from the event with the 92 ranking points to sit in 23rd in the new seasons Order of Merit table.  Drawn in Group 25 Luke reeled off back to back wins in his opening three games against Andrew Coughlin (WAL) 10-8, Peter Collins (ENG) 10-6 and Paul Reed (ENG) 18-5.  In his final game on Saturday evening Luke lost to Chris Coates (ENG) 9-11.  A dominant win against Barbara Johns (ENG) 22-3 on Sunday morning saw Luke top the group and progress into the Cup competition.  In the last 64 Luke won 18-6 against Martin Nash (ENG) before losing 3-13 to finalist Garry McNabb (IRE) in the last 32.

Elise Daniell (Holmans) came away with 90 ranking points to sit 28th in the Order of Merit table.  Drawn in Group 24 Elise started with a draw against Gareth Hill (ENG) 11-11 and followed up with a win against Chris Adams (ENG) 14-6.  Saturday's third game ended in defeat to Dick Almén (SWE) 4-15 followed by a win against Bent Nielsen (DEN) 17-5.  In her final group game on Sunday morning Elise defeated Edward Gittoes (WAL) 12-6 to finish second in the group and progress into the Cup competition.  In the last 64 Elise won 15-14 against John Lax (ENG) before a heavy defeat in the last 32 to James Trott (ENG) 1-16.

Nigel Nicholls (Newlyn Trinity) was the only other local bowler to reach the Cup competition.  Drawn in Group 19 Nigel started the event strongly reeling off three wins in his opening matches against Mitchell Young (ENG) 12-8, Barry Bates (ENG) 16-4 and Graham Cockburn (ENG) 23-6.  Saturday's final game ended in defeat to Paul Cairnduff (NIR) 7-16.  A win in the final group game on Sunday morning against Beverley Morley (ENG) 16-4 secured second place in the group.  In the last 64 of the Cup competition Nigel lost to Ferdinand Frentzen (NOR) 8-9 to finish the tournament with 82 ranking points and 42nd in the Order of Merit standings.

Tour debutant Steve Smith (St Newlyn East) lost his opening game in Group 3 against Arwel Morgan (WAL) 5-15 following up with a win against Aaron Clare (ENG) 10-8.  Saturday afternoon saw defeat to Steven Roberts (ENG) 4-15 followed by a win against Mio Kontic (ENG) 11-5.  A win on Sunday morning against Christopher Hiller (WAL) 13-7 saw Steve third in the group and through to the Plate competition where he was drawn against familiar opposition, Peter Hore (Holmans).  Peter started the tournament with a strong win in Group 4 against Bengt-Goran Clemensson (SWE) 22-3.  Defeat to Steve Buckett (ENG) 7-14 was followed by a win against Keelee Jones (WAL) 15-7.  Defeats in Saturday's final game against James Rutledge (NIR) 5-17 and Sunday morning's last group Game against Jason Woods (ENG) 7-10 left Peter 4th in the group

In the last 64 round Steve won 10-9 against Peter going on to lose to the eventual winner of the Plate competition Damian McCabe (NIR) 3-16 in the last 32.  Steve earned 39 ranking points and sits in 80th place in the Order of Merit.  Peter earned 31 ranking points and sits in 107th place in the Order of Merit.

Martyn Featherstone (Saltash Kernow), drawn in Group 32 started with a win against Pauline Friel (ENG) 17-7.  Saturday was rounded off with a run of three losses, Kevin Lawley (SCO) 1-26, Ricky Pyle (ENG) 13-15 and Michael Doorey (ENG) 6-14.  A win in Sunday mornings final group game against Gareth Thomas (ENG) 19-5 left Martyn 4th in the group and into the Plate competition.  In the last 64 Martyn lost to Karl Newby (ENG) 12-15.  Martyn earned 31 ranking points and sits in 107th place in the Order of Merit.

Mark Williams (Lanteglos) making is SMPT debut enjoyed a good start in Group 31 with wins against Tim Harwood (ENG) 16-12 and Rodger Armour (NIR) 11-9.  Defeats in the remaining group games on Saturday against Stephen Proctor (ENG) 9-14 and Karl Newby (ENG) 6-16 and Sunday morning against Kate Morgan (WAL) 7-10 left Mark in 5th the the group and in the Shield Competition.  In the last 64 

Mark won comfortably against Gareth Thomas (ENG) 25-4 before losing narrowly in the last 32 to Peter Clarke (ENG) 10-11.  Mark earned 9 ranking points from the event and sits in 139th place in the Order of Merit. 

Ian Crossett (Saltash Kernow) endured a tough debut on Saturday losing all four games played in Group 21 against Jonas Häger (SWE) 2-21, Aidan Corrigan (IRE) 7-13, Greg Wade (ENG) 4-16 and James Smith (ENG) 4-22.  A narrow win in Sunday morning's final group game against Derek Coates (ENG) lifted Ian into 5th in the group standings with a place in the Shield competition.  In the last 64 Ian lost to Carol Taylor (ENG) 9-15. 

The results of the three finals were

Shield - Jack Pye (ENG) 10-9 Billy Ray (ENG)

Plate - Damian McCabe (NIR) 13-11 Peter Roberts (ENG)

Cup - Gary McNabb (NIR) 6-11 Alastair McCrea (ENG)

The next SMPT event is in just over 2 weeks time when 192 bowlers compete in the Irish Open in Belfast over the weekend of 16th and 17th September.

ENDS

Nicholas Truscott

Press and Promotions Officer

CCSMBA

CORNWALL COUNTY SHORT MAT BOWLING ASSOCIATION - NEWS RELEASE 19 August 2023

CORNWALL COUNTY SHORT MAT BOWLING ASSOCIATION

NEWS RELEASE - 19 August 2023 - updated 22 August 2023

The 2023/24 Short Mat Bowls season gets under way this coming weekend for six local bowlers who will be travelling to Chelmsford to take their places in the entry of 192 bowlers competing for the Short Mat Players Tour UK Open title.

Nigel Nicholls (Newlyn Trinity), goes into the new season off the back of a strong season last year that saw him retain a place in the Top 10 in both the SMPT World rankings which span 12 events and the 2022/23 season Order of Merit rankings.  Nigel is drawn in Group 19 where he will face Mitchell Young (ENG - Rank 21), Paul Cairnduff (IRE - 23), Barry Bates (ENG - 566), Graham Cockburn (ENG - 366) and Beverly Morley (ENG - N/A).

Elise Daniel (Holmans) will be looking to move up the rankings from her current position of 49th.  Elise is drawn in Group 24 and will face Edward Gittoes (WAL - 547), Gareth Hill (ENG - 399), Chris Adams (ENG - N/A), Bent Nielsen (DEN - 339) and Dick Almen (SWE - 358).

Peter Hore (Holmans) will also be looking to move up from his current position of 57th.  Peter is drawn in Group 4 and will face James Rutledge (IRE - 94), Jason Woods (ENG - 282), Keelee Jones (WAL - N/A), Steve Buckett (ENG - 171) and Bengt-Goran Clemensson (SWE - N/A).

Martyn Featherstone (Saltash Kernow) has only three previous tournament appearances and currently sits in 395th in the rankings.  Martyn is drawn in Group 32 and will face Michael Doorey (ENG - 81), Gareth Thomas (WAL - N/A), Kevin Lawlwy (SCO - 101), Pauline Friel (ENG - N/A) and Ricky Pyle (ENG - 379).

Luke Jolly (Holmans) makes his first appearance in an SMPT singles event since 2018 at the same event.  Luke is drawn in Group 25 where he will face Paul Reed (ENG - 125), Chris Coates (ENG - 65), Barbara Johns (ENG - 664), Andrew Coughlin (WAL - 138) and Peter Collins (ENG - 664).

Mark Williams (Lanteglos) makes his first appearance in an SMPT event and is drawn in Group 31 where he will face Rodger Armour (IRE - 50), Tim Harwood (ENG - 154), Kate Morgan (WAL - 399), Steven Proctor (ENG - 16) and Karl Newby (ENG - 259).

Also making his debut in an SMPT event is Ian Crossett (Saltash Kernow) who is drawn in Group 21 where he will face Greg Wade (ENG - 135), Derek Coates (ENG - 313), Aidan Corrigan (IRE - N/A), Jonas Hager (SWE - 14) and James Smith (ENG - 117).

The competition will see players play four of their five group games on Saturday and the last group game and knockout competitions on Sunday.  From the group stages all players will go forward into one of three knockout competitions. Points earned in the group stages are added to a player's ranking points. The top two in each group will play the Cup competition where a maximum of a further 150 ranking points are on offer.  Third and Fourth in each group play in the Plate competition where a maximum of a further 55 points are available.  Fifth and Sixth in each group play in the Shield competition where a maximum of a further 18 points are available.

A summary of the six local bowlers' previous results in SMPT events is.

                                  

                       Rank   Merit   Events  Matches     Wins    Draws   Losses     Win %

Nigel Nicholls           9       8       34      244      169        6       69      69.29

Elise Daniell           49      66       29      192       91        6      105      42.19

Peter Hore              57      99       29      188      102        5       80      52.26

Luke Jolly              --      --        4       28       13        1       14      46.43

Martyn Featherstone    395     389        3       18        4        1       13      22.22

Mark Williams           --      --       --       --       --        -       --      -----       

Previous SMPT Singles Achievements

Nigel Nicholls:- 2018 British Open Champion, 2018 Order of Merit Champion, 2018 English Masters Bronze Medal, 2019 UK Open Bronze Medal.

More player statistics can be found on the SMPT website, https://stats.shortmatplayerstour.com/.

Results can be followed throughout the tournament on this link https://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/matches.aspx?id=892E8595-09DF-46D5-BE95-7E7369AB9C1C and where possible links posted to the CCSMBA Social Media channels.

On Friday, Nigel Nicholls will line up in the England team for the SMPT World Cup event.  Eight teams take part in the event with Ireland, Rest of the World, Norway and Wales in Group One and England, Scotland, Sweden and Belgium in Group Two.  Each team is made up of four bowlers who qualify to play through their Order of Merit ranking at the end of the previous season.  In the group stages Nigel is due to play Bob Naylor (SCO), Suzanne Steele (BEL) and Joel Hager (SWE).  The top two teams from each group will play in the semi finals and the winners contest the final.

ENDS

Nicholas Truscott

Press and Promotions Officer

Cornwall County Short Mat Bowling Association

CORNWALL COUNTY SHORT MAT BOWLING ASSOCIATION - News Release 6 August 2023

CORNWALL COUNTY SHORT MAT BOWLING ASSOCIATION

NEWS RELEASE - 6 AUGUST 2023

Summer League

The group stages of the Summer League competition have finished with Western Wanderers finishing top of the West section ahead of St Newlyn East and Blisland finishing unbeaten in the East section ahead of Dobwalls Reds.  The two area winners will play off to determine the County Summer League Title.

West Area Results

Sun 23 Jul 2023	Western Wanderers	21 - 5	Withiel Elms
Wed 26 Jul 2023	Luxulyan Maroons	8 - 11	St Newlyn East
Wed 02 Aug 2023	Luxulyan Golds	10 - 9	Western Wanderers
Thu 03 Aug 2023	Withiel Elms	12 - 10	St Newlyn East

West Area Table

Team Name	P	W	D	L	NR	SF	SA	BP	Pts
Western Wanderers	8	6	0	2	0	156	69	8	20
St Newlyn East	8	5	1	2	0	112	80	4	15
Withiel Elms	8	2	1	5	0	91	125	4	9
Luxulyan Golds	8	3	0	5	0	94	127	2	8
Luxulyan Maroons	8	3	0	5	0	90	142	2	8

East Area Results 

Mon 24 Jul 2023	Boscastle	13 - 17	Dobwalls Reds
Thu 27 Jul 2023	Dobwalls Blues	18 - 8	St Minver Sports
Tue 01 Aug 2023	St Minver Sports	9 - 11	Dobwalls Reds
Thu 03 Aug 2023	Dobwalls Blues	11 - 14	Blisland

East Area Table

Team Name	P	W	D	L	NR	SF	SA	BP	Pts
Blisland	8	8	0	0	0	174	78	8	24
Dobwalls Reds	8	6	0	2	0	112	112	6	18
Boscastle	8	3	0	5	0	113	102	4	10
Dobwalls Blues	8	3	0	5	0	95	118	2	8
St Minver Sports	8	0	0	8	0	74	158	0	0

2023-24 Season

The new season is approaching with the first major tournament, the Short Mat Players Tour UK Open taking place in Chelmsford over the weekend of 26th and 27th August with 192 bowlers from across Europe expected to take part.  Local bowlers taking part include Peter Hore, Elise Daniell and Luke Jolly from the Holmans Club, Nigel Nicholls from Newlyn Trinity, Martyn Featherstone from Saltash Kernow and Mark Williams from Lanteglos who will be taking part in his first SMPT event.

Nigel Nicholls has qualified for the England team in the Short Mat Players Tour World Cup event on Friday 25th August after finishing in 8th place overall in last season's Order of Merit standings and third highest bowler representing England.  England will take on teams from Belgium, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Wales and Rest of the World in the one day event.

Entry forms for County and National Competitions will be available shortly with a full program of Competitions scheduled throughout the season at the CCSMBA's main venue at Carnmoggas Indoor Bowling Club.

County Team

New County Team Manager Luke Jolly has distributed invites to the County Trials which will take place at Carnmoggas on Sunday 10th September followed by a practice day at Carnmoggas on Sunday 24th September.

Cornwall's first fixture is away to defending English county champions Dorset on Sunday 1st October at the Dorset Bowls Resort near Bere Regis.  Cornwall's other group fixtures are 

Sunday 15th October Premier Team away to Somerset at Wincanton War Memorial Hall

Sunday 5th November Premier & A Teams home to Dorset at Carnmoggas IBC

Sunday 3rd December Premier Team home to Somerset at Carnmoggas IBC

Sunday 10th December Premier & A Teams home to Devon at Carnmoggas IBC

Sunday 7th January Premier & A Teams away to Devon at The Manor House Hotel, Carnmoggas 

ENDS

Nicholas Truscott

Press and Promotions Officer

Cornwall County Short Mat Bowling Association