Indoor bowls news

SHARED SPOILS OF VICTORY: Tom Duffin fours winners (from left) Amy Moy, John Harvey, Allen Moy and Arnold Hutchins with the trophy. Picture by Liam Clayton

Arnold Hutchins, John Harvey, Allen Moy and Amy Moy are the 2018 Tom Duffin fours winners.

They defeated Andrew Richard, Pauline Stone, Adam Rickard and Rachael Rickard 12-10, after a deciding end was required to find the winners.

Hutchins’ team had the upper hand early in the nine-end final, leading 4-0 after two ends, but Rickard’s team clawed their way back to 4-4 after four ends.

Two shots to Rickard on End 5 gave them a 6-4 lead. Hutchins’ team then bounced back on End 6 to pick up three shots to go ahead 7-6.

A see-sawing seventh end — with great draw bowls from both teams — finished with Rickard taking a point to make the score 7-7.

Rachael Rickard started End 8 with two draw bowls to hold two shots. It stayed like that until Harvey played a great shot to pick up the kitty for shot. Two more draw bowls by Hutchins gained the team three shots for a 10-7 lead.

On what could have been the last end, Andrew Rickard played a great bowl to pick up the kitty and drag it back for three shots.

Hutchins then played into the head, killing the end and giving Rickard three penalty points to tie the game.

On the deciding end, the shot changed many times. With Rickard’s team holding the shot, Hutchins played another great bowl to take out Rickard’s shot bowl and leave Hutchins holding three shots.

With his last bowl, Rickard missed the shot he was going for. This left Hutchins with two shots and the win.

This was Hutchins’ 71st centre title, Harvey’s 47th, Amy Moy’s sixth (five of which are silver star titles) and Allen Moy’s third.