GUERNSEY bowled over Jersey after a nail-biting finish to the tenpin bowling inter-insular last weekend. They came out on top, with friendly rivalry between the islands’ players creating a fantastic atmosphere.
The teams were competing for the coveted Isles de Manche Trophy (seniors) and the Rose Bowl (juniors).
‘The bowling this year was of a very high standard with neither side knowing who would lift the trophy until the very end,’ said Guernsey Tenpin Bowling Association secretary Rick Lovell.
‘To say the atmosphere at the Island Bowl was tense is an understatement, but come Sunday lunchtime the fantastic news came out from the score chart that Guernsey had indeed triumphed over our local island rivals by 542.5 points to 537.5 with the Guernsey juniors also winning their competition by 113.5 points to 102.5,’ he said.
The prestigious men’s singles gold medal was won by Guernsey’s Derek Tomlin, with fellow local bowlers Tim O’Connor and Greg Gettings earning silver and bronze.
Guernsey’s women were also outstanding in the singles with a clean sweep of medals: Danni Le Couvey grabbing gold, Joanne Johnson silver and Michelle Ward bronze.
The men’s high series of 700 also went to Tomlin, with Jersey’s David Lin securing the highest game of 256.
Le Couvey secured the women’s high series of 634 and high game of 237.
In the juniors the high game of 246 went to Chantelle Hale and high series of 644 to Stephanie Hale.
The total medal count for Guernsey was seven gold, five silver and nine bronze to Jersey’s five gold, seven silver and two bronze.
‘We have not won it for about four years and they were absolutely over the moon,’ said Hazel O’Neill, the Island Bowl’s co-owner, who also played.
‘It was a very good weekend. It was excellent and the trophies are getting engraved.’
She believes tenpin bowling is going from strength to strength in the island.
‘The leagues have definitely improved and we are trying to get a corporate league up and running in January,’ she said.
Tomlin’s men’s success signifies, he says, that the competitive animal in him is still burning strong.
He has been competing in the inter-insulars since The Bowl opened but had not bowled in them for the past three years for various reasons, including political ones and because he was participating in the World Cup.
But he made his mark again last weekend by becoming the men’s singles champion for the third time.
‘It’s only the second time Guernsey has won - the last time I bowled, we won,’ he said.
‘I had not stopped competing - just in that particular competition.’
‘I’m a competitive animal and I love competing which is why I keep going at my age,’ he said.
‘I was almost the oldest in the competition at 60 and I love the sport. As long as the strength and health keeps up I will keep going,’ he vowed yesterday.
He bowled for 10 years and worked in the industry in the 60s to the 70s.
‘My first love was always tenpin bowling.’
It ceased in Guernsey in 1972 and he had a 27-year barren spell until The Bowl opened in 1998.
Inter-insular rivalry is as strong as ever, Tomlin said.
‘Everybody likes to win. I’m not local by birth but I have been here 38 years so I’m almost there,’ he said.
Tomlin praised the new management team of Harry and Hazel O’Neill at the Island Bowl for their enthusiasm and professionalism and trying their best to provide a decent playing surface for the players.
He is already looking ahead to the senior triple crown event in Guernsey in April.
As well as the top over-50 players from Guernsey, Jersey and possibly the Isle of Man it is likely to feature the top six men and women from all the home nations, including Ireland.
‘We have been wanting to do this for some time and Harry wants to get Guernsey on to the map in terms of competitive bowling. I can’t say enough about them - they are excellent,’ said Tomlin.
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