Bedfordshire impress in Inter County qualifiers

The Bedfordshire County Ten-Pin Bowling Team recently played in the South of England Inter County qualifiers in Worthing.
The Bedfordshire Ladies teamThe Bedfordshire Ladies team
The Bedfordshire Ladies team

The team had been training hard all year, travelling the country and playing in various challenge matches to hone their skills.

The previous year’s disappointments meant that expectations weren’t particularly high, but as always the team’s prime objective was to beat local rivals Hertfordshire.

If the side finished in the top three then they would progress to the National Final held in November at Coventry, something the Beds outfit hadn’t done since 2005.

The ladies team were really up against it, as the other counties were fielding sides that comprised of current and ex-international bowlers.

Some notable achievements came from the youngest player in the competition, Beds’ 14-year-old Lorna Scott (Houghton Regis) as she scored the ladies’ highest game with a 257, finishing with a 189 average.

County captain Kate Wicklow also finished high up the individual averages with a 198 average.

The men started brilliantly having the highest game and earning the maximum bonus points with Sukky Gill (Luton) leading the way with a 236 game.

The team followed that with another good showing, but scores took a nosedive in game three.

During the afternoon session a few changes in team line up saw Jeff Taylor (Dunstable) come in, and he brought a fresh impetus with him by scoring an impressive 238, which he then followed up in game five with the tournament high game of 279.

With one game to go Bedfordshire were in third, but the Essex and Middlesex team weren’t far behind.

It was a nervy game from the team, but another great display from Taylor and Steve Dynes (Leighton Buzzard) secured a top three berth, meaning Beds also beat rivals Herts and gained a place in the National Final.