14 BOWLS INTERNATIONAL November 2017TOURNAMENT EUROBOWLS
Ireland bridge 20 year
gap to win the team title
I
T was sheer consistency that
won the title for the highly
compatible Irish quartet, who
may have failed to pick up an
individual trophy, but who did
well to finish second in all three
individual disciplines - men's and
women's pairs and mixed fours.
Bethan Russ, Chris Klefenz,
Emma Gittins and Chris Ashman
won the mixed fours title for Wales,
while Guernsey duo Matt 'Train'
Solway and Matt Le Ber retained
the men's pairs, and England's
Jamie-Lea Winch and Rebecca
Wigfield came out on top in the
women's pairs.
As expected, the established
nations prevailed, but the event
was notable for the participation of
countries like Hungary, Germany,
France, Switzerland and Turkey,
where bowls is very much a
minority sport, but those countries
put in a lot of effort, learnt a lot -
and clearly enjoyed the experience.They certainly added to the
richness of the event.
David Rhys Jones was in Jersey
for Bowls International, and is keen
to share with readers his take on
a highly unusual but extremely
worthwhile event.EVENT HAS SOMETHING
FOR EVERYONE
The European Bowls Union was
the brainchild of two forward-
thinking administrators of our
sport - long-time Welsh Bowling
Association secretary Alan Williams,
and 1993 EBA President Roy
Peacock, who wanted to 'sell' bowls
to the Europeans.
The idea came to fruition on
1997, when Guernsey hosted what
was inaugural European Team
Championships, which have been
played every two years since then- though, strangely, never in the
United Kingdom.
Although the team title has been
EUROBOWLS
Twenty years after they won the
overall team title in the very first
European Bowls Championships on
the Channel Island of Guernsey in
1997, Ireland came up trumps again
at Jersey's Les Creux club, where
Catherine Beattie, Megan Wilson,
Mark Wilson and Andy Kyle headed
off strong challenges from Guernsey,
who finished second, and third-
placed Scotland, and were crowned as
European Team Champions.
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