Defending champions Avenue BC suffered the narrowest of defeats in the first round of the Cov 6 Cup, losing by a single shot away at Matrix Bowling Club.
With Matrix competing three divisions below Avenue in the league, the hosts began the match with a 21-shot handicap advantage, meaning each rink started 7-0 ahead.
The rink of Lee Maughan, Chris Poole, Aiden Maries and Adam Smith made a great start with consecutive threes, but a strong response from Nigel Moreton’s rink saw Matrix lead 18-6. Avenue battled back impressively to secure a 20-20 draw.
Meanwhile, James Cooper, John Hughes, Derek Maries and Daniel Ellicott had overturned the handicap deficit and drawn level at 15-15 after 15 ends. However, a decisive three from John Slinn’s rink proved crucial, with Avenue eventually falling 18-17.
The closest finish came on the rink skipped by Luke Horne alongside Mark Smith, Colin Thomas and Rob Maries. After gradually erasing the seven-shot deficit, Avenue moved ahead 18-17 on the penultimate end. But Chris Gitsham’s rink held onto a single shot on the final end to earn another draw.
With all three rinks level or narrowly defeated, Matrix BC progressed by the slimmest possible margin, winning the overall fixture 56 shots to 55.
