Finals Weekend 2025
The first day of the Lilleshall Hall Bowls Club Finals weekend was held on Saturday in glorious sunshine, with four high-quality finals thrilling the spectators.
Cyril Davies Cup - Quentin Smith beat Rod Payne 21-20
Club stalwarts Rod Payne and Quentin Smith contested a gripping final. Quentin established an early 10-4 lead, but Rod demonstrated his resilience, fighting back to level the score at 13-13 after 13 ends. The lead then exchanged hands multiple times in a tense finale. Rod was on the brink of victory, leading 20-19, but Quentin impressively claimed two shots on the 22nd end to clinch the title 21-20 and secure his first Veterans Cup success.
Tarmac Cup - Mark Kaleta (1) beat Peter Hancock (2) 21-16
The Tarmac Cup Handicap final saw Peter Hancock face Mark Kaleta. Peter, competing in the first of his four finals, began with a one-shot advantage. The match was tightly poised, level at 11-11 after 13 ends. However a spell of excellent play saw Mark pull away to a commanding 20-12 lead. Proving that the final shot is always the hardest to get, Peter mounted a spirited comeback. Despite this late pressure, Mark held his nerve to secure the single shot he needed on the 22nd end, winning his first trophy of the weekend.
Warburton Cup - Mark Kaleta beat Dominic Simcoe 21-20
The men's singles championship saw Mark Kaleta take on Dominic Simcoe. Mark started superbly, racing to a 13-1 lead. In a remarkable turnaround, Dominic found his form and expertly clawed his way back, levelling the match at 18-18 and eventually taking a 20-18 lead. With Dominic needing just one shot for a stunning comeback victory, Mark showed great fortitude to score two shots on the final end, winning the title 21-20. The match, a club record for the longest number of ends this season, was a fitting showcase for the club's premier singles competition.
Mike Caird Cup - Peter Hancock beat Mark Hussell 2-1 (8-12, 11-4, 2-0)
In the day's final match, Peter Hancock met Mark Hussell for the Mike Caird Cup, played over the best of three sets. Mark Hussell's high-quality drawing shots saw him take the first set 12-8. A determined Peter fought back strongly in the second, winning it 11-4 to force a three-end tie-break. The tie-break continued the high standard of play, with Peter winning the first two ends to claim the set and the championship for the first time.
Closing Presentations
At the conclusion of play, Competition Secretary Alan Harvey thanked all the finalists for their wonderful contribution to the day, the supporters and visitors for their passionate encouragement and the officials for their expert officiating. Club President Mike Caird then presented the trophies to the winners and runners-up, who all received warm applause from the crowd.
Day Two
The weather took a major turn for the worse with heavy rain coming about half an hour before the start of play, accompanied later by thunder and lightning. Two games were started - Clive Kimberley playing Mark Hussell in the QRS Cup and Mark Kaleta and Peter Hancock crossing swords again, this time in the Nuway Cup. Only a few ends were possible before the rain started puddling and the green was declared unsafe. competitors and markers retreated into the clubhouse to join the rest of the members enjoying the cakes and scones prepared by Sheila and Mitzi.
Day Three
Finals Weekend concluded a day later than scheduled, as the Frank Richards Ladies Singles Final between Liz Caird and Mitzi Harvey was moved to Monday due to Sunday's adverse weather.
Richards Cup - Liz Caird beat Mitzi Harvey 21-10The match began under blue sunny skies, with the green playing remarkably well considering the amount of rain that had fallen over the previous 24 hours. Liz got off to a quick start, picking up a single on each of the first two ends. Mitzi, however, soon found her footing on the slick green, responding with two and three shots over the next two ends to lead 5-2. The high-quality contest saw a seesawing of single shots, leaving Mitzi with a slender 7-6 advantage after nine ends.
The momentum shifted dramatically as the skies darkened and a strong wind began to blow. Liz capitalised on the changing conditions, picking up a crucial nine shots over the next three ends to take a commanding 15-7 lead after 12 ends. The weather then decided to intervene more directly. A mixture of heavy rain and hailstones, coupled with strong winds, forced a temporary pause in play. The green quickly became sodden, with a danger of flooding once again. However, after a delay of approximately an hour, the sun returned. Following a green inspection, it was decided to continue the final to its conclusion.
The rain delay did nothing to dampen the players' quality of play though, with the jack being attacked regularly. Liz's steady performance saw her increase her lead to 20-10 on the 19th end. Despite a valiant effort from Mitzi, Liz secured the one shot she needed on the 20th and end, claiming the 2025 Ladies Singles title - her second win in the competition.
Before presenting the Trophy, President Mike thanked both players for their fortitude in such testing conditions and providing such a high quality final. President Mike then presented the trophy to his delighted wife!
Due to the sodden state of the green, the possibility of further rain, and the unavailability of players to arrange alternative dates, it was decided to delay the playing of the remaining games to the early part of the 2026 season.
2025 Finals - Day Four!
Pairs Shield - Peter Hancock & Mark Hussell beat Mike Caird & Quentin Smith 16-7
The weather-delayed 2025 Pairs Shield Final finally got underway on Sunday morning, 17th May 2026, with seven-times champions Quentin Smith & Mike Caird taking on the new pairing of Peter Hancock & Mark Hussell in a tactical encounter that remained closely contested until the final few ends.
The opening exchanges set a methodical pace for the match. Peter and Mark picked up single shots on the first two ends to take a brief 2-0 lead, but Quentin and Mike responded immediately on the third. The standard of drawing from both sides made multi-shot ends difficult to come by early on, and after ten ends only eleven shots had been scored, Peter and Mark leading 7-4.
The momentum began shifting significantly in the latter half of the game. Despite Quentin and Mike securing a single shot on the 11th end, Peter & Mark scored a rapid five shots on the next two ends, to lead 12-5. Mike & Quentin attempted to mount a counter-attack, securing a single on the fourteenth end and were holding four when Quentin's ill-judged last bowl pushed in an opponent for shot. Result - they were 6-13 with three ends to play when they should have been only one or two down. They picked up a single but when Peter & Mark scored three on the seventeenth end the game was decided, securing the 2025 Pairs Championship title for Peter & Mark after a well-contested morning on the green.
Nuway Cup - Mark Kaleta beat Peter Hancock 22-17
In the afternoon, the highly anticipated, weather-delayed 2025 Nuway Cup Final finally took to the green. Under glorious skies, the matchup between Peter Hancock & Mark Kaleta delivered drama, tension, and tactical intrigue.
With Rod Payne officiating as marker, this open 4-wood singles match, played to 21 shots, proved to be a game of significant momentum swings, keeping the spectators thoroughly entertained. Resuming the game at 6-5 to Peter, Mark started exceptionally well, scoring a four with all his bowls within a foot or so of the jack.
A period of tight, cagey play followed, with Peter chipping away via single shots on the ninth and tenth ends to narrow the deficit to 9-8. It was at this juncture that Mark found his strongest rhythm of the afternoon. Over the next three ends, he dominated the jack, scoring a single and a pair of doubles to surge into a commanding 14-8 lead. Just as the match seemed to be sliding away from Peter, the afternoon took another dramatic turn. Showing immense resilience, Peter launched a fierce counter-attack. On the fourteenth end, he scored a brilliant count of four, backing it up with a single on the fifteenth and a count of three on the sixteenth. In the space of just three ends, Peter had turned a six-shot deficit into a 16-14 lead, leaving the gallery wondering if the momentum had shifted for good.
Mark, however, refused to be rattled. He stopped the run with a double on the seventeenth to level the scores at 16-16. Though Peter managed a single on the eighteenth to creep ahead 17-16, it was to be his final score of the match. Mark found the perfect weight when it mattered most, securing a double on the nineteenth end to reclaim the lead at 18-17. Needing three for the title, Mark went one better on the twentieth end, drawing a superb count of four, all within inches of the jack, to cross the finish line with a 22-17 victory, concluding a highly entertaining and topsy-turvy final.
QRS Cup - Clive Kimberley beat Mark Hussell 21-17
The afternoon session of the rearranged finals day featured the QRS Cup Final, a qualifying 4-wood singles match between Clive Kimberley and Mark Hussell, with Alan Harvey acting as marker. Rather than resuming the interrupted game the players agreed to start from scratch in an encounter which proved to be a classic game of two, or even three, halves - characterized by massive scoring runs from both players before Clive eventually claimed the title.
Mark Hussell, looking to build on his morning victory in the Pairs Shield, started the match by taking a single on the opening end. However, Clive quickly found his rhythm and launched an incredibly dominant four-end streak, scoring 2-3-4-2 and surging into what appeared to be a commanding 11-1 lead.
Just as Clive seemed to be running away with the match, the momentum did a complete about-face. Mark completely halted Clive's scoring, responding with an equally impressive purple patch of his own, scoring 4-2-1-4 to wipe out the deficit and lead 12-11.
A tight tenth end saw Clive secure a single to level the match at 12-12, but Mark quickly regained the initiative. Capitalising on excellent line and length, Mark scored five unanswered shots in the next four ends to pull ahead 17-12.
With Mark just four shots away from the target, Clive mounted a spectacular final counter-attack. Showing great composure under pressure, he wrestled back control of the jack and refused to relinquish it. He picked up successive doubles on the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth ends to edge back in front 18-17. Sensing the finish line, Clive delivered a definitive blow on the eighteenth end, securing a count of three to reach the magic 21-shot mark and seal a hard-fought 21-17 victory to claim the QRS Cup.
Presentations
The day concluded with presentations by President Mike Caird and Chairman Rod Payne and thanks being given to 2025 Competition Secretary Alan Harvey, whose period of office was considerably extended by the unfavourable weather at the end of last season.
