Premier Threes
Updates will be provided as regularly as possible throughout the day, keeping you up to date with all the key points in the games - who's holding shot, who's just ditched the jack etc in all the games. To see the latest message/update, you may need to refresh your page. You can do this by pressing the F5 button on your keyboard. By Stuart Smith
Paul Simpson East Midlands Premier Bowls - Premier Threes Champion 2010 7.30pm: OK Folks, I hope you've enjoyed my ramblings for the day, I hope I've kept you in touch with proceedings. Paul Simpson was a worthy winner. I have a few photos of the champion that i'll upload in a bit, once i've had a pint! Finally, if you'd like to leave any feedback, then please complete the contact form That's me signing off, its been a pleasure. Goodnight! 7.14pm: Its two! Paul Simpson wins and becomes the first ever East Midlands Premier Bowls Champion! Paul takes the final set 3-2 and wins by 2 sets to 1. 7.12pm: This is it...Paul Simpson has final bowl and he's one down. A position that would lose him the game. Can he draw shot with his last bowl...he likes it...its a measure for 2. He definitely has 1 and at least a one-bowl shoot out. He may have two to win - no pressure for the umpire measuring this one - its only £1250 at stake! 7.07pm: Paul picks up a 1 on the first end of the final set, but Billy responds by bowling a corker to hold shot on the second end. Billy tries a draw and...makes it 2. He goes into a 2-1 lead with 1 end to play. Advantage Billy! 7.00pm: Billy picks up a 1, despite a cracking effort from Paul Simpson. Its 1-1 in sets and its all to play for! Its heading for a one-bowl shoot out, I can feel it! 6.58pm: Paul clinches the first set. Onto the second set and Billy's drawn two absolute belters. Paul's got it all on to get shot back. Paul fails with his third bowl and Billy adds another. A great start for Billy in the third set, he leads 3-0. 6.53pm: Billy responds by holding two good shots. Paul reduces it to one shot, so Billy needs 2 to draw the set. 6.49pm: Paul's settled well and holds two shots early in the first end. He adds another and takes the first end 3-0. Advantage Paul in this first set. 6.44pm: OK Folks, this is it...the inaugrual East Midlands Premier Bowls, Premier Threes final! Paul Simpson versus Billy Jackson, Spalding versus Lincoln, young versus not so young! Keep with us for the updates, its going to be a corker! 6.27pm: Again Paul's first bowl is a corker. He follows it up with another decent bowl and Martin's under pressure again. He has the last bowl to rescue the game. He plays a runner and misses, Paul takes the game and books his place in the final. 6.25pm: Paul Simpson holds two and its a good two. Martin tries to draw but he's too heavy. After the first end of the final set, Paul leads 2-0. 6.22pm: Martin plays a runner and the jack gets re-spotted on the opposite side to the side Paul covered. Its a measure for 3...Its only 2 shots, which gives Paul the second set. Its now 0.5 - 1.5 in Paul's favour. 6.20pm: Another game where the first bowl has played a massive part. Paul Simpson's nailed the jack again with his first bowl. Martin Spencer is going to have to do something pretty special to win this now. Holding shot, Paul covers one of the spots. 6.17pm: Paul Simpson holds 2 shots. Martin Spencer misses, Paul leads 3-0 after 2 ends in the second set. 6.15pm: Much hilarity here as David Rhys Jones is heard to be walking around with the microphone turned on in his back pocket. He manages to avoid a Gordon Brown style faux pas! Back on the green, Paul Simpson takes the first end of the second set, he leads 1-0. 6.10pm: Paul's holding a great shot bowl but Martin plays a runner and gets lucky. The jack's in the ditch and Martin's two down, but has last bowl. He's also got nearly 2 yards to get shot. Surprisingly he plays a runner but gets the perfect result. Both of Paul's disappear and he takes 2 shots. Bravo Sir! The first set is drawn 2-2. 6.09pm: Martin's dropped his first two bowls short and is potentially 2 shots down. He makes sure his final bowl is up but he's slightly under the line. He gets second bowl. Paul Simpson leads 2-0. 6.05pm: That's a pretty poor first end really. I'm sure Paul will be pleased to take 1 shot from what was a fairly ropey start to the game. 6.02pm: Right, the second semi-final is underway. Paul Simpson starts it off and drops short. Martin Spencer tries to step in but is also slightly heavy. Measure for shot. Some early game nerves from both players perhaps... 5.55pm: Billy Jackson takes the third set 3-0 and books himself a place in the final. Commiserations to Calvin Leuty, but i'm sure the £175 cash prize he'll take home will at least soften the blow. Next up...Martin Spencer versus Paul Simpson. 5.53pm: Billy Jackson's first bowls have been tremendous in this game - he's nailed it again with his first of the final end. Calvin's got his work cut out to get shot, never mind three! As I was typing he gets shot, but the three he needs is looking unlikely. 5.50pm: Billy draws a back toucher with the first bowl of the end and it doesn't move after all the other bowls have come down. Calvin tries a runner with his last bowl, he's slightly tight and gets a straightener off a short bowl. He narrowly misses the head. Billy leads 2-0, so Calvin needs a 3 to win the game, otherwise its Billy Jackson thats in the final, playing for the £1250 winners cheque. 5.49pm: Billy wins the end with a back toucher. 1-0 in the third and final set. 5.45pm: Calvin holds 3 shots after Billy drove the jack into the ditch. Billy has last bowl to get shot and a yard to win. His line is good, and just sneaks the shot - 2-2 after 3 ends, the set is drawn. The score now stands at 1.5 - 0.5. 5.42pm: Calvin was holding a pair but Billy comes in with his final bowl to take the shot. Calvin has his final bowl to reply and does! He runs the jack out the back corner of the head and picks up a pair. 5.38pm: Billy takes the next end with a 1, he leads the second set 1-0 after the first end. 5.35pm: Billy picks up 3 to take the first set 4-2. 5.28pm: Melvin held a brilliant two but Billy Jackson draws a cracker to win the first end of the first set. 5.21pm: The draw for the semi-finals has been done - Billy Jackson will face Calvin Leuty in the first semi-final. After that will be Martin Spencer versus team-mate Paul Simpson. Its a Lincolnshire takeover, with Spalding taking 3 of the 4 semi-final spaces. Billy and Calvin are just commencing the trial ends - end by end scores on the latest scores page for these semi-final games. 5.10pm: Coming up soon is the draw for the semi-finals. We're going to get the semi-finals played one after the other, to give the crowd the full opportunity to see everything thats happening. 5.05pm: Ann is making her way to the far end of the green...to deliver the bowl to give her the chance to win the big cash prize. An expectant crowd has gathered and she's going through the final preparations to deliver her bowl. The crowd is willing her on. Come on Ann...unfortunately Ann was unsuccessful...what a story that would've been! 5.00pm: Ladies and Gents we have a competition being started here...3 ladies, that have never played bowls before have the chance of winning FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS! Anne Richards has won the chance to deliver one bowl thirty metres to land onto a 12 inch square. Should Ann be successful, she will win the £5,000 cash prize. 4.56pm: Billy lost the toss so he has the jack and first bowl. The mat is right up. Billy draws on his backhand and its good...6 inches from the back of the jack. It'll be a great bowl to beat it. Its good...but slightly heavy...Billy Jackson takes the game. 4.55pm: Lawson Bailey had 4 feet with his last bowl to win the game. He's heavy and they're now measuring for shot. Billy wins the measure...its a one-bowl shoot out! 4.50pm: Simon Reeson draws another cracker to pick up 2 shots which brings him back into the third set. Its now all square on ends and points in this end - this end is their tie-breaker. The winner clinches a place in the semi-final. On rink 6, Frank Spencer clinches his place in the semi-final with a 2-0 win against Gary Morris. 4.42pm: Simon Reeson plays a cracker to win the second set. Into the final set now. Lawson Bailey takes the second set over Billy Jackson, meaning Lawson leads 1.5 - 0.5. 4.40pm: Calvin Leuty through to the semi-finals after beating Jamie Chestney. 4-0 in the second set clinches the game. 4.33pm: Some superb bowls on show here. Billy Jackson is looking good but Lawson is sticking with him - 0.5 each after the first set. Calvin Leuty has the advantage in the 3rd set of their game - Calvin leads 2-0 after the first end of the final set. 4.23pm: A superb runner from Paul Simpson ditches the jack and gives him a 3-0 lead over Gary Morris after the first end. 4.20pm: Interesting that the players have chosen to skip the trials ends and go straight into the game. Calvin Leuty takes the first end against Jamie Chestney. 4.15pm: So we're there...the last eight, the quarter-finals. The draw has been done and, for me, the pick of the games is probably Paul Simpson against Simon Reeson. All these players will receive some prize money having reached this stage - Quarter-Finalists will take home £100, Semi-finalists £175, Runner-up £500 and Winner £1250. Massive thanks to our sponsors Brewin Dolphin for providing the prize money for this event. 3:55pm: Skelton plays a draw, to beat a back toucher. Its a bloody good effort but falls as few inches short...Reeson wins. 3:54pm: We've a cracking finish to this game here...Simon Reeson holds game and still has 2 bowls remaining. Simon Skelton has 1 bowl remaining but has a good position over one of the spots. Reeson plays his second to cover the same spot and beat's Skelton's bowl. 3:52pm: Lawson Bailey through after a good win against Chris Rodgers. 2-2 now in the battle of the Simons! Its down to this end - its level 1 apiece in sets and 2-2 in the third set. The final end is underway, with Reeson holding shot with a back toucher. 3:50pm: A great first bowl from Graham Smith. Can Jamie respond...YES! A superb bowl to win the game! Chestney through. 3:47pm: We're down to the closing stages in the remaining games - Skelton v Reeson is into the final set and Reeson has the momentum. Graham Smith needs to pull a cracker out the bag with his last bowl to avoid defeat...which he does! Into a one-bowl shoot out to determine the winner - this should be good! 3.41pm: Calvin 'Melvin' Leuty is the next person to book his place in the next round, after defeating Dean Tute 2-0. A great bowl from Alex McWhinnie means he takes a 2-1 lead in the second set. He needs it, he trails 0.5 - 1.5 at the moment. 3.33pm: Frank Spencer is the first person to book his place in the last eight. He wins the second set 4-0 and can put his feet up whilst the other players fight it out. Kevin Rands wins the second set against Billy Jackson, making it one apiece. Simon Skelton is struggling - he trails 1-0 in sets and 2-0 after the first end of the second set. 3.30pm: Frank Spencer is finding this quite Easy going (geddit?!) - he leads 3-0 in the second set. Some fantastic bowls being exchanged between Chestney and Smith on rink 7. 3.25pm: Simon Skelton plays a superb gentle runner and drags the jack to take the second end in his game. The score stands at 1-1 in the first set with 1 end remaining. 3.21pm: Martin 'Frank' Spencer picks up a 2 on his first end. Andy Easy wins the award for the worst runner so far today! 3:20pm: Jamie Chestney plays a runner on the first end and smashes the jack off the side of the rink. Graham Smith draws to within a foot of the re-spotted jack. Jamie plays another runner and clears the shot bowl off and takes 1 on the first end. Simon Skelton plays two runners on his rink and misses with both. He trails 1-0 after the first end. 3.15pm: Just looking across the rinks as the players do trial ends, there's some cracking games in store for us, including a real battle of the heavyweights in Lawson Bailey versus Chris Rodgers! Next door to them is another high calibre game with Jamie Chestney facing Graham Smith. 3.10pm: So the draw for the last sixteen is done - click the latest scores link above to see the full draw. Now we're down to the stage where it gets interesting! 3:00pm: We're just preparing the draw for the last sixteen. The draw will be made live on the green in about 5 minutes time. 2.45pm: We've got another one-bowl shoot out to finish this round of games. Rink 8, Simon's Reeson and Lilley. A great first bowl from Reeson - less than 6 inches from the jack! Lilley to reply on his forehand, bit of a runner and its wide and heavy...Reeson wins! 2.37pm: Tense last end for Martin Spencer. He leads the game 1.5 - 0.5 but trails 2-1 in the final set. He holds a very good one, but Michael Knight has last bowl. The Spalding crowd are on the edge of their seats...and Michael's final bowl sails by and Martin takes the game! Its a Spalding takeover! 2.31pm: Graham Smith wins the measure and takes the third and final set. Yet another Spalding player through to the next round. Nottingham Indoor must have half the population of Lincolnshire here today! 2.27pm: Calvin Leuty is through to the next round. Les Gillett v Graham Smith is 2-2 after 2 ends in the final set. Graham leads 1.5 - 0.5. Les Gillett brings the mat up and ditches the jack with his second bowl and follows the jack into the ditch. Should be enough to win him the set and set up a one-bowl shoot out. 2.25pm: Calvin Leuty has got to be favourite to win this one now. He leads 3-0 after the first end of the 3rd set. The score currently stands at 1-1. There's another cracking game on rink 1 between Paul Simpson and Martyn Allsop - they are equal at 1-1 and they're starting the third set now. 2.17pm: Andy Easy becomes the first player into the last sixteen after defeating Tim Stone. 2.14pm: Some high quality bowls being played on rink 7. Graham Smith leads the second set 2-0 after the first end, after both players shared the first set. 2.07pm: Calvin Leuty starts off well, picking up a full house and putting himself in the driving seat for the first set. Even in this early stage of these games there's a few people playing runners. Tim Stone's struggling, they are into the second set already having lost the first set 4-0 against Andy Easy. 2:00pm: Okay everyone, we're back for the second half of round 2, with the 9-16th seeds and the first round winners from this morning. Some very interesting ties involving big names - most notably Les Gillett versus Graham Smith on rink 7. 12:54pm: Another one bowl shoot-out! This time between Nic Eatch and Nick Brett. Nic Eatch has the jack and delivers a medium length jack. Nic delivers his bowl and is immediately down the rink - back toucher! Beat that Nicky! Nicky plays a runner and misses...Nic Eatch through! 12:50pm: Phew - it just went busy for a few minutes! Simon Skelton, Jamie Chestney, Kevin Rands, Dean Tute, Billy Jackson all through to the next round. 12:40pm: Billy Jackson comfortably through to the next round, 2-0. 12:39pm: Dean Tute wins 2-0. Fair play to Greg, he's happily signing autographs for the kids despite being the first game off the green. 12:34pm: Greg Harlow needs a bit of magic if he's going to stay in the competition. He's 1-0 down on sets and trailing 3-0 after 2 ends in the second. He needs a full house to take it to the next set. 12:30pm: Dean Tute takes the first set against Greg Harlow. Greg seems a little off-colour. Billy Jackson, Danny Brown and Chris Rodgers take the first sets in their games. Nic Eatch and Nick Brett share the first set. 12:20pm: Jamie Chestney has settled well, landing his first 2 bowls each within 6 inches of the jack. Greg Harlow's under pressure from Dean Tute - 3 down with his last bowl to come. He drops it short, 2-0 to Dean after end 1. 12.16pm: Right, i'm back, round 2 is underway, the players are just doing the trial ends. Some cracking games in this lot, featuring the top 8 seeds. Some very interesting attire in this round - Danny with his personal 'East Midlands Premier Bowls' shirt on and Billy Jackson sporting a Tottenham Hotspurs shirt! Rink 1 sees the clash of the remaining Nottingham players - Pam Cutts v Simon Skelton. 11:51am: Brenda has the jack and first bowl. A full length jack. A very expectant crowd gathers at the end of rink 7 to see the historic end to the game. She's a little heavy and just about stays on the green. Simon has 2 yards to win the game. Pressure can do strange things to bowlers though. Its on its way...looking good...Simon takes the win. Now onto the next round - commencing at 12noon, where the seeds feature. 11:48am: Only one game left on - Brenda Barlow v Simon Lilley. This game has also gone to a one-bowl shoot out! Brenda's pink bowl versus Simon's traditional black, male against female, the battle of the genders...who will win?! 11:43am: Ladies and Gents we have a one-bowl shoot out! Rink 1, David Stone v Lawson Bailey. David Stone takes the jack and has the first bowl...its a long jack. Poor bowl, 1 yard short...Lawson has a yard to win...its on its way...hurry! He wins! A great finish to a fantastic game! 11:39am: Only a few games left on - all of which are close. Brenda Barlow v Simon Lilley on rink 7 is a cracker. Brenda leads 1.5 - 0.5 but still needs to win this set to guarantee a place in the next round. 11:28am: Darren Allsop is out. Just goes to show that if you're not on your game then you'll get beat! Well done to Michael Knight who makes it through to play Martin Spencer in the next round. 11:21am: Intriguing game on rink 5 between brothers Edward and Robert Elmore. Robert takes the first set 3-1. At the same time, Phil Broughton plays a runner and manages to squeeze through the tiniest gap and misses. He loses the first set. 11:18am: Big scoring in the Graham Smith v Paul Flatters game - 2-2 after 2 ends. It all comes down to this end on who takes the first set. 11:10am: The second session of round 1 is underway. Local interest in this one is Phil Broughton, a last-minute stand in! Some big names in this session, including current WIBC Singles Champion Graham Smith. 10:49: Both local players make it through - Pam Cutts now faces Simon Skelton in an all-Nottingham tie, whilst Nick Eatch will have his work cut out against Nick Brett. All first sessions completed in about 30 minutes - it really is fast and furious! 10:46: Dean Tute and Richard Speke through to the next round. To face Greg Harlow and Danny Brown respectively. Only 2 games left on - both local players - Nick Eatch and Pam Cutts. 10:39: Rob Parker from Acle has just drawn a cracker to get shot. Dean Tute responds but is just a tad heavy and sails by. Rob picks up 1. Pam Cutts is holding two crackers on end 1 of the 3rd set. 10:37: Pam Cutts takes the second set 4-1. 1-1 in sets now, into the final set. 10:33: Martin's through to the next round - he now faces team-mate Gary Morris later on. 10:30: Martin Tomlin has put himself in the driving seat for the next round. He leads 1-0 in sets and he's 3-1 up playing the last end of the second set. 10.25: All games have completed the first set with Paul Hammond, Nigel Eagle, Martin Tomlin and Derek Johnson taking the first sets in their games. 10:15: Nottingham player Pam Cutts is under pressure after dropping a full house on the first end. In this format its going to be difficult to get back into the first set already. But then she follows it up with a back toucher with her first bowl on the next end! Game on! 10:08: After the introductions, the trial ends are underway. There's been a few last minute changes to the draw - take a look on the latest scores page for the full programme. 09.30: Welcome to today's live text commentary of the East Midlands Premier Bowls' Premier Threes competition! The expectation is building on what promises to be a fantastic day! | 
