Abergavenny Men’s team have been involved in two games over the past two weeks. The first of these was when Division Two Champions elect Blackwood provided the opposition for an MBA game at Avenue Road on Saturday, August 11.

The game was played in continuous rain and although both teams won on two rinks, Blackwood had the superior aggregate score to win the game by 83 shots to 65.

The rinks of John Beaton and Jack Vale were victorious for Abergavenny. After a very tight first 15 ends, the rink of John Beaton then scored eight shots over three ends. Although the Blackwood rink scored a further six shots they still could not get on level terms and were defeated by 20 shots to 17. Again the game on Jack Vale’s rink was very close but the Abergavenny rink managed to forge ahead over the final quarter to win by 20 shots to 17.

Both the rinks of Matthew Vale and Anthony Moriarty were all square after 12 ends. The Blackwood rinks in both games the seized the initiative to win by 24 shots to 16 on the rink of Matthew Vale and by 23 shots to nine on Anthony Moriarty’s rink.

The most recent game was another MBA match at Caldicot last Saturday. Both teams won on two rinks but Abergavenny managed to secure overall victory by 85 shots to 78. Matthew Vale’s rink held a one shot lead after seven ends but then took control over the middle part of the game. They allowed their opponents to score on only five of the 21 ends to win by 31 shots to 13. John Beaton’s rink held a two shot lead after 12 ends but then outscored their opponents over the final nine ends to win by 20 shots to 13.

The rink of Jack Vale held the lead over the first six ends of the game. The Caldicot rink then scored heavily to build a nine shot lead. The Abergavenny rink reduced the deficit but was eventually beaten by 23 shots to 18. Gethin Hill’s rink was in contention for the first half of their game but the Caldicot rink then took control, scoring ten shots on the final five ends, to win by 29 shots to 16.

Abergavenny Ladies played their penultimate league game of the season against Garndiffaith at Avenue Road. They won on two of the three rinks to win the game by 60 shots to 55. The rink of Judy Belli gained their victory by scoring four shots on the final end to win by 23 shots to 20. The other successful rink of Abergavenny resisted a late surge by the Garndiffaith rink to win by 20 shots to 16. It was a close game on the rink of Sian Phillips but their opponents managed to gain the upper hand to win by 19 shots to 17.

Last week the ladies completed their league games with a victory against Croesyceiliog at Avenue Road. They won on two of the three rinks to record a victory by 62 shots to 46. One of the Abergavenny rinks won by 18 shots to 13 and the rink of Sian Phillips was successful by 27 shots to 16. Unfortunately, the rink of Judy Belli could not maintain their lead and were overhauled on the final two ends, losing by 18 shots to 17.

During the past week, the Ladies team also played a two rink friendly at Blackwood. On a green which was heavier than the Abergavenny Ladies had recently experienced, they managed to draw on one rink but were defeated on the other and therefore lost the game by 26 shots to 20. They also played an enjoyable two rink friendly at Ystrad Mynach. Each team won on one rink and an honourable draw was declared after a pleasant afternoon’s bowls.

This week Abergavenny Men’s team host Croesyceiliog for their penultimate MBA game of the season and the mixed team will welcome a touring team from Basingstoke for a four rink friendly game. The ladies play friendly fixtures against Gilwern and Garndiffaith.