Waverley clinch Portsmouth Bowls League title

They defeated Lee-on-the-Solent by 57 points in Southsea, winning on all four rinks and condemning Lee to finishing in the bottom three.

Fareham hosted Priory knowing a win would guarantee them runners-up spot. However, Priory obviously relished the opportunity not to be playing on home turf as they won by 14 shots.

With both clubs winning on two rinks, it was the 13-shot victory of Adrian Snook’s rink that sealed the game for Priory.

They should have picked up 14 points from the game as with three ends to play, Richard Smalley’s quartet was winning by 12.

However, they then contrived to drop 14 shots, including an eight on the last end to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, donating two points to Bob Scottow’s rink.

In a season that promised more, Rowner ended up cementing their mid-table position with a 21-shot home win over Alexandra. They won on three rinks, led by the 15-shot victory on Graeme Coles’ rink.

Captain Neil Scutt prevented the whitewash with his rink’s five-shot win.

Cowplain signed off their season with a 53-shot home drubbing of Leigh Park, thanks to huge wins on the rinks of David Luffman and Bill Roberts.

At the end of the week, Lee-on-the-Solent and Waverley met again in a rearranged match, this time on the shores of the Solent.

But the result was almost the same as Waverley won by 23 shots, taking three rinks.

A big Division 2 fixture settled who would be relegated alongside Naismith as Portsmouth Water hosted Gosport.

It ended with a two-shot win for Gosport, that ensured Water finished in the bottom two.

In a close match, which saw both clubs winning on two rinks, it was the nine-shot win on Jim Oswell’s rink that turned the tide for Gosport.

The second tier season ended with Gosport again travelling into Portsmouth to take on Star & Crescent, the hosts winning by six shots.

Star won on three rinks, led by the nine-shot victory on Simon Filippi’s rink.

The result also meant that the two clubs swapped places in the table, Star finishing third and Gosport fourth.