Five Barry Athletic Bowls Club members to compete in Welsh National Championship finals

Five members of Barry Athletic Bowls Club will head to Llandrindod Wells later this month to compete in the Welsh Lawn Bowls National Championships finals.

Two of them, Mark Ellis and Dean Collins, will be making their debut at the Mecca of the sport in Wales.

Mark Ellis, in the last eight of the Mixed Singles, and the rink of Peter Rogers, Dean Collins, Scott Howell and Dave Townsend in the Senior Fours, will be chasing honours. The Nationals run from August 14-24.

“I was there as a spectator last year, but this is my first visit as a player,” said Ellis “I qualified from the South Vale section. Played three rounds away, and last one at home when the pressure was on as I knew a win would mean going to Llandrindod.

“I know I’m against the cream of the crop in Wales, so I’m going up as the underdog and hoping to give it my best. Going to be a great experience, and I’ll give it my best shot.”

Collins said he “never bothered with internal competitions, and never bothered with the county, just turned up for the team games. But Peter said they were one short, asked ‘are you 55?, (just about), then you can join us’.

“I’ve been through Llandrindod about 400 times as a lorry driver, but never there as a player. I can’t wait. I’ve always played sport, especially team games, and this will be the pinnacle for my bowls. Really looking forward to it, and hope we come away with a W.”

Rogers and Townsend, along with Geoff Whittaker, drafted in when illness forced Howell to pull out, won the Senior Triples title at Llandrindod last year. “Disappointing not to get through in that one,” said Rogers, “but you can’t have everything.” Tim Morgan is the standby man for the Senior Fours this year.

Rogers’ rink take on take on Lampeter in the Senior Fours on Friday, August 14 in the morning. Victory would give them a quarter-final match against Blackwood or Penylan in the afternoon. The semi-finals and final are on Monday, August 17.

Ellis takes on Shane Hill (Porthcawl) in the quarter-final on Saturday, August 15. The semi-finals and final are on the same day.

Athletic’s men’s hopes of reaching the last four in the Carruthers Shield, the blue riband of the Nationals, ended in disappointment with a six-shot quarter-final defeat at Graig Merthyr, last year’s beaten finalists.