AT the recently held Short Mat Bowls World Championship, Pembrokeshire pairing of Jonathan Gladstone and Andrew Hudson became the World Pairs Champions, and minutes later, the triple of Mark Thorpe, Alan Evans and Andrew Evans became the World Triples Champions.
Following the postponement in 2020, a 20 strong Team Wales travelled to Herentals, Belgium over the weekend of 18-20th March.
Of the 20 who were chosen to represent Wales, nine were from Pembrokeshire - Jonathan Gladstone, Chris Holder and Andrew Hudson (Hook), Alan Evans, Andrew Evans, Mikey John and Jamie Stiles (Tavernspite) and James John-Davies and Mark Thorpe (The Meads).
Games were played in four different disciplines, singles, pairs, triples and rinks (fours) and World Champions would be crowned in each. Countries split their teams into two groups, A and B.
After day 1, Jonathan and Andrew were 3rd in their pairs group after beating Ireland 14-9 and India 14-5 before narrowly losing 7-6 to England after a last end measure.
Mark, Alan and Andrew went unbeaten and topped their group in the triples, beating Ireland 11-10, England 9-5 and Netherlands 12-3. In the rinks, James, Jamie and Mikey, playing with Cennydd Howell of Carmarthenshire, were 2nd in Group A after two victories, 10-9 over England and 17-3 over Norway.
In Group B, Chris Holder, playing with Martin Harries, Arwel Morgan (West Glam) and Allan Slattery (Swansea) were 4th after narrow loses to Ireland 8-6 and England 10-9 before thumping the Netherlands 27-2.
Saturday, day 2, Jonathan and Andrew ended the day on top of a very tight Group A group after wins against Sweden 11-4 and Norway 11-10 but a loss to Belgium 8-3.
This left a possibility of 6 out of 8 teams qualifying for the semi-finals from the group, so only a win would be good enough. A 17-3 win over Sweden and a 9-4 win over Belgium in the triples, another unbeaten day for Mark, Alan and Andrew, meant they had ended the day on top of Group B and already qualifying for the semi-finals with a game to spare.
Three wins from three in Group A of the rinks meant that Cennydd, James, Jamie and Mikey had qualified for the semi-finals.
Victories came against Sweden 20-2, Ireland 13-7 and a huge win 21-1 against Belgium. Narrow loses 13-15 to Sweden and 8-5 to Belgium meant that Chris, Martin, Arwel and Allan had missed out on a semi-final spot.
Sunday was finals day, but first up was the last round of group games.
Jonathan and Andrew comfortably beat the Netherlands 27-1 meaning they topped Group A and a semi-final against England awaited. After a narrow 9-8 loss to Norway for Mark, Alan and Andrew, it meant they had slipped into 2nd place in Group B and a semi-final against the winners of Group A, Ireland.
A convincing win for Cennydd, James, Jamie and Mikey 20-3 over the Netherlands saw them top Group A and set up a semi-final against Ireland. Chris, Martin, Arwel and Allan finished with a flourish beating Norway 20-0, ending up 5th in Group B.
As the day progressed, it was semi-final time. Jonathan and Andrew always seemed in control of their match and ran out 13-7 winners over England. This meant they would contest the final, and in the final they would face the other Welsh pairing of Aled Edwards and Dafydd Howell. A trip to Belgium for a World Championship final between a pairing from Hook, Pembrokeshire and a pair from Pontargothi, Carmarthenshire.
In the triples semi-final, it was a very close affair between Mark, Alan and Andrew and the Irish triple. It was nip and tuck, but they managed to keep their noses in front and came away with a one shot victory, 9-8. In the final they would play the other Irish triple, which they had beaten in the first game of the group stages.
Cennydd, James, Jamie and Mikey started well in their semi-final, but a strong middle part of the match from the Irish rink eventually saw them ease home with a 15-5 victory as the Welsh quartet started to chase shots. This meant they would contest the 3rd/4th play off against England.
In the 3rd/4th place play off, Cennydd, James, Jamie and Mikey were always in control following a strong start that saw them ease to a 12-5 victory and 3rd place.
A big well done to the rink, a great achievement and a performance to proud of.
The pairs final was one of the matches of the tournament that ebbed and flowed right up until the final bowl was bowled.
There were some outstanding shots played and tight heads that saw one pair take the lead, then the other and this continued all they way.
Jonathan and Andrew took the lead on the penultimate end and applied the pressure on the final end to seal the victory 12-10 and become World Pairs Champions.
A maiden title for Jonathan and a second pairs title for Andrew, having won with Sean Hughes back in 2004. It was a third overall for Andrew as he won the triples with his dad, Paul, and Martyn Davies in 2002.
This provided the triple crown for the pair, holding the Welsh (which they won in 2019), British and World titles (both postponed due the the Covid pandemic) at the same time. An amazing achievement from the pair.
The final for the triples was a rematch of their first game of the tournament against Ireland. Mark, Alan and Andrew played with such calmness that they showed no nerves to stretch out a lead after sharing a shot each on the first 2 ends.
This proved to be a lead they would not relinquish as they kept the pressure on the Irish.
Andrew applied the finishing touch, forcing an error from the Irish which saw them shake hands early and saw the triple crowned World Champions.
An outstanding achievement for Mark and brothers Alan and Andrew, who have a number of Welsh and British titles between them and now also that coveted World title.
At the presentation of awards there was a perfect end to the championships as captain Alan Evans lifted the Nations Cup as Wales were the best achieving country overall.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here