The first session is now complete at the Welsh Championships 2015, and of the three matches, two were absolute nail-biters and saw changes of fortune in the closing stages.
At the end of the day, three teams have secured their all-important win, with teams Pougher, Robbins and A Meikle taking the early lead in the competition.
Summary
On Sheet F, Adrian Meikle's team wasted their hammer advantage in the first end by giving away 1, but quickly took control of their match against Laura Beever's by scoring 5 in the second end. The ladies' team couldn't turn the match around, and shook after 6 ends.
On Sheet E, Hugh Meikle and Andrew Robbins had a closely-fought match until around mid-way, with the lead switching hands 4 times throughout the game. However, it was the seventh end that proved crucial, as Andrew scored 3 to regain the lead and that momentum lasted into the final end.
Sheet D was host to a very close match between James Pougher's team and the team entered by Jamie Fletcher (skipped by Andrew Tanner). Pougher, who is playing with the regular Welsh men's team, struggled to control the match and Fletcher's team took advantage to lead 6-2 after 6 ends. The match turned in the seventh end, when a cluster of guards left on the centre line allowed James Pougher to take 4 shots and level the match at 6-6. In the final end, despite Andrew Tanner throwing a perfect draw weight with his final stone the shot curled too far, giving Pougher the match.
Full results
| Team |
End 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Total |
| Pougher |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
8 |
| Fletcher |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
| TEAM |
END 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
TOTAL |
| Robbins |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
X |
10 |
| H Meikle |
1 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
X |
5 |
| TEAM |
END 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
TOTAL |
| Beever |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
X |
X |
2 |
| A Meikle |
0 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
X |
X |
11 |
Standings
Here are the standings after the first draw of the round-robin. Each team will play a further 3 matches on Saturday, with the last round-robin session on Sunday morning.
| TEAM |
Wins |
Draws |
Losses |
DSC* total |
| A Meikle |
1 |
0 |
0 |
188.9 |
| Robbins |
1 |
0 |
0 |
227.0 |
| Pougher |
1 |
0 |
0 |
240.4 |
| Fletcher |
0 |
0 |
1 |
51.5 |
| H Meikle |
0 |
0 |
1 |
185.3 |
| Beever |
0 |
0 |
1 |
370.8 |
* - Draw Shot Challenge. Under the new WCF regulations, all teams must deliver 1 clockwise and 1 counter-clockwise draw shot before every match, which is then measured. During the course of the championships, all players from all teams must deliver at least one on each rotation. The combination of both measurements (in cm) is used to determine which team has last stone advantage in that match, and will be used to break any 3-way ties (after win-loss record between tied teams).
The first session is now complete at the Welsh Championships 2015, and of the three matches, two were absolute nail-biters and saw changes of fortune in the closing stages.
At the end of the day, three teams have secured their all-important win, with teams Pougher, Robbins and A Meikle taking the early lead in the competition.