Muddy marvels Melrose extend their lead in Gainsborough League

In what has become a typical slog in heavy conditions, Melrose made it sevens wins out seven by battling to a 10-0 whitewash success away to bottom-of-the-table Marton GB, although it wasn’t as convincing as it sounds.

For Melrose, Dave Essom, Tony Bainbridge, and Michael Gilbert soon took charge of their rink and won 23-8, but the other three rinks were a all closely contested, with the leaders eventually taking them by only five shots, two shots and one shot.

Second-placed Marshall A suffered a shock first defeat of the season at home to Misterton, despite a dominant 36-8 win for Geoff Gray, Jack Jervis and John Postlethwaite. The visitors hadn’t read the script on the other three rinks, two of which they won to produce a 6-4 (92 shots to 65) scoreline.

The matches between Beckingham and Roses, and Scotter and Owston Ferry, were victims of the weather. But North Wheatley hosted Marshall Sports at the second attempt in a strange duel where none of the three rinks were close and so the aggregate was all that was left to fight for. Wheatley took the honours 7-2 (57 shots to 48).

The league’s top teams clashed in the Hazel Lawrence Trophy, with Melrose SSC defeating Marshall A 66-51, despite losing two of the four rinks. Alan Revill bossed Dave Cox to win the singles 25-11, while the 19-8 pairs success of Eric Dobbie and Graham Cowan, against Tim Kempton and John Postlethwaite, also proved crucial.