Talented duo help England retain British title

Two talented young bowls players were victorious on England duty last weekend.
From left: The England women's (junior) quartet of Emma Cooper, Joanna Watt, Katherine Rednall and Vickie Room.From left: The England women's (junior) quartet of Emma Cooper, Joanna Watt, Katherine Rednall and Vickie Room.
From left: The England women's (junior) quartet of Emma Cooper, Joanna Watt, Katherine Rednall and Vickie Room.

Emma Cooper and Jo Watt were part of the Bowls England women’s junior (under-25) international team which retained the British Isles Junior International Series.

England won all three of their matches at City of Derry BC, Northern Ireland, to earn the full house of six points with a shots difference of +89.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cooper, from Staplecross, and Bexhill-based Joanna Watt played lead and two respectively in the rink skipped by former world champion Katherine Rednall. Buckinghamshire’s Vicky Room completed the quartet.

Emma Cooper in action at the British Isles Junior International Series.Emma Cooper in action at the British Isles Junior International Series.
Emma Cooper in action at the British Isles Junior International Series.

The four gelled from the start and secured a 23-21 win over a Welsh rink skipped by experienced senior international Ysie White as England took a 14-shot overall victory over Wales on Saturday morning.

The afternoon session saw England claim a decisive 56-shot win against an experienced Scottish side, aided by a 34-8 success for the rink skipped by Devon’s Harriet Stevens.

Cooper’s rink was 11 shots adrift after 17 ends, but fought back to hold five shots on the final end, which would have earned a draw. An outstanding bowl, however, by Scottish skip Lesley Doig to draw shot meant the English four suffered a 23-17 loss.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This meant that England held the lead and were in a strong position going into the second day’s play, already having two decisive victories under their belt.

The victorious England team at the British Isles Junior International Series.The victorious England team at the British Isles Junior International Series.
The victorious England team at the British Isles Junior International Series.

On Sunday morning, England took on Ireland. The Irish fought hard and took the lead in the early stages of the game, securing victories over the rinks skipped by Sophie Tolchard and Laura Holden.

A convincing 34-14 win for Cooper’s rink, however, meant that England claimed an overall victory over Ireland and thereby won the British Isles Women’s Junior International Series title for the eighth consecutive year.