RIVERMEAD continued to show their steely character in resisting a Swindon Manor fightback and secure a vital 80-70 (14-10 on points) win which saw them jump two places in the Eastern Region of the Wessex League.

David Brown’s away rink had a hard-fought 10-0 lead before an inevitable Swindon fightback to 10-9. A big turning point came in the 14th end when Brown, leading 14-11 but standing six shots down, played controlled weight into the head to spring the jack and pick up two shots.

Quality front-end displays by Adrian Barrett and Barry Smith set up a solid base which saw Brown return a 24-14 winning card.

However, with Peter Slatford’s rink desperately trying to keep the difference to a manageable level before losing 26-10, the match was on a knife edge after 15 ends with just one shot difference favouring Rivermead.

The Reading-based side’s president Norman Smith was a late replacement to Nigel Cabeldu’s rink home rink and they dominated their match to win 26-12 and secure the overall victory.

Yet the drama continued with John Eatwell’s home rink going into the last end level at 18-18. Laying shot down Eatwell played a superb final bowl to remove the shot bowl and pick up two valuable points with a 20-18 victory.

Scores (Rivermead first):

Home Rinks – P Curtis, N Smith, T Stevens, N Cabeldu (skip) – 26-12.

R Brown, G Tombs, P Cowen, J Eatwell (skip) – 20-18.

Away Rinks – P Keep, R Courtnage, G Bland, P Slatford (skip) – 10-26.

A Barrett, B Smith, R West, D Brown (skip) – 24-14.

  • WHITENKINGHTS men reached the quarter finals of the national Denny Cup with a 78-64 success against the Clarrie Dumbar Club from Frome in Somerset.

Knights will now meet the Moonfleet Club, from Weymouth in Dorset, on Saturday, January 20.