Meersbrook Park was selected as the South Yorkshire Seniors venue for their county match with Warwickshire on July 21st.
South Yorkshire won the tie by a total of 22 points to 9.
County matches are played simultaneously over two venues. Twelve matches take place in each of the opposing counties. Each individual win scores a Match Point and there are two bonus match Points for the highest aggregate score at each of the two venues, plus another 2 Match Points for the combined aggregate.
In the match at Meersbrook Park, South Yorkshire were victorious in 7 of the 12 games. However, it was not until the final two games which were won by Robert Grayson (21-6) and James Thomas (21-3) that South Yorkshire pulled away. Only one point separated the sides after the first 10 games. These wins gave South Yorkshire a convincing 230 – 198 home leg triumph with 2 “bonus” aggregate points to add to their 7 individual wins.
Typically, the home matches tend to deliver better results. Not only have the home side avoided several hours travelling, but they will often have some good match experience of the chosen green. Several players representing South Yorkshire had been members at Meersbrook Park in their younger years – part of Terry’s legendary “youth system”.
Down in Warwickshire, the South Yorkshire performance was therefore arguably even stronger. The team won 8 of the 12 games, with no South Yorkshire player scoring less than 12. They won the aggregate score (228-221) and so bagged 12 points from the Away leg and another 2 Match Points for the combined aggregate. (458-399)
The match drew many spectators, including several Meersbrook Park members who were interested to see just how good county bowlers are.
