The four Bure Pairs Championship heats took place this week. Defending champions Josh Baxter & Keith Cooke of Halvergate were the seeded pair at the Hevingham heat and claimed their place at Finals Night with ease reeling off four straight wins. Opening with a 7-3 win against East Tuddenham’s Simon Willies & Melvin Woods they followed that up with a heavy 15-2 win against C & J Bugg of Horsford BC. Their third win was even more impressive as they stormed to a 19-0 win against Avril Walker & Keith Halford of Windows before completing their maximum with a 7-5 win against Sylvia & Tony Turner of Thorpe Marriott. Wins of 7-2, 9-2 & 7-6 earned Simon Willies & Melvin Woods the second qualifying spot with 6 points. Sylvia & Tony Turner were third with 4 points, Avril Walker & Keith Halford fourth with two points while the Horsford BC pair failed to score. At the East Tuddenham venue last season’s runners-up Jason Woods & David Lamb of Halvergate were the seeded pairing and opened up with a 10-4 win against Linda & Les Chadwick of Horsford Heroes. Fellow Halvergate pair Kerry Greenacre & Ryan Fox had also won their first game by 7-4 against Norma & Peter Jablonowski of Woodbastwick. The third session saw the Halvergate pairs meet head to head with Ryan getting the better of dad David as his pair came out 5-2 winners. Both pairs went on to win their other games leaving Ryan Fox & Kerry Greenacre winners with eight points and Jason Woods & David Lamb clinching the other Finals Night spot in second place with six points. Linda & Les Chadwick finished in third place with three points, Norma & Peter Jablonowski fourth with two points and Hevingham’s Chris Brooks & John Wade fifth with one point courtesy of a draw with the Chadwicks. There was a terrific finish to the heat hosted by Halvergate where the four pairs playing in the final session went into their games level on points. With a +15 shots difference Robin Amos & Rob Howlett of East Tuddenham knew that a draw against Margaret & Les Harman of Woodbastwick would be enough to see them earn one of the two qualifying spots. The Woodbastwick pair, with a +6 shot difference, were holding second place but knew that a win would see them through while a draw would leave their progress dependent on the other result. A close game was expected and so it proved to be as it ended in a 5-5 draw. On the other mat Sue & Peter Fox of Horsford Heroes and Woodbastwick’s Derek Sheldrake & David Brawn both began with a -1 shot difference and both knowing that a win would see them progress to Final’s Night. Another close game saw Sheldrake & Brawn win by just 5-4 to leave them on 6 points and heat winners leaving Amos & Howlett joining them as the other qualifier with 5 points and +15 shots. The Harman pairing were unlucky to finish third with 5 points and +6 shots while the Horsford Heroes pair were fourth with 4 points. Bob Burrage & Terry Raisbury of Horsford BC finished fifth after four defeats. The heat at Horsford Heroes’ venue saw Halvergate’s Ray Lamb & Robbie Lamb snatch first place with a stunning 13-0 win against Hevingham’s Pat Williamson & Alan Bunn in their last game left them with 6 points and a +24 shot difference. Seeded pair David Sharpe & Steve Hall of Hevingham had looked set to win the heat after a 4-2 win against the Lambs in their first game, a 9-3 win against Williamson & Bunn in their second game and a heavy 15-0 win against Thorpe Marriott’s Ted Redwood & Mandy Marshall in their third game. But a surprise 8-6 loss against Melly Woodhouse & Mike Boswell of Windows, who had lost their first three games, left Sharpe & Hall in second place with 6 points and a +21 shot difference. Redwood & Marshall had opened brightly with an 8-2 win against Williamson & Bunn and a 10-4 win against Boswell & Woodhouse but defeats in their last two games scuttled their chances and they finished third with 4 points. Woodhouse & Boswell finished fourth on 2 points and Williamson & Bunn finished fifth also on 2 points.
Josh Baxter & Keith Cooke pictured last season when they lifted the title