Defending Breckland League champions Wymondham began the new season with an 8-2 home win against Harling Unicorns. This winter Debbie Sparham (pictured) has taken over the captaincy of a team that only dropped two points at home in the Breckland last season. The first half saw Mary Fisher, John Jeffery & Jon Sparham record a 27-8 win against Daphne Braham’s triple with Sparham in sparkling form at skip. But Harling were encouraged as Linda Chilvers, Nigel Battley & Roger Braham beat Hayley Osborne, Simon Warnes & Debbie Sparham 18-15 with Harling’s lead bowler particularly effective in determining the outcome of the game by pressurizing Debbie Sparham’s triple throughout. After the break Wymondham wrapped up the points in familiar fashion as Billie Barker, Jack Marshall & Chris Mann beat Matt Cunningham’s triple 22-12 and Roger Steele, Steve Easter & Melvyn Barker beat Mike Tarrent’s triple by 29-3 in the biggest win of the night. The retirement of former Norfolk County bowlers Brian & Pat Saunders from regular bowls this season, and the absence of Jack Pye and Mark Linsdell from the opening fixture, should give encouragement to title rivals Carleton Rode that they may just have a sliver of a chance to end Wymondham’s ten year stranglehold on the Breckland League title this season. In the first leg of their 5 Pairs match Hingham won 43-31 at Shropham.
