England, Norfolk & Wymondham ace Jack Pye lifted the SMPT Falcon Open Pairs title in Chelmsford at the weekend playing with short mat bowls legend Steve McAlister. There was no stopping the pair who were on fire throughout the two day event in which they remained unbeaten. They finished top of Group 6 with six wins and one draw with only Irish contenders Mark Beattie and Gary Moore holding them to an 8-8 draw as both pairs dominated the group. Jack and Steve continued their march to the final with a 9-7 win against Tim & Matthew Harwick in the first knock-out round and then beat the fancied pairing of Ryan & Jack Knight 10-5 in the next round. A 10-4 win against Elliott James & George Main followed in the quarter-finals before they beat Ferdinand Frantzen & Jonas Hager 7-5 in a close semi-final. They went on to clinch the title with an 8-5 win against Adam Rankin & Robbie Foster. Wymondham’s Chris Mann and Hempnall’s Owen Cranston won Group 4 and were unbeaten with 5 wins and a draw. Their hopes of glory came to an end in the Last 16 round where they lost 8-6 to Ferdinand Frantzen & Jonas Hager. Hempnall’s Neil Davidson played with Sweden’s Joel Hager and they qualified for the main competition knock-outs by finishing third in Group 10 with 4 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats. Their journey ended in the Last 32 knock-out round when they lost by 11-4 to Ryan & Jack Knight. Mel Barker of Wymondham & David Blundell of Wortwell, playing in Group 4, qualified for the main event by finishing fourth in the group but lost in the first knock-out round by 11-4 to Martin Harries & Andrew Jones. In the Plate Final Karl Hudson & Danny Winmill beat Nigel Reed & Dave Sifford 15-2. Short Mat Bowls must surely be in the DNA of Jack Pye’s family. Jack’s mum Debbie Pye was a member of Wymondham and played in the Norfolk Squad in recent years. Jack’s grandparents John and Anita Pye played for Kirby Bedon and East Tuddenham at various times a few years back. And looking back another generation Jack’s Great Grandfather Arthur Shepherd also played for the now defunct Kirby Bedon side.
Steve McAlister & Jack Pye SMPT Falcon Pairs winners