WATCHET 59

DORCHESTER 78

DORCHESTER overcame Watchet in a tight and problematic encounter in the Denny Plate to progress to the round of 16.

To allow for the unique single rink facility at the north Somerset club the game was arranged in two halves, with a home and away single rink in the morning and the same formula for the afternoon.

It was therefore important that the morning rinks kept the game tight and when Dorchester home skip Roger Nicholas lost the opening six ends to Watchet there were worries about what was to come.

However, thanks to counts of three shots on the next two ends the county town side were back in business with the scores levelled at 6 - 6.

The game was even until the penultimate end when Dorchester picked up another three count to start the final ends four shots clear at 16 - 12 but in a final twist Watchet secured four shots to achieve a 16-16 draw.

At the same time the Dorchester away rink skipped by Colin Gifford took the single rink in their stride and traded shots for all of the 21 ends to secure a creditable small reverse at 16-18.

The match was now poised for the second half in the afternoon with Watchet holding a small two shot advantage.

Ged Costello took his Dorchester rink to Watchet for the afternoon leg and his task was to nullify the advantage that the home players had with their intimate knowledge of the single rink.

In a spirited opening Costello led 10-7 at the halfway stage of the encounter and maintained a three shot advantage, to secure a 17-14 win.

This in effect gave Dorchester a one shot advantage with the second home rink to decide the outcome.

The Dorchester skip George Spracklen faced the Watchet rink skipped by England under-25 trialist Sam Steel and posted an opening score of four shots.

Steel and his rink then scored singles on the next five ends to lead 5-4 leaving the final outcome of the tie in the balance.

Thanks to a confident display from Dorchester they accumulated a 16-6 lead after 12 ends.

A thumping haul of six shots on the run in put the game out of reach for Watchet, leaving Spracklen’s team victorious with a top rink score of 29-11.

Dorchester now play Newquay in January for a place in the quarter-finals.