David Maugham
David Walters
|
Two members of Bowdon
competed against each other at the Home
Internationals held at Surbiton over the
weekend. David Maugham represented
England while David Walters played for Wales.
Scotland and Ireland made
up the 4 countries in this all-play-all
competition.
England won the
35th Home International Championship, losing
only eight games en-route to regaining the
Frank Cooper trophy
The tournament started
after a slight delay while team orders were
agreed. Jack Wicks [Eng] was a late
substitution for England, replacing the
injured Robert Wilkinson. In another late
withdrawal Ireland found themselves unable to
field a full team on the first day. Charlie
Von Schmieder [Ire] was the late substitute,
but he would be playing his first ranking game
since 2007 and was only available on Sunday.
To compound Ireland's woes, Evan Newell [Ire]
suffered multiple car-hire related problems
and arrived 2.5 hours late.
The lawns at Surbiton
were in great condition, but suffered from
overnight rain, supplemented by a further
heavy shower during Saturday morning. This
meant that the hoped-for lawn speed (measured
at up to 12 Plummers on Friday) was cut down
to a much easier 10 Plummers. The rain also
meant that the hoops became much softer. This
combined to make the afternoon much more of a
shooting and peeling completion; something
that suited the England team.
Final Positions
| Country |
England |
Scotland |
Wales |
Ireland |
|
Tests |
Matches |
Games |
| England |
|
5 |
5 |
3 |
|
3 |
13 |
28 |
| Scotland |
0 |
|
3 |
2 |
|
1.5 |
5.5 |
14.5 |
| Wales |
0 |
2 |
|
3 |
|
1 |
5.5 |
15.5 |
| Ireland |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
0.5 |
6 |
13 |
|
Captain David Maugham with
the trophy
|