Joe King won yesterday’s Kay Memorial Trophy, an appropriate result as he introduced BCC to the short format, established the club’s two successful tournaments and masterminded its successes on the wider stage. Even for a player of his calibre, it’s a tough ask to make four peels while staying ahead of an opponent with eight bisques in a 14 point game. It’s even tougher when the lady with the bisques is the redoubtable holder, Carol Jamieson, as ever reluctant to lose a trophy from her bulging cabinet
To the winner, the spoils. Joe displays them alongside Jolyon and Shirley’s plaque.
After seeing off ladder leader Andy E in the first qualifier, Joe watched Carol, winner of the eliminator against Peter Allan, take Andy down in the second one. . Earlier she’d challenged Joe to a future friendly. ‘Well, we’ve got our game’, he said with a broad smile as he walked onto the court for the final, ‘ but it won’t be friendly’.
Once Carol had used bisques to take her first ball to peg, he showed what he meant, creating cunning wirings with pinpoint precision. As you can’t be wired if you have no partner ball, he pegged her out as soon as he could and pursued his unwavering search for peels. He never made the fourth one but he crept and kept ahead until the bell tolled on 11-10. Clare and Brian joined the finalists for wine and snacks. It was a lovely day .