Fred Alexander Wins George Welch Trophy For 14th Time!

Fred Alexander- 2019 Major Singles Champion

The Final Score!

History was made (again) on Saturday afternoon as Fred Alexander claimed the George Welch Trophy for an amazing 14th time, winning the 2019 Major Singles championship. Fred first claimed the Trophy back in 1984 and his last win was in 2015 and by notching up another win Fred certainly places himself in hallowed St Ives bowling history.

The Final was played out in really difficult conditions- a clear blue sky but a really strong wind, a fast green and temperatures  that topped out at 16 degrees. Our President Kevin Latham was the marker for the final which pitched Fred Alexander against Chris Wood.

The start of the match was quite frenetic. Ends were won by each player and some big scores were made- Chris claimed four shots on end 2 and three on end 8 while Fred took three shots on end 3 and two on end 6. After that early flurry the score was 9-9 after 9 ends. Fred made the first breakaway winning five ends in a row to build an 18-9 advantage. Chris took end 14 but Fred was building a good lead as he took the next four ends to lead 23-10. Chris was able to close the gap to 23-16 after 21 ends but Fred took five of the next seven ends to cross the line on end 28. The final score was 31-18.

Commiserations to Chris who had some memorable wins to make the final. Congratulations to Fred on regaining the Trophy and playing some marvellous bowls along the way.

President Kevin Latham flanked by the Major Singles finalists

Major Singles runner-up: Chris Wood