Townsend Bowls Club’s Andrew Briden clinched victory at the Essex Open at the weekend.

Briden played his way through five rounds of matches to compete in the championship match. The final itself was nip and tuck between the two players, with first one and then a second tie break end required to decide the winner.

On what was to be the final end, Briden threw a long jack and followed it with his shot which carried into the ditch, nestling on top of the jack for an unbeatable lie which secured the £1,000 first prize.

In the English Bowls Association two fours, Townsend travelled to Potters Bar and managed to win on both rinks by a total of 27 shots, the game ending after 17 ends when the hosts conceded. The top rink was skipped by Danny Macro, with Andy Bates, Alfie Long, and Gary West winning 23 shots to eight. The other rink, skipped by Andy Briden, won 20-8 and comprised Peter Thomson, Peter Armstrong and Dave Houghton.

Townsend defeated Hatfield by two rinks to one with a 65-51 victory in the Eversley Trophy. The top rink was skipped by Gary West, with Bob Lawrie, Carl Robinson and Robbie Ransted as they ran out winners by 26 shots to 18.

In the Watford and District league, Townsend competed in the Griffin Cup, defeating Rickmansworth by four shots, with one winning rink each. Townsend’s top performers were Ransted, Les Perkins, Bob Padget and Houghton.

Townsend welcomed near neighbours from Clarence Park for a district league encounter. With points at stake for each winning rink, as well as for the overall winning total, the situation at half time could hardly have been tighter, with a rink score of 2-2. At that stage two Townsend rinks were well in the lead but the rest of the points were being shared.

In the second half, however, the two Townsend rinks that had been in arrears managed to not only catch up but both were to overtake their opponents. The final score was 113 shots to 47 in favour of Townsend as they prevailed by four rinks to nil.

The top two Townsend rinks were those of David Day, Bob Lawrie, Bob Padget and Les Perkins who won 35-9, and the top rink, skipped by Houghton and comprising Richard Morgan, Alan Quested and Peter Thomson, won by 37 points to five.