Kennet League vs Abingdon Report - 2nd June 2026

Kennet League vs Abingdon - 2nd June 2026

After an impressive victory over Thatcham last week, it was another home match for the league leaders, this time against Abingdon.

It was clear early on that Abingdon were not going to go down without a fight, and the first 5 ends saw a very tight battle across the green. Shrivenham held a small advantage, leading just 17-15. It was challenging starts for Mikey Titcombe and Elliott Winskill, who both trailed 3-5. Tom Clough's rink scored a 2 on the 5th end to nudge ahead 4-3. It was Steve Warren's rink that led the home team charge at this point, racing into an 8-2 advantage.

At 10 ends, things were very similar, Abingdon showing their resiliency. The overall lead was still Shrivenham's, but it was just 6 shots, 35-29. Elliott had managed to draw level at 9-9, whilst Mikey still trailed 7-8. Tom's rink still held a narrow advantage at 8-6, whilst Steve maintained his strong lead, now 11-6 in front.

As the game approached it's conclusion, the sky blues still had not managed to pull away from Abingdon, who were not willing to go down without a fight. At 15 ends, Mikey and Elliott had still not managed to get in front, and now trailed 10-11 and 10-14 respectively. Tom & co were starting to put a little more daylight between them and the opposition on their rink, now leading 12-8. Steve's quartet were putting in a strong display, keeping the opposition at bay, leading 17-11.

The 16th end proved crucial in Shrivenham ensuring the 6 points for the overall win were secure. 10 shots were scored across the 4 rinks, meaning the 5-shot advantage quickly turned into a 15-shot advantage. Steve's rink drew clear of their opposition, winning 23-12. Tom's rink also pulled away, scoring a 3 on the final end to record a 16-9 victory.

It was now down to Mikey and Elliott's rinks to try and secure the remaining 4 points. Mikey's rink went into the last end leading 13-12, whilst Elliott trailed 14-15. Unfortunately for Mikey's rink, the opposing skip turned a bowl in for shot with his final bowl of the match. Mikey tried to take the bowl out, but a great effort missed the target by millimetres, meaning a final score of 13-13.

It was similar fortunes for Elliott's quartet, who after playing a very good final end, found themselves 1 down to a slice of good fortune from the opposing skip. This left Elliott an incredibly difficult shot to try and secure the victory, not made any easier by it being on a tricky hand. Two good attempts unfortunately just missed the target, meaning 1 shot dropped and a 14-16 loss.

Credit has to be given to Abingdon for a dogged performance, with the overall result still hanging in the balance till the last few ends of the match. However, Shrivenham did emerge with an 11-3 victory to continue their unbeaten run. Next up for the league leaders, an away trip to Didcot, to conclude the first half of the campaign.

Report by MJT Writing & Media Services