My Ponder List

  • "Now is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end.But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Winston Churchill

Thursday, October 20, 2011

ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS - CYPRUS 2011

Friday Oct 28 11:30 AM
Israel win 20-12 McKerihen, Whitelaw, Santana, Bird out of playoffs. It was close. They nearly got the help that they needed from Jersey but they were edged by Spain 18-17.
The Roth, Roney, Battles, Dittmar team ended on the right note with a 18-11 win over the U.S. It worked out well as our neighbours still snuck into the playoffs with the right temas losing their games.


Friday Oct 28 7:30 AM 
Ireland did both Mary Ann Beath and Alex Scott in by defeating them 21-7 and 21-14 respectively. It was the winner take all in the women's game. Ireland will head to the playoffs, Canada to the beach.
I am not privy to why Wales are dropped from the final standings. By points their Singles player would be in the men's playoffs. To be determined.


Thursday Oct 27 3:00 PM EDT
McKerihen,Whitelaw, Santana, Bird took step number one by beating the USA 23-13 in a late afternoon game. That moves them into 3rd position ahead of the idle Spain team. The stage is set for the run to the playoffs. Jersey's upset of the undefeated English team 19-16 opened the door for Israel to jump ahead of England and finish in 1st by beating CANADA tomorrow. That puts even more importance on this last game in RR play. The upstart Jersey foursome won't make the playoffs but they could prove to be  handymEn for McKerihen and crew by knocking Spain to the sidelines. But that isn't what the Canadian team will be thinking. Beat Israel, tie England with 9 Match Points ( the English differential is too high to overtake for 2nd ) and gear up for another day of play. Game time 6:00 AM EDT.


Thursday Oct 27
The die is being cast. Busy with the preparations for the exciting Zoomer Bowls Show in Toronto but keeping an eye on the proceedings on the Island.
Steve McKerihen, George Whitelaw, Steve Santana, Pat Bird are for real in a competitive section which is shaping up as a 4 team race for 3 positions. A lost to Spain in the first round but a big tie against the undefeated English side leaves Canada on the playoff ladder. They have a 'must win ' game later to-day against the USA and the 'decider?' vs Israel tomorrow.
Mary Ann Beath has a chance for the playoff round. Jersey's Chris Grimes and Claire Johnston of Scotland are in and will play each other to decide the bye to the semifinals. The next best scenario for the final round is to have 4 teams with 2-3 records to play each other to decide the one team moving forward.
Mary Ann has to beat Ireland and have Netherlands knock off Wales.
Alex Scott beat the Netherlands and had a good match against Guernsey but he will be at rest after tomorrows game.
Meanwhile the Women's Fours team of Erin Roth, Jean Roney, Shannon Battles, Kylah Dittmar  started out  strong with a good tussle with the undefeated South African squad and just got nipped 14-15 by the Netherlands but the air is slowly seeping out of the tournament balloon.

MEN'S FOURS
Section 2
Round 1 Spain 26 CANADA 12
Round 2 CANADA 20 Jersey 17
Round 3 CANADA 13 England 13
Round 4 bye
Round 5 CANADA 17 Netherlands 12
Round 6 CANADA 23 USA 13
Round 7 Israel 20 CANADA 12

STANDINGS
1. ISRAEL 5-1  10MP  
2. ENGLAND 4-1-1  9MP
3. SPAIN 4-2  8MP  
4. CANADA 3-2-1  7MP  
5. JERSEY 2-4 4MP  -11
6. USA 2-4  4MP  -33
7. NETHERLANDS 0-6  0MP

WOMEN'S SINGLES
Section 2
Round 1 Scotland 21 CANADA 8
Round 2 Jersey 21 CANADA 8
Round 3 CANADA 21 Cyprus 13
Round 4  Bye
Round 5 CANADA 21 Netherlands 9
Round 6 Wales 21 CANADA 14
Round 7 Ireland 21 CANADA 7

STANDINGS
1. JERSEY 6-0 12MP
2. SCOTLAND 5-1 10MP 
3. IRELAND 3-3  6MP  +11
4. WALES 3-3  6MP  +9
5. CANADA 2-4  4MP  -27
6. NETHERLANDS 2-4  4 MP  -43
7. CYPRUS 0-6 0MP

MEN'S SINGLES
Section 1
Round 1 Spain 21 CANADA 13
Round 2 CANADA 21 Netherlands 16
Round 3 Guernsey 21 CANADA 18
Round 4  Bye
Round 5 South Africa 21 CANADA 14
Round 6 Wales 21 CANADA 4
Round 7 Ireland 21 CANADA 14

STANDINGS
1. SOUTH AFRICA 5-1  10MP  +68
2. IRELAND  5-1  10MP  +36
3. WALES  4-2  8MP  ??
4. GUERNSEY 3-3  6MP  +1 ??
5. SPAIN  2-4  4MP
6. CANADA  1-5  2MP  -37
7. NETHERLANDS  1-5  2MP  -60

WOMEN'S FOURS
Section 2
Round 1 South Africa 17 CANADA 13
Round 2 Netherlands 15 CANADA 14
Round 3 Jersey 23 CANADA 9
Round 4 Cyprus 21 CANADA 13
Round 5 CANADA 18 USA 11


STANDINGS
1. SOUTH AFRICA  5-0  10MP
2. CYPRUS 3-2  6MP  
3. USA  2-3  4MP  -3
4. JERSEY 2-3  4MP  -6
5. NETHERLANDS 2-3  4MP  -19
6. CANADA 1-4  2MP




Sunday Oct 23 
SEMIFINALS
WOMEN'S TRIPLES
SCOTLAND 19 SPAIN 10
ENGLAND 18 SOUTH AFRICA 15
FINALS
SCOTLAND 18 ENGLAND 11

MEN'S TRIPLES
SCOTLAND 14 CYPRUS 10
ENGLAND 12 SOUTH AFRICA 11
FINALS
ENGLAND 14 SCOTLAND 11

WOMEN'S PAIRS
SCOTLAND 17 SPAIN 13
SOUTH AFRICA 31 USA 8
FINALS
SCOTLAND 20 SOUTH AFRICA 12

MEN'S PAIRS
SOUTH AFRICA 17 SCOTLAND 7
IRELAND 20 JERSEY 5
FINALS
SOUTH AFRICA 13 IRELAND 10

Saturday Oct 22 FOUR FOR FOUR PLAY ON.
Ring around the Rosie.
We all fall down.
Although George Whitelaw and Alex Scott beat South Africa ( my pick for Gold ) as did Steve McKerihen, Steve Santana, Pat Bird over Cyprus in the Round Robin there will be no rubber match.
And Erin Roth, Jean Roney and Shannon Battles lost to Scotland in the 1/4's who I predict will win the Gold. Finally Mary Ann Beath, Kylah Dittmar  won their way to the dance but didn't make the short list.
You play to put yourself in a position to medal. They all did that in the first half of competition.

It is a random draw by the 2nd and 3rd place finishers in each section of the event.
QUARTERFINALS
9:00 AM [ Canada EDT 2:00 AM ]
WOMEN'S TRIPLES
 SCOTLAND 17 CANADA 8
 ENGLAND 14 WALES 13

9:00 AM
MEN'S TRIPLES
 CYPRUS 18 CANADA 8
[Canada beat Cyprus 11-10 in the RR ]
 SOUTH AFRICA 16 WALES 13

1:00 PM [ Canada EDT 6:00 AM ]
WOMEN'S PAIRS
 SPAIN 21 CANADA 14
USA 23 NETHERLANDS 10

1:00 PM
MEN'S PAIRS
 SOUTH AFRICA 23 CANADA 10
[ Canada beat South Africa 27-18 in RR ]
IRELAND 18 ENGLAND 10

Friday PM Erin Roth, Jean Roney, Shannon Battles nary had time to relax in any game they played in the RR. The big gap was by 5 over Jersey but the rest were 3 over England, a loss to the undefeated South Africa team by 2 and two squeakers in their last two games by one. Cyprus and the USA were close but a  good sign is with the team walking off with pressure wins. A solid 2nd place finish was the result in a competitive section.
The McKerihen, Santana, Bird trio were the only Canadian to lose on the final day but they had the hot top English side and 'got a little help from their friends'. Canada kept it reasonably close, 9-14, and Guernsey were king makers and heart breakers by edging Israel 13-12. An Israel victory would have pushed Canada out of the playoffs and although Guernsey tied Canada with 6 Match Points, Canada prevailed with a +1 to -7 differential in this exciting conclusion.
Friday Oct. 21 Yo baby. George Whitelaw and Alex Scott along with Mary Ann Beath and Kylah Dittmar got up full of vim and vigour and had a tasty treat for breakfast. Whitelaw and Scott knocked off the undefeated South African team 27-18, clinched their quarterfinal berth and relegated the SA team to the same 1/4 status rather than a direct step to the semifinals.
At the same time Beath and Dittmar had their playoff fate in their own hands and responded with a 19-13 victory over Wales. This upped their RR record to a 3 way tie of 2 wins and 3 losses with Wales and Israel. The final differential was CANADA -4, Wales -12 and Israel -34. A satisfying meal in both cases.
Thursday October 20
TRIPLES AND PAIRS ROUND ROBIN GAMES COMPLETED TOMORROW. ALL CANADIAN TEAMS HAVE A SHOT AT THE MEDAL PLAYDOWNS. TOP 3 IN EACH SECTION ADVANCE
You always like to have your chance to advance in your own hands. Even though Mary Ann Beath and Kylah Dittmar lost to-day 12-15 to Guernsey, a win over Wales by 5 or more points in their final RR game should push them into the medal playdowns.
Steve McKerihen, Steve Santana, Pat Bird did what they had to do by winning the first of their final two Round Robin games. They knocked off the Netherlands 16-6 in their afternoon game but face a stiffer foe tomorrow. Bring on the undefeated English squad skipped by Jamie Chestney. A Canadian win brings on the smiles but even a loss will leave the final result in doubt as both Israel and Guernsey remain in contention for the 3rd position.
George Whitelaw and Alex Scott tied Cyprus 17-17 which is both good and not so good.. They would have clinched with a victory but still have the upper hand in the standings - so to speak. Canada maintain their slight lead over the only team that can push them out of the playoff round. The Canadian Pair have 5 match points but a final tilt against the strong South African duo of Gerry Baker and Bobby Donnelly. Cyprus have 3 match points and play the 1-3 Israel team. A win or a tie and forget the tie breaker - yo Canada. A Canadian loss and a Cyprus win leaves the two teams even in match points and
"If points are equal then each section will be decided by the highest net total of shots." Whitelaw and Scott  have a 8 point cushion. It might come in handy.
The Roth, Roney, Battles trio squeezed out a thrilling victory over the Cyprus home team 16-15. This puts them in a strong position to finish in the top 3 and move to medal playdowns. One game remaining and Jersey would have to beat the top dog South African team big and Canada lose to the winless Americans, big.
Meanwhile the McKerihen, Santana, Bird team are now in a must win situation after losing to Ireland 8-28 this morning. They play later to-day against Netherlands and have a stiff task when they play the undefeated English team tomorrow.

Three games, three wins for the Canadian Team on Day 3 of this International competition.
The Women's Triples team of Erin Roth, Jean Roney and Shannon Battles are in 3rd position and could have been on top except for a close loss to the 1st place South African squad. To-day they edged England 15-12 to run their record to 2-1 and are in contention for a run to the playoffs.
George Whitelaw and Alex Scott ran their record to 2-1 with a victory over Israel 21-15. They have a big game tomorrow against the home country Cyprus team which will go a long way in determining their chance at the playoffs.
Mary Ann Beath and Kylah Dittmar picked up their 1st win in the RR by knocking off Israel 25-12. This win jumped them all the way to 3rd in their Section with Scotland and The USA still undefeated.
The other Canadian team in strong contention is the Steve McKerihen, Steve Santana, Pat Bird trio. They had a bye to-day and dropped a spot in a hotly contested Section.
WOMEN'S TRIPLES
ERIN ROTH, JEAN RONEY, SHANNON BATTLES
Round 1 South Africa 18 CANADA 16
Round 2 CANADA 14 Jersey 9
Round 3 CANADA 15 England 12
Round 4 CANADA 16 Cyprus 15
Round 5 CANADA 15  USA 14

Section 2
FINAL STANDINGS
1. South Africa 5-0  10 MP
2. CANADA 4-1  8 MP
3. England 2-3  4 MP  86-63  +23
4. Cyprus 2-3  4 MP 71-62  +9
5. Jersey 2-3  4 MP 58-80  -22
6. USA 0-5  0 MP
Section 1
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Spain 4-2  8 MP  84-74  +10
2. Scotland 4-2  8 MP  79-71  +8
3. Israel 3-3  6 MP  87-82  +5
4. Netherlands 3-3  6 MP  84-81  +3
5. Wales 2-4  4 MP  85-77  +10
6. Ireland 2-4  4 MP  78-85  -7
7. Guernsey 2-4  4 MP  66-93  -27




MEN'S TRIPLES
STEVE MCKERIHEN, STEVE SANTANA, PAT BIRD
Round 1 Israel 20 CANADA 16
Round 2 CANADA 19 Guernsey 10
Round 3 CANADA 11 Cyprus 10
Round 4 BYE
Round 5 Ireland 18 CANADA 8
Round 6 CANADA 16 Netherlands 6
Round 7 England 14 CANADA 9

Section 2
FINAL STANDINGS
1. England 6-0  12 MP
2. Cyprus 4-2  8 MP
3. CANADA 3-3  6 MP  79-78  +1
4. Guernsey 3-3  6 MP  79-86  -7
5. Ireland 2-3-1  5 MP  85-82  +3
6. Israel 2-3-1  5 MP  82-93  -11
7. Netherlands 0-6  0 MP
Section 1
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Scotland 4-1  8 MP
2. South Africa 3-2  6 MP  67-58  +9
3. Wales 3-2  6 MP  73-71  +2
4. Spain 2-3  4 MP  74-64  +10
5. USA 2-3  4 MP  78-78  0
6. Jersey 1-4  2 MP

WOMEN'S PAIRS
MARY ANN BEATH, KYLAH DITTMAR
Round 1 USA 18 CANADA 15
Round 2 Scotland 26 CANADA 9
Round 3 CANADA 25 Israel 12
Round 4 Guernsey 15 CANADA 12
Round 5 CANADA 19 vs Wales 13

Section 1
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Scotland 5-0  123-42  +81
2. USA 3-2  84-84  0
3. CANADA 2-3  80-84  -4
4. Wales 2-3  77-89  -12
5. Israel 2-3  62-96  -34
6. Guernsey 1-4  59-96  -37

Section 2
FINAL STANDINGS
1. South Africa 6-0  12 MP
2. Netherlands 3-3  6 MP +10
3. Spain 3-3  6 MP -1
4. England 3-3 6 MP -8
5. Jersey 3-3  6 MP -22
6. Cyprus 2-4  4 MP
7. Ireland 1-5  2 MP

MEN'S PAIRS
GEORGE WHITELAW, ALEX SCOTT
Round 1 Scotland 27 CANADA 8
Round 2 CANADA 24 Netherlands 11
Round 3 CANADA 21 Israel 15
Round 4 CANADA 17 Cyprus 17
Round 5 CANADA 27 vs South Africa 18

Section 2
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Scotland 4-1  103-53  +50
2. South Africa 4-1  108-73  +35
3. CANADA 3-1-1  97-88  +9
4. Israel 2-3  87-84  +3
5. Cyprus 1-3-1 80-103  -23
6. Netherlands 0-5  52-126  -74
Section 1
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Jersey 5-1  10 MP +53
2. Ireland 5-1  10 MP +22
3. England 4-2  8 MP 
4. USA 3-3  6 MP
5. Wales 2-4  4 MP +24
6. Spain 2-4  4 MP -47
7. Guernsey 0-6  0 MP

ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS FORMATS OF PLAY

I have been searching to confirm the playoff qualifiers and thanks to Team Manager Shirley Lenarduzzi in Cyprus it is the same conditions that will govern the 2012 World Championships in Adelaide.
Shirley was up and rushing off to the greens and took time for a quick note. I know from personal experience that the team officials are busy from early morning to late at night.

FORMATS OF PLAY  
Traditional Play (5 athletes per team)
- SINGLES: Four bowls, 21 shots up, in excess of 21 shots shall not count, with a time
limit of three-and-a-half hours per match (not including trial ends).
- PAIRS: Four bowls per athlete, 18 ends, with a time limit of three-and-a-half hours per
match (not including trial ends). (4x4)
- TRIPLES:  Three bowls per athlete, 15 ends, with a time limit of three-and-a-half hours
per match (not including trial ends).
- FOURS: Two bowls per athlete, 18 ends, with a time limit of three-and-a-half hours per
match (not including trial ends).
Teams will be divided into two sections. Sectional play will be used to determine ranking in each
section.
The winner of section 1 will progress to semi final 1, the winner of section 2 will progress to semi
final 2.
The second and third placed teams from each section will be randomly draw into two postsectional playoff matches, game A and game B. The winner of game A will progress to semi final 1,
the winner of game B will progress to semi final 2. The winners of each semi final will play off in the
final for the gold and silver medals. The losers of both semi finals will be awarded bronze medals.