Stephen Thornton won the Letchworth GC Handicap & GC Level Play Tournaments
[<<] [>>] by John Noble
at Letchworth
10 Jun
2017 (GC)
In the Letchworth June GC Handicap Tournament, Thornton finished second in his block on five points (one game being timed out at 5-5) behind Andrew Fall (Enfield) on six points. Fall, had beaten Thornton 7-6 in their block game, and both went on to win their semi-finals to set up a rematch. In the 19-point final Thornton gave Fall 11 extra turns but even that was not enough: Thornton put on a masterclass performance - aggressive and accurate - and at times seemed to completely dominate the court. But with 11 extra turns it was always going to be close and Fall fought hard. A thoroughly enjoyable game to watch.
In the Letchworth June GC Level Play Tournament, Thornton as top of his block winning all his games, including that against Nick Mounfield (Letchworth) his eventual opponent in the final. In the semi-finals, Mounfield won a predictably hard-fought game against Tim King, while Thornton beat Letchworth's John Skingsley, who went on to take third place by beating King 7-6. The 19-point final between Thornton and Mounfield was a monumental game with some outstanding hitting, a few nervy errors, and a couple of interesting issues to keep the referees engaged. But in the end, it was Thornton who made fewer mistakes and kept his head to take the final hoop. Result: Thornton beat Mounfield 10-9.