A quartet of short mat bowlers from Pembrokeshire are celebrating the fact that they are now British champions after fending off the strong challenge of the pick of England, Scotland and Ireland in the recent championships at the Indoor Bowls Club in Bromsgrove.
 
Sean Hughes played as skip alongside his father Marley, Alan Evans and Mark Thorpe and he produced some key shots that helped them beat England and Ireland before smashing Scotland to secure the silverware.
 

Double delight for Marley

 
It was a double delight for Marley, who was representing his country in this top competition for the tenth time, many of them as captain, and at 73 years of age was one of the senior players in the Welsh team which won the overall competition as there were also singles, pairs and triples as part of the event, with points awarded for positions in each section.
 
Ironically, this quartet had reached this stage by winning the Welsh Crown after finishing third in the Pembrokeshire championship and going to the finals as underdogs - but produced the goods on the day, as they did over the weekend in Bromsgrove.
 

Great determination pays off

 
Their first match against England, over 15 ends, was very much nip and tuck but in a tight last end there was some good early play from Mark Thorpe and Alan Evans (in for Marley's son-in-law Simon Lewis, who was working), before Marley kept things tight and then Sean showed why he is now regarded as a very fine bowler by claiming the all-important shot.
 
The match against a very strong Irish team seemed all over bar the shouting after eight ends, when the Pembs quartet trailed by a massive eight shots - but Sean's expertise at skip saw them pick up four shots in one end and with one end to go it was all square!
 
Again our local bowlers stayed cool and eased home by that vital single shot!
 

Finishing in style

 
The match against a veteran Scottish foursome was very easier and Mark, Alan, Marley and Sean won easily by 24-3 to see them pick up the large trophy and their winners' mementoes as they were cheered home by the rest of the Welsh contingent, plus Mark's parents Julie and Keith, who had been superb supporters throughout the weekend.
 
"We played with real commitment," Marley told us, "and never gave up trying when we were behind to show that Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls is well and truly on the British map!"