Garioch Club President's praise for Bowls Championship performance
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Jason Banks of Garioch is runner up in World Bowls Championship, but it could have been so different writes Mike Barron.
He was beaten by Jamie Walker of England 8-7 and 7-7.
His comment was “I am absolutely gutted to lose especially when I had had outstanding play in earlier rounds getting to the final of the World Bowls Championship”.
President of Garioch Indoor Club, Derek MacKay, commented” the Club is honoured to have Jason Banks as a member, and he has brought great honour to the Garioch Club, Inverurie and Aberdeenshire.
"He had qualified to enter the World Indoor Championship against 48 top UK players at each of three venues. "Despite being narrowly defeated 8-7, 7-7 in the World Bowls Championship 2023 he can be proud of his achievements, especially beating UK internationalists, and a double World Champion on the way to the final.
"We hope, as a Club, to recognise his outstanding play, skill and sportsmanship”
Summarising the final match it is fair to say Jason did not draw as well as he had done in earlier rounds.
In both sets he did not start well.
Was it nerves?
When down, Walker had lucky breaks in firing, when disturbing the head, the jack mostly finished nearer to his bowl. This was the case in the final end in set 1.
Jason Banks to work hard to reach Potters, in Suffolk, the host for the event.
He attended 3 qualifier tournaments before winning a place.
Only once in the path to final did he have to play extra ends.
He had to play a Preliminary round in this Championship against fellow Scot, Daren Weir and won 8-3, 9-9.
Steve Skelton of England was next and he won10-1, 8-4.
Les Gillett a former winner was beaten10-5, 11-8, Jason Greenslade, in quarter final, 11-6, 10-9, and double World Champion, Mark Dawes, which was taken to an extra end.
Score 7-8, 8-5 and he won 2 ends of 3.
Jamie Walker, of England, too had to qualify for the event.
He first beat Greg Harlow of England and then to go to extra ends from the second round, first Mark Royal, then Wayne Willgress and in an exciting semi-final won against Robert Paxton 9-9, 8-8 and won the next 2 extra ends.
If only Jason had started better in the 1st set.
His drawing was missing in the first two ends, and Walker was five shots up.
The third saw him firing when again down, and he scored 1 shot.
It was from the 5th to 7th end he started drawing like he had in earlier rounds.
He scored 1,2, and 1 shots before losing a further single.
Now 6-7 down at the 10th he scored again thanks to a third bowl touching jack after two poor bowls.
Now 7-7 going into the last end, he had three poor bowls, but was lying set with his last bowl.
Walker played a running bowl, and was lucky to win the end, and set, by a fluke bowl.
Walker had won set 1, 8-7.
Set 2 was like the first set, with Walker scoring three in first two ends.
Having scored at third all thought that Banks was back to outstanding drawing bowls as in the 4th he drew all bowls as near as 1 foot.
He scored three shots after Walker fired and missed.
Now he was 4-3 up.
He scored singles at the 5th and 6th ends to be 6-3 up.
At the 7th he was at the jack, but Walker drew a superb last bowl to win the end.
Jason’s drawing. particularly on his back hand, was now back.
He scored at the 8th but lost singles singles at 9th and 10th ends to be 7-6 up.
Jason needed to win this end by two shots while Walker needed one to draw and take the match.
There was tension in deliveries from both players.
With his last bowl Jason missed with his strike.
Walker had drawn 7-7 and won 1.5 points to Jason’s 0.5.
In summary this has been a great two weeks of televised bowling and a wonderful display of bowling from Jason Banks, runner-up in the 44th World Bowls Championship which was started at Coatbridge in 1979.
