Bowls: St Andrews duo are county indoor pairs champions

Andrew Owens (Image: Archant)

They were awarded the title jointly with Oli Collins and Pete Mattravers (Ilminster), with all bowls suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The four were due to meet in the county finals on April 18, but competition secretary Mike Kennedy said: “The competition committee have taken the decision that the county finals for the 2019/20 season will not take place this year.

“The prize money for each competition will be equally shared between the finalists and trophies will not be awarded this season.”

Angove, who has just completed his first season of competitive indoor bowls, added: “I’d rather we had been able to play the final, but it’s nice to be a county champion for the first time in my bowls career.”

Angove teamed up with Owens, a former national outdoor two-wood singles champion, last October when he joined St Andrews for the first time.

They could hardly have had a tougher start in the county pairs, facing Taunton’s England reserve James Amery and Simon Barnard, last year’s runners-up.

But Owens and Angove beat them 17-13 and, after a walkover in the next round, knocked out Mark Reeve and Colin Day (Taunton Deane) 17-14.

Their semi-final opponents were another Taunton Deane pair, Trevor Keates and Stan Hedger, and the turning point of a tight game came when, with his team about to drop what would have been a decisive seven, Angove drew shot with a perfect final wood and they went on to win by three.

Owens, a bowler since he was a youngster, had won four county indoor singles titles – three in the two-wood singles, and one in the four-wood singles. He is the reigning county outdoor champion in the two-wood singles.

Angove is a novice by comparison, but has quickly become an outstanding bowler, having won the Lyme Regis Open tournament last year with father Pete and brother Jack, both also St Andrews indoor members.