STAR man Rob Lawrenson missed his team make history at the weekend.
Lawrenson was on holiday as St Albans won the Warrington and North Cheshire Bowls Association Challenge Cup for the first time in the competition’s 117-year history.
Saints edged home 176-170 against St Oswalds in a thrilling final at Monk Sports Club.
Ossies started well by taking the first two matches, Dave Bennett getting the better of Syd Heath 21-20 and the in-form Lee Johnstone easing to a 21-13 success.
Oliver Ellison then responded for St Albans, winning 21-17.
St. Oswalds’ Duncan Wright took the final match of the first four blocks 21-17 to give his side the lead by nine shots.
The middle four matches then saw St. Albans storm into the overall lead, wining three games with P Ellis returning a 21-6 victory over Ray Nevins which gained him the man of the match award; P Hollett also winning to single figures 21-8.
That meant St Albans led by 19 chalks going into the last two games.
Roared on by the St Oswalds supporters in a large crowd, Larry Wells played a short mark along the edge of the green bowling marvellous to claim a 21-9 win to leave his side trailing by only seven shots.
The final game looked to be going in favour of St Oswalds’ Carl Armitage who had established a comfortable lead only for St Albans captain Danny Parker to play a great strike preventing his opponent from scoring two shots.
Again, on the next end, Armitage lay with two close bowls only for Parker to run the jack to his back bowl and claim a double.
The game ended in a 21-20 win for Armitage, but it was St Albans who were celebrating.
St Albans captain Danny Parker receiving the Challenge Cup from the league's management comittee member Keith Lee
Prior to that final, Woolston defeated Grange B 180-154 in the Finlayson Cup Final on the same green.
Kevin Wainwright succeeded 21-11 but Grange responded with the next three winners, Dave Mason coming back from 17-9 down to defeat Ian Porter 21-20.
Woolston struck back by winning three games out of the middle four which put them three shots in front with the last two to go on.
Mike Chesters produced a match-winning performance of corner bowling to defeat Tommy Donoghue 21-7, along with Mark Norris winning 21-12 which eased Woolston to victory.
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