Whitby Bowling Club’s Kenny Wale homes in on Hospital Cup final victory

Whitby's Kenny Wale used home green knowledge to snap up the Hospital Cup final win on Sunday.

This cup predates the equally prestigious Boyes Cup as it dates from 1902 when it was won by C Clayton.

Its full title is “The Scarborough Hospital Bowling Challenge Cup” and the “Scarborough Hospital” referred to was apparently a hospice for miners from South Yorkshire that was established in Scarborough.

The cup was presented by the Governors of this “hospital” and a certain W Morgan, Esq. “for annual competition”.

The Hospital Cup finalists and the chairman.

The format of the competition has no doubt changed since 1902 and now each of the local clubs can enter up to six bowlers to compete for the cup with the previous year’s winner being allowed to “defend“ it.

On Sunday 38 bowlers were entered by their clubs in addition to North Cliff’s Danny Cooper, the holder.

Play commenced just before 10am on a rather warm but overall pleasant day at Whitby on a very good green.

The early rounds resulted in a number of, perhaps, unexpected results with some very good bowlers being eliminated albeit in good games.

As the day progressed the numbers were whittled down until four bowlers remained to contest the semi-finals.

The first was between Danny Cooper (North Cliff), the holder and Gary Thornton (Eastfield).

For 19 ends this was a very even game with never more than two points between the players for a score of 14-14.

At this point Thornton opened up a lead of 19-14 only for Cooper to come back with 5 to 1 to trail 20-19.

Thornton held his nerve though to score the single point, in the 28th end, needed to be in the final.

The other semi-final was an even more equal game between Whitby clubmates Kenny Wale and Geoff Watson.

Wale opened up an early 5-1 lead only for Watson to pull that back and at end 20 the score was 11-11. Wale then scored five to go 16-11 only for Watson to pull it back to 16-15. Watson was only to score one point after that as Wale ran out the winner by 21-16.

The final, unfortunately, turned out to be a rather one sided affair. Thornton won the first end by two but then home bowler Wale scored seven.

Thornton scored a single before Wale, possibly using local ”knowledge”, ran his score up to 19.

Thornton then started to stage a comeback, scoring five in the next three ends, before Wale registered the two that he needed to lift the one major local trophy he has never previously won.