Congratulations to Paul "Mr Angry" Hemming from The George, who triumphed over Stephen Davies from Wootton Hall with a close score of 21-20 in this year's W&W Veterans Merit final held at The Raven on Friday, May 18.

A new competition format was tested for the 2024 season, with a qualifying night on May 17 resulting in 8 players from 4 greens advancing to the finals. Qualifiers from Hall Green included Tony Eades and Paul Johnson from The Greville, Steve Turner and Paul Hemming from Boldmere Sports, Chris Baker and Stephen Green, and from M&B Portland Road, Dave Clarke and Stephen Davies.

Every match on finals night was hotly contested, with all 10 games having scores no lower than 16.

In the quarter-finals matchup, Stephen Green from Bradford Arms outplayed Chris Baker from Triplex with a score of 21-16. The next match saw Steve Turner from Bradford Arms fall to Paul Hemming in the same scoreline of 21-16. Following that, Paul Johnson from Water Orton competed against Stephen Davies from Wootton Hall, with Stephen emerging victorious at 21-17, the same score with which Tony Eades from Bradford Arms defeated Dave Clarke in the fourth game of the round.

Moving on to the semi-finals, Stephen Green faced off against Paul Hemming, and Stephen Davies played against Tony Eades. Once more, both matches ended with scores of 21-17, securing Paul and Stephen Davies a spot in the final.

The final match was an intense showdown under the floodlights, with the lead changing hands multiple times throughout the night. Despite Stephen leading 20-15 towards the end, Paul mounted a remarkable comeback to clinch victory at 21-20.

"Mr Angry," along with all the players who participated on that memorable Friday night, displayed exceptional skill.

Paul and Stephen will now represent Warwick & Worcester at the BCGBA Jack and Jean Isherwood Championship in Prees, Shropshire, on July 3rd. We wish both players the best of luck in the Nationals. 

For the complete W&W competition draw and results, please click here.