THE Cyril Hicks Singles Shield in the Wellington Ex-Services Skittles League is set for an electrifying finals night after two fiercely contested sessions at the Cottage Inn.

Reservists’ Kevin Sedgebeer led the way in the 8pm session, firing an impressive 57 to secure his spot. He was joined by multiple-time champions John Lane (56) and Rob Higgs (54), while Darren Sparks (49) edged through to complete the quartet.

Later in the evening, Ex-Servicemen’s Steve Trevelyan stole the show with a dominant 60, finishing 14 pins clear of the pack to mark himself as a serious title contender. Paul Beer (46), Andy Chappell (45), and James May (44) also advanced, while defending champion John Barker fell just short with 43. The finals night will be on Thursday, 24th April. The venue will be confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Harry Dowson Pairs Cup saw some great contests at the Victoria Arms, with four pairs securing their places for finals night.

Victoria Arms (downstairs): Steve Powell/Paul Winter 90, Liam Desborough/Tyler Cox 98. All Stars pair Liam Desborough and Tyler Cox advanced to the finals night of the Harry Dowson Pairs with an eight pin win over King Pins duo Steve Powell and Paul Winter. Both sets of pairs played well, with Powell and Winter both hitting 45. Tyler Cox scored 42 and it was Liam Desborough taking the plaudits with a classy 56 to see them to the right side of a close game.

Phil Powell/Glen Escott 96, Les Marke/Jordan Bryant 89. Reservists’ Phil Powell and Glen Escott piled more misery onto the King Pins as they saw off their second pair of Les Marke and Jordan Bryant by seven pins. Every pin mattered here, and it was Powell and Escott who found more consistency with their scoring (49 and 47). Les Marke hit 47 in reply with Bryant scoring 42, but it was not to be on the night.

Edd Chivers/Alex Govier 86, Shaun Vile/Gary Escott 0. Hot Shots’ pair Edd Chivers and Alex Govier had a walkover as Cottage Pies duo Shaun Vile and Gary Escott were not in attendance. Edd scored 42 and Alex hit 44 but with no opposition to worry about it was just a bit of practice in their first game of this years’ competition.

Darren Sparks/Kevin Sedgebeer 105, Shaun Scovell/Dave Houston 89. Reservists’ Darren Sparks and Kevin Sedgbeer saw off King Pins pair Shaun Scovell and Dave Houston by 16 pins to book their place in the finals night. Sparks and Sedgebeer hit the highest score of the round with a fantastic 105 (Sparks 55, Sedgebeer 50). Scovell and Houston had caused a bit of an upset in the opening round when they knocked out Ex-Servicemen’s Steve Trevelyan and Geoff Hamlyn, and the underdogs were hoping to go one further here. Shaun Scovell scored 40 with Dave Houston hitting a solid 49, but it wasn’t enough, and their Cinderella story came to an end.

The final match of this round (Lee Ellis/Paul Robinson v James May/Sam Vile) has been re-scheduled for Friday, 4th April, with a 7.30pm start at the Victoria Arms (downstairs) with both sets of pairs representing the Cottage Pies. The Finals night will be on Friday, 25th April.