ABERGAVENNY bowl club members John Beaton and Robert Poynter made history last week when they become the first bowlers from Monmouthshire to win the the Welsh Bowls association Senior Pairs competition.

The dynamic duo qualified for the last 16 of this prestigious competition, held in Llandrindod Wells, after winning the MBA senior pairs tournament.

In their first match, Beaton and Poynter played a pair from Ferndale. Although the game was very close until the final two ends, the Abergavenny team prevailed, and went on to enjoy a more comfortable victory in the quarter-final against a team from Lampeter.

In the semi-final they faced competition favourites, P. Currie and J. Baggott from Tenby.

Although the sea-siders built an early seven shot lead, the Abergavenny players fought back to win a tense game by 22 shots to 18 and qualify for the final, where they had a dramatic showdown with Caerphilly's T. Attwood and K. Crook.

The Abergavenny pair built an early lead and maintained their advantage to win the game and the championship by 25 shots to 22 and lift the trophy for Monmouthshire.