There was nothing to separate the two sides throughout the two days of competition at the Grainville Indoor Bowling Stadium and it came down to a countback to decide who had won.
A jubilant Jersey team took the Rossborough International Test Series thanks to better shot difference 238-229.
The men’s team fared less well but still put up a good fight against high-quality competition.
‘I’m still in a spin,’ said women’s team manager Sue Noel this morning.
The series was nip-and-tuck throughout – England took Saturday morning’s pairs, only for Jersey to take the triples in the afternoon.
It swung between the two sides and they went into the singles matches with seven points each.
Lindsey Greechan made sure the home side got off to a flying start and there were victories too for Alison Camacho and Chris Grimes, but Gina Le Long, Sue Dingle and Gaynor Thomas could not add the game which would give the home side outright victory and it was left to the countback to settle the issue as the teams were tied on 13 points each.
‘It could not have been closer,’ said Noel.
‘We were level after Saturday, still level after Sunday morning and we ended up level at 13 all.
It could not have been closer.’ A disappointing crowd on the first day was swelled on Sunday and the home supporters finally found their voices in the tense closing stages of the ladies’ match.
‘ It was very noisy and very exciting and I think England discovered that Jersey had a voice.
With the number of bowlers in Jersey there should have been a bigger turn-out but that’s Jersey for you,’ said Noel.
She paid tribute to all the team members.
‘They all played really, really well.
We’ve never won this test series before and to do it at home as well was very special.’ England had fielded a team of internationals, with a mix of experienced and junior players – and there was no doubt that the home side went into the weekend as underdogs.
‘We do not get to play against the standard that the England team are playing all the time.
They get coaching and sports psychologists and regular high level competition so for us to be able to win is great,’ she said.
England’s men, though, were too powerful and kept up their 100 per cent record in the biennial series, winning by 20-6.
But manager Brian Bisson was anything but disheartened.
‘I was delighted.
Just like the ladies we are getting better all the time and I think it’s only a matter of time before we match the ladies’ success.
The scorecard looks overwhelming but it was closer than that suggests and there was some wonderful bowls.’ His stand-out performance of the weekend was John Lowery’s victory against Dion Auckland in yesterday’s singles.
‘Dion had been their star performer and John’s performance was exceptional.
It gives him a great springboard going forward to the world under-25s soon,’ said Bisson.
