Bowls - Joyce achieves Isle of Man hat-trick (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Bowls - Joyce achieves Isle of Man hat-trick

10:04am Thursday 2nd July 2009

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BOWLER Joyce Foxcroft has won the ladies singles title at June's Isle of Man Festival for a remarkable third time.

Veteran bowler Joyce, who plays for the Kings Arms Hale, defeated Preston St Joseph’s Joan Jolly, a’ former September Festival winner, 21-13 in the final to share the record number of wins with Liverpool’s Maureen Lyons in the 60-odd years of the event.

Joyce, whose previous title wins were in 1990 and 1994, started off with a 21-18 victory against an islande, North Ramsey’s Christine Price.

She had a tremendous second-round struggle against last year’s runner-up, Leed’s Alice Pooley (conceding one point) before winning 21-20 Bootle’s Mary Murphy was the next victim 21-10, and then West Derby Rec’s Tourism Trophy winner Margaret Gard followed 21-13.

In the quarter-final and semi-final Joyce met two islanders from Port St Mary, who proved to be tough opposition, first Ann Maddrell was beaten 21-18, then Pat Bull 21-17.

Joyce took command in the final, leading 10-8, 14-8, 19-13, and finishing 21-13 to take the £1,000 first prize and a place in the record books.

“It was a long day in the heat but everything just fell into place for me and I was thrilled to bits to win for a third time,” said Joyce.

The hat-trick feat adds to an impressive cv which includes having been a twice-times winner of the Ladies Waterloo, the Ladies Talbot and the Fleetwood Festival along with a treble success in the Morecambe Festival top prize.

This latest triumph gives her entry into the Ladies’ Champion of Champions at Waterloo later this year.

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