Halfway through the season, Monmouth Bowls Club found themselves in the relegation zone in the MBA league.

A succession of games lost by just a handful of shots left the club in dire peril at the bottom of Division 3.

On Saturday 28th August, Monmouth played their last home game against Standard (Newport).

A good win would have lifted them clear of the bottom three, but despite winning two rinks to one with one shared, the home side lost by three shots.

So Monmouth had to win the last game at Henlys (Oakdale) to avoid the dreaded drop.

With many away on holidays and other commitments, a weakened side set forth up the valleys in the hope of winning survival.