MATCH REPORTS (A TEAM)

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11th January 2020 away to surrey

Hampshire A Team score high but lose away to Surrey in the final game of the round robin stage of the Inter County Championship, on Saturday 11th January 2020.
 
It was the last game of the league stages, and whatever the result Hampshire could not be caught by the other teams in the league.  No-one in the team had gone to Surrey thinking it would be easy game, although Surrey had only won two matches up until then, one home, one away.  Everyone had hoped to replicate their home success against them, but despite scoring two more shots across the board,  Hampshire lost the match 21-19.
 
It had all started well, with Tony Wall always having the better of his opponent running out 17-7 and  Dave Sperry winning 17-8, with a strong middle-section of his game picking up 8 shots in four ends to go 12-2 up.  Dropping a four on the 10th end followed by two singles brought the two players closer (12-8) but then the Hampshire man picked up 5 shots over the remaining three ends.
 
It seemed the pairs unfortunately could not get to grips with their respective mats. Although Dave Jelley & Dave Stallibrass started well with a 2, it was then end 8 before they scored again by which time they were 2-9 down.   However they kept their composure and at the completion of end 11 they were level at 9-9.  Unfortunately they conceded two shots on each of the remaining four ends to finally lose 17-9. The other pair of Roger Messenger and David Wood didn’t start well.  They dropped a 3 on the first end and a 4 on the 3rd end and were really on the back foot after that only winning five ends in total in a 6-21 defeat
 
In the second session the travellers won three mats out of four.  Anita Bucknall, Matthew Hardman and Chris Hewitt were slow getting out of the blocks and indeed were 3-11 down by the halfway stage, but dug in and scored on all but one end from there to win 17-12. Jan Sansom, Paul Wheatley and Brian Brown were also slow starters although they had kept pace with their opposition and were level at five ends 3-3.  From end 7 however, they found a higher gear and scored on every remaining end but one in a 16-7 win.  There were mixed fortunes in the fours though, and Ray Wheatley, Jan Bunker, team manager Glo Fowler and Alex Tymon struggled to get on the board, and ultimately lost 7-13.  Trevor Holmes, John Bucknall, Trevor Tymon and Colin Dickinson scored on all but four ends in a fairly convincing 14-8 win. 
 
Hampshire was a slender 10 shots up overall (103-93).  10 points to 6.
 
Tony Wall suffered a rare defeat in his second game of 13-14, but he had been 3-10 down at the halfway stage so it had been a good comeback.  Indeed he had drawn level on end 13 (11-11) to then drop a 3 on the penultimate end, and only managing to pick up a 2 on the final end.  Dave Sperry also fell to an uncharacteristic loss, and a rather heavier one at that of 9-18.  Nevertheless, Hampshire still won the bonus points courtesy of the good first session. 
 
Jelley & Stallibrass played cat and mouse for the first part of their game but then took control and ran out 14-10 winners. Messenger & Wood went into the 10th end a shot down, (6-7) but rallied from there and registered a 15-9 win.  However it wasn’t enough to take the bonus points and the discipline was lost by 13 shots.
 
Hewitt’s triple struggled to get ahead of their opponents but by the completion of end 5 they were 6-1 up.  Unfortunately dropping a 4 at this stage proved critical and gave the home players a foothold, enforced by a single and a two on successive ends.  Although the Hampshire triple dug in and picked up three single shots in the remaining ends, it was not enough and the travellers lost 9-11. 
 
On the adjacent mat Brown’s three-some seemed to be in control of their destiny and were 5-1 up at 3 ends.  Their opponents chipped away at this however and by the completion of the 8th end, the teams were level 6-6.  The ensuing cat and mouse game finished in a 9-9 draw - a close fought match.  But it had been enough to net the Hampshire side the valuable bonus points.
 
Alex Tymon’s four were also having close encounters and at 6 ends the score were level at 5-5, although it had taken the concession of a 4 on the 5th end to let the home side back into the game, followed by a single shot.  What Tymon’s rink didn’t need, then, was to drop a 4 on the very next end to go 5-9 down.  They pulled back to level again 9-9 going into the final end to concede a shot to lose 9-10.  Dickinson’s foursome were also having a  tough game and were 2-8 down at the completion of the 4th end.  Rallying a little they actually got their noses back in front 9-8 with three ends to play.... but on each of those three ends they dropped two shots and lost 9-14.  Overall the discipline had only lost by 6 shots, but losing the bonus points was disappointing, especially as the final score was so close. 
 
It was the first defeat for Hampshire albeit by only 2 shots (190-188) and 2 points (19-21). 
 
The A Team sits on top of their League clear of second place (Surrey) by 58 points. 
 
They will now play the winners of the Prelim match between Hereford & Suffolk in the Quarter Finals at Solihull on 23rd February. 
 
Hampshire A Team do the double on East Sussex 24th November 2019

Buoyed by their success away from home against East Sussex, the A team welcomed their opponents to the Riverside Indoor venue in Winchester in expectation of another good game.   
 
Tony Wall however, seemed stuck on the number two until the 8th end, by which point he was 2-12 down but he finally got back into the game, winning five of the remaining seven ends to make the score a more respectable 9-14 loss.  However, team colleague Andrew Shorney had much the better of his game, scoring on all but four of the available 15 ends in a 20-8 demolition.  His tally included two full house scores.   In the pairs, David Stallibrass and Dave Sperry scored consistently and on nearly every end running out with a 17-6 win, although at the completion of four ends the teams had been level on 3-3.  Jan Sansom and Brian Brown were having a closer match on their mat, and indeed at 10 ends found themselves 5-13 down.  But having got to 13, that is where the East Sussex pairing stayed as Hampshire pushed past them to win 17-13. 
 
The second session took to the mats and Anita Bucknall, Dave Jelley and Billy Ray were 6-1 up at 5 ends, trading singles over the next four ends, they then eased away to an 11-8 victory.  June & Roger Messenger, along with Martin Grange, achieved the same score 11-8, but whilst they had been 8-1 up at 6 ends they had somehow allowed their opponents to draw level on the 11th end, to be 8-8.  Winning the final two ends was essential, which they did with a single and a pair.  Phew!   In the fours, Jan Bunker, Linda Stiles, Team Manager Glo Fowler and Alex Tymon picked up a three on the first end and from then on seemed to be in total charge of the game, winning 13-7.  They had dropped a four on the 7th end, but redressed the balance with a 3 on the next end and looked comfortable after that.  Trevor Holmes, Julie Grange, Lorraine Shorney and Colin Dickinson only failed to score on two ends in a 17-3 win, even picking up a 5 on the fifth end.
 
At the halfway point then, the home side were comfortably ahead, by 14 points to 2 and some 48 shots separated the two teams, but Hampshire needed to keep concentrating.
 
In his second match, Tony Wall had a tentative start but then clicked into gear and from then on scored consistently running out 19-6.  His opponent had only scored on four ends.  Andrew Shorney was showing his class as well as he only dropped five shots in four ends and won in storming fashion, 23-5.  Singles bonus points therefore in the bag.  The pairs were slightly less convincing however, and whilst Stallibrass & Sperry drew 9-9, Sansom & Brown lost 10-13 having been level on 8-8 at nine ends. However the scores from the first session had been sufficient to carry them through and the bonus points for the pairs were also in the bag.   
 
When the final session of matches finished it must have looked to a neutral that the travelling triples players had gone home early, as Ray’s triple won in romping style 25-2 and Grange’s threesome stormed to a 27-4 victory.   However, there had been some feisty play by the East Sussex team and the matches had not been a walkover.  Bonus points for the triples in the bag.
 
The fours had another good session with Tymon’s all female rink dropping three singles only in a hard fought 9-3 victory, whilst Dickinson’s foursome achieved a creditable 11-11 winning one less end than their opponents.  They were four down going into the final end, but picked up a four on the last end to seal the game.
 
It was a good final home match for the team – and they now look forward to their trip to Surrey in early January. 
 
Result : Hampshire 34 – 6 East Sussex, (248 shots to 120)  The team tops their group, having won all their matches and are 60 points ahead of their closest rivals – Surrey - and so cannot be beaten.

Hampshire A Team win away at West Sussex on Sunday 10th November 2019
 
It is getting to be a very good season for the A team under the continuing manager-ship of Glo Fowler, with the travellers mastering the very much faster mats at West Sussex
 
In the singles Tony Wall started slowly but picked up a full house of 4 on the 3rd end and scored consistently thereafter.   By the completion of eight ends he was 10-2 up, and whilst he only scored on three ends after that he kept his opponent’s score down to run out a 15-9 winner. Team colleague Andrew Shorney, having picked up a single on the first end, proceeded to drop a four on the second end, but then got to grips with the mat and his opponent and collected 7 shots over the next three ends which brought the score to 8-4 to the Hampshire man.  By the time the game had reached 12 ends, Shorney had doubled his score to 16.  He took his foot off the pedal for the remaining three ends and conceeded four shots but still ran out a 16-12 winner. 
 
In the pairs, David Stallibrass and Dave Sperry had a close game, but always seemed to be on the back foot although they had won the first two ends and were 3-0 up.  Although they scored consistently throughout the game, it was the 12 shots they dropped in the middle that made the difference as they lost 10-15.  The other pairing, Jan Sansom and Brian Brown, were also having a hard fought game, although they had picked up a three on the first end. They only won five of the available ends in total, including picking up a two on the final end which made the overall score quite competitive only losing 10-12.
 
The second session saw June & Roger Messenger, skipped by Martin Grange contest a close game and a five ends the score was 5-3 to Hampshire.  A three and a five conceded in the next two ends saw them go 5-11 down, but scoring on all but one of the remaining six ends, saw them achieve a 15-12 win.  Anita Bucknall, Dave Jelley and Billy Ray, seemed to be having a difficult game as well, as at six ends they were 3-7 down.  However, they pulled back and won all but one of the remaining ends to bring the score to 18-8.  The final two ends had been a real bonus as they scored a four and a five.
 
John Bucknall, Linda Stiles, team manager Glo Fowler and Alex Tymon got off to a winning start picking up a 2 on the first end, but let the advantage slip, going behind on the fifth end by dropping a three. (5-6). Trading shots over the next two ends brought them to 7-7 at 7 ends, but from there they dug in again and pulled away to win 11-7. Trevor Holmes, Jan Grange, Lorraine Shorney and Colin Dickinson contended another close game and were 9-4 up at seven ends.  However, they let the advantage slip and dropped a four on the next end, followed by four shots over the next three ends to lose 9-12.  
 
It was a close match at the halfway stage, with the Hampshire travelers struggling to gain an advantage overall.  Indeed they were 87 shots to 104 down although ahead on points 10-6.  It was all to do in the second half of the match and they dug in.
 
Tony Wall fought hard but found himself 3-8 down at 6 ends.  A flurry of action then saw him pick up 7 shots in three ends and he went 10-8 up…. only to drop a two and a one to go behind again.  However a three and a two accrued to the loss of only two singles over the final four ends saw him run out 15-13 up.  It had been a good game.  Shorney, however had no such scares, although conceding two shots on the first end was aggravating. Taking a storming command of the game, he proceeded to score consistently on all but four ends thereafter and ran out 22-8 up.  The singles bonus points safely in the bag. 
 
Sperry & Stallibrass were also in no mood for concession and scored on all but three ends in a creditable 18-5 win. Unfortunately the reverse was happening on the adjacent mat as Samson & Brown were 0-14 down at the completion of the fifth end. They had a better second half of the game, but were still inconsistent and eventually lost 7-21.  Unfortunately this meant that the bonus points for the pairs were lost.
 
At this point it was beginning to look a little bleak but Martin Grange’s triple pulled back from being 1-6 down to being only three behind but then dropped a three on the next end …..  However this seemed to restart their motor and from there they had a much better second half, eventually winning 15-14.  Unfortunately the other triple fell from being 7-1 up at 4 ends to lose 11-15 scoring on only two further ends, with a consolation single shot on the final end.  Nevertheless, the good work in this discipline had been done in the first session and the bonus points were retained by Hampshire.
 
The fours had mixed fortunes as well, and Tymon’s rink started well with a five on the first end.  They seemed to have much the better of the game and scored on nearly every end in a 17-5 demolition of their home opponents.  However, Dickinson’s foursome fell to the second defeat of the day 11-4, although they had a good end 4 where they had picked up a 5 to get them right back in the game at 5-5.   A two on the next end put them ahead, but a two conceded on the next brought the teams even again.  A three collected on the next was then off-set  by a four dropped immediately and although they picked up a further single to get level again (11-11) they lost the two final ends and thereby the game, by three shots  - 11-14.  However the bonus points were safely in Hampshire’s tally.
 
The final score was Hampshire 220 shots (26 points) to West Sussex 182 shots (14 points).
 

Hampshire A Team home to West Sussex.  20th October 2019
 
It was another stunning win for Glo Fowler’s Hampshire A team, against a West Sussex side that had seemed to have been in control in their previous two matches of the campaign with two wins out of two matches played.
 
It started a little tentatively for Hampshire as in the Singles, Tony Wall was always playing catch up until at the completion of the 10th end he was 6-10 down.  However, those 10 shots were all his opponent achieved as Tony scored on every remaining end to win 14-10.  Team mate Andrew Shorney was having a similar struggle but managed to get ahead at last on the 10th end going 9-8 up.  A three accrued on the next end put a little distance between the two players but the West Sussex man wasn’t going away and Andrew dropped a two to let his opponent back in to the match.  On the 13th end Andrew picked up a two but then dropped a two and a single over the remaining two ends to only win by 1 shot.  But a win was still a win.   
 
The Pairs were having similar battles as the travelling West Sussex team fought hard.  David Stallibrass & Dave Sperry conceded a four on the first end but then picked up a four on the next.  Then it became a nip and tuck game with neither side really gaining an advantage until the Hampshire pair scored a three to go one shot ahead.... only to drop a three on the next end to be 9-11 down.  However, they dug in and with the loss of only another two single shots picked up 7 shots to run out 16-13 winners.  It was only the pairing of Jan Sansom and Brian Brown that seemed to be in charge of their mat, but even they had let a 9-4 scoreline slip away until they were only two up (11-9) at the completion of the 11th end.  However, a stronger finish saw them run out 16-10 winners.
 
The second session saw Anita Bucknall, Dave Jelley and Billy Ray let a 6-1 score be whittled away to find themselves level on 8-all at the completion of the 11th end.  Single shots traded over the remaining two ends kept the score level, and a draw of 9-9 resulted for the triple. June & Roger Messenger along with Martin Grange had a cat and mouse game, but two counts of 5 got them well ahead at 14-5 at the start of the 9th end.  Although they only scored on one further end, they still ran out winners 18-13.  John Bucknall, Linda Stiles, Team Manager Glo Fowler and Alex Tymon had a very low scoring game by comparison but had the better of the affair winning 8-5.  The other foursome of Trevor Holmes, Jan Grange, Lorraine Shorney and Colin Dickinson were a stunning 10-1 up by halfway and only allowed their opponents the luxury of scoring on a further two ends in a 15-6 win.
 
It was going well at the half way stage, and after lunch the reverse games took to the mats. Hampshire needed to concentrate as West Sussex was sure to fight back.
 
Tony Wall dropped a single shot on the first end but then only dropped four further singles in the remainder of the game, scoring consistently, mostly twos and threes, in a sound 23-5 annihilation.  Similarly, Andrew Shorney stormed away to a 20-0 scoreline at 10 ends conceding only five shots in the remaining third of the game, winning 24-5.  Needless to say the bonus points for this discipline were well and truly in the bag.  Stallibrass & Sperry were virtually unplayable as well as they romped away to a 26-7 victory.  Dropping a four on the final end was almost an anticlimax!  Sansom & Brown had a slightly tighter match and were only 2 shots up at 10 ends (9-7) but pulled away to a 17-8 win.  The bonus points firmly lodged in Hampshire’s tally.
 
West Sussex probably felt they might just as well have gone home at the lunch break, but put up a good fight nevertheless.  Bill Ray’s triple were level on 9 all at the completion of the 11th end have conceded a four on that end, but then picked up a three on the penultimate end and dropped a two on the final end to win by the smallest of margins, 12-11. Grange’s trio were shocked into recovery mode on the 4th end of their match, as, having been 5-0 up, they dropped a five.  And then a single! However from then on the away side saw their few remaining ends and hopes disappear as the Hampshire trio pulled away to a 14-8 victory.  More bonus points in the bag.
 
Tymon’s foursome never really seemed to be in trouble, picking up a five on the 7th end to go 11-4 up.  However, dropping a five on the very next end was not quite in the script and from then they pulled away to a 15-10 win.  Indeed the only disappointment of the day was Dickinson’s rink who never really got into this rubber and only scored on four of the available 11 ends, losing 6-12.  However, all the other scores in the discipline were more than enough to collect the bonus points and therefore a full house of bonuses. 
 
The final score was Hampshire 247 shots to West Sussex 145, and a colossal points victory of 37 to 3.
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13th October 2019 A Team travel to East Sussex and leave the hosts fuming.

It is not an easy journey, travelling to East Sussex, and indeed it is a long time since the A Team last went there.  The 2014/15 season to be exact.  However, the scenario was much the same as before since the Hampshire team returned with a storming win of 34 points to 6.  For the home side it was even greater insult to injury as the Hampshire Premier team had played there on the previous day, and had come away with a similar result.
 
In the singles, Tony Wall picked up a three on the first end but then ends were traded until the score at 8 ends was 6-all, but then he got to grips with the mat properly and accrued two counts of three, followed by one of two and one of four over the remaining 7 ends to run out 18-10 ahead.  His fellow singles player, Andrew Shorney had stormed into a 9-0 lead at 4 ends, and continued his dominance throughout the match only allowing 7 shots over six ends to be conceded. 
 
In the pairs, David Stallibrass and Dave Sperry were 7-1 up at 6 ends, but allowed their opponents to claw their way back into proceedings until at the 11th end the Hampshire duo were only 1 shot up (9-8).  Some edgy play saw a slight resurgence by the away team as they went 12-8 up with two ends to play.  It was scary then to drop a two on the penultimate end and a closely measured single on the final end to only win by 12-11.  The other pairing of Jan Sansom and Brian Brown however, seemed to have a much easier time of it scoring consistently on nine of the available 15 ends in a 16-9 win. 
 
In the second session Colin Sansom, Les Ricketts and Martin Grange were 2-3 down at the completion of the third end, but picked up 6 shots over the next two ends to go ahead 8-3.  From then on they seemed to be always in charge of the game and were comfortable 17-8 winners.  On the adjacent mat, Anita Bucknall, Dave Jelley and Billy Ray were having a barn-storming match and by 6 ends they were 16-1 up.  The home team only scored on two more ends – a single and a three, as the Hampshire trio demolished them 27-5, collecting three fours and a five within that total. 
 
 Jan Bunker, Linda Stiles, Team Manager Glo Fowler and Alex Tymon scored consistently throughout only dropping three singles in a 14-3 winning scoreline.  The only adverse score in the whole of the pre-lunch session was in the foursome of Julie Grange, Trevor Holmes, Lorraine Shorney and Colin Dickinson who were 3-12 down at the 9th end, but picked up six shots over the two remaining ends to only lose 9-12.
 
The home side were fuming at their losses, so the travellers needed to be on their mettle for the reverse matches after the lunchtime break. 
 
Tony Wall started badly and found himself 0-6 down at 3 ends, and although he only managed to win 6 of the remaining 12 ends in an uncharacteristic 8-16 defeat, he had pulled back into the game at the halfway stage to be only 3 shots adrift.  However Andrew Shorney was in fighting form and crushed his opponent 28-3.  Stallibrass and Sperry found the contrary mat 1 not particularly to their liking and although they kept the scoring tight, they still lost 9-13.  At 13 ends they had only been one shot adrift. (9-10) so it was a little disappointing to have dropped shots on the last two ends.  Sansom & Brown were in feisty mood in their second game of the match, and were convincing 21-7 winners. 
 
The final session of games saw the travelling Hampshire side well up and fully in charge of the game, but still could not be complacent. 
 
Martin Grange’s trio set off as they meant to continue and were 9-0 going into the 6th end.  Three singles conceded may have given the home side a little hope, but this was dashed as the Hampshire team picked up the pace again and ran out 15-8 winners.  Billy Ray’s triple had a closer game however and were 10-5 down at the halfway stage, but had a better ending and picking up a 5 on the 11th end got them right back into the fight, only 1 shot behind.  A count of 2 collected on the penultimate end saw them one shot in front and a further single on the final end gave them the game 14-12.  It had been a massive fight back. 
 
Dickinson’s foursome was nip and tuck all the way through and had got in front by three shots (7-5) by the 7th end.  Then four shots conceded on the next two ends saw the lead overturned (7-8).  They dug in however and picking up two counts of 2 on the final two ends gave them the win 11-8.  However, the piéce de résistance was Alex Tymon’s all-female Hampshire rink which had stormed into a 19-2 lead by the 7th end.  Three ends conceded took the score to 19-4 but the Hampshire rink were never really in any danger, and a three collected on the final end saw the score got to 22-4.
 
The final result was Hampshire 259 shots to East Sussex 136, and 34 points to 6.  A great win for an away match.    
 
The next match will be a double header at home to West Sussex, on 20th October.  



15TH SEPTEMBER 2019 Home to Surrey

​At their new venue of Riverside Indoor Bowling Club in Winchester, the County’s A team racked up a stunning 217 shots to 149 (32 points to 8) victory over Surrey.
 
Tony Wall in the singles always had the better of his opponent running out with a 16-9 victory, although dropping a score of 4 on the 13th end made the last two ends a little more intense.  Team colleague, Dave Sperry on the other hand, had a cat and mouse game against his opponent and dropped a four on the 11th end to go 3 shots behind.  This was followed by a single shot conceded and Sperry had to dig in.   Rallying with five shots over the remaining three ends gained him a slender one shot victory however, 12-11. 

​In the pairs, there were some good woods played, but unfortunately Jan Bunker & Dave Jelley lost 11-18 only scoring on 5 of the available 15 ends, whilst Trevor Tymon and Jan Sansom came from being 4-10 down at 9 ends to only lose 11-12, picking up a three on the final end. 
 
The second session however gave much more consistency and hope to the team.  Roger & June Messenger, skipped by David Wood lost their way a little in the second half of the game from being 9-3 up and their opponents got very close at 9-8 at the completion of the 11th end.  However Hampshire then picked up 2 shots on the penultimate end so whilst the concession of one shot on the final end was disappointing they still earned a narrow victory of 2 shots, 11-9. On the adjacent mat, fellow triples players Anita Bucknall, Matthew Hardman and Billy Ray stormed into an early lead and by the completion of the 8th end they were 12-2 up.  Unfortunately they conceded five shots over the next three ends, to be 12-7 ahead, but a three on the penultimate end raised spirits again and it was not a problem to drop a single shot on the final end to run out 15-8 winners.  In the fours there were two exciting games going on.  Lee Graham, Gail Evans, team manager Glo Fowler and Alex Tymon only allowed their opponents to score three single shots in an 11-3 victory, whilst Ray & Paul Wheatley, Linda Stiles and Colin Dickinson had a storming game winning 7 of the available 11 ends in a 15-6 win.
 
At half way the Hampshire team led 112 shots to 66 and by 12 points to 4.
 
After the lunch break, Tony Wall completed his winning day with a demolition score of 23-3.  He was obviously quite unplayable. Unfortunately Dave Sperry couldn’t quite get to grips with his opponent and although the scores had been pretty even until the 8th end, where Sperry had picked up a two to go one shot in front, his opponent then dug in and pulled away scoring 8 shots in three ends to go ahead.  Two singles and two threes traded over the final four ends saw the Hampshire man from Bellinger lose 12-19.   Nevertheless the bonus points for the Singles were safely in the bag. The pairs steadied the ship in this session with Bunker & Jelley  pulling away to a  victory of  11-8, having been level on 6-all at 9 ends, and Tymon & Sansom strode to a 15-9 victory, having always been in front from the start.  Pairs bonus points likewise safely stowed in Hampshire’s locker.
 
The final session was very positive for the triples, with Ray’s triple storming to a 19-8 victory and Wood’s threesome in similarly positive mood won 12-5.   The triples bonus points added to the tally.  There were tight games going on in the fours, with Tymon’s rink just losing 11-12 having picked up a three on the final end. Dickinson’s foursome had a poor patch in the middle of their game where they allowed their opposition to get level at 8-8 and then go one up.  However, they got back into gear, and picking up four shots in three ends they ran out 12-9 winners.  This completed the full house of bonus points.
 
The final score therefore was 217 shots to 149 and 32 points to 8. 
 
The team’s next opponents will be East Sussex – away – on Saturday 12th October.

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