Presidents Dick Noble and Christine Ford with the Under 25 Open pairs finalists.
BLACKSTONES bowler Stephen Harris proved the most successful player at the Northants Federation championships, winning four of the five titles he contested on his immaculately-prepared home green.
Only at the end of a blistering day of bowling by both men and women did he slip up. Partnering clubmate Jon Earl in the men’s pairs he was beaten by Parkway’s Brian Martin and James Harford 21-11.
Earlier Harris had won the Under 25 singles for the eighth successive year – though run close by Whittlesey Manor youngster Zac Brown in a 21-20 tussle and the Under 25 Open pairs with Jack Corney (Whittlesey Manor) for the second year in a row, against Helen Horoyd and Sophie Morton, representing Stamford Town and Parkway.
The 22-year-old England Under 25 indoor international also joined his sister Louise to capture the mixed pairs and beat Lee Welsford (Whittlesey Manor) in the four-bowl singles, though he had to dig deep after Welsford fought back from a nine shot deficit before conceding 21-19.
Some incredible shots made for an incredibly competitive day, no less than the trailed jack which Stamford Town’s Linda Starbuck produced to snatch the women’s three-bowl triples from Julie Masters’ Parkway rink.
With Helen Holroyd and Ann Holmes, she was staring defeat in the face at 11-15 until she trailed the jack for five shots with the last bowl of the game.
It was a similar story for Gill King of Yaxley partnering Les Sharp in the senior mixed pairs. Shirley Suffling (Ketton) and Paul Buckley (Blackstones) had earlier forced an extra end and held shot until King, with her last bowl, trailed the jack for a winning single and a 16-15 victory.
Elsewhere Vanguard’s Malcolm Mann captured two titles – defeating Cliff Watson in the champion of champion singles and joining clubmate Mike Ramsden to beat home based Buckley and Trevor Christie.
As well as Louise Harris (in mixed pairs and Under 25 singles), there were also two titles for Langtoft bowler Sue Moir – the women’s two-bowl and senior singles- and for Parkway duo Simon Law and Tristan Morton. They retained the two-bowl triples for which they are the reigning national champions with Paul Dalliday and the mixed triples with Tristan’s wife Sophie.
The Ketton Bowls Club will have duel representation at the national finals at Skegness, which start on August 20. Christine Ford – the county president – beat
Tina Tinklin (Conservative) to take the four-bowl singles while Elizabeth Wallace and Carol Warters captured the senior pairs with a 16-15 defeat of Parkway’s Sue Overton and Val Newson.
RESULTS
Women’s Under 25 singles – Louise Harris (Blackstones) beat Sophie Morton (Parkway) 21-18; men’s champion of champions – Malcolm Mann (Vanguard) beat Cliff Watson (P& D) 21-4; men’s secretaries singles – Andy Grief (Crowland) lost to Mal Squires (CoP)20-21; women’s 2-bowl singles – Sue Moir (Langtoft) beat Julie Masters (Parkway) 21-13; men’s 4-bowl singles – Stephen Harris (Blackstones) beat Lee Welsford ( Whittlesey Manor) 21-19; women’s champion of champion singles – Joan Robinson (Yaxley) beat Angela Cox (Langtoft) 21-10.
Women’s senior singles – Val Newson (Parkway) lost to Moir 15-20; senior mixed pairs – S Suffling (Ketton) & P Buckley (Blackstones) lost Gill King & Les Sharp (Yaxley) 16-17; under 25 Open pairs – Helen Holroyd (Stamford Town) & S Morton lost to Jack Corney (Whittlesey Manor) & S Harris 13-18; men’s veteran singles – Roger Stevens (Whittlesey Manor) lost Mick Duell (WM) 20-21; men’s 2-bowl singles – John Holroyd ( Stamford Town) lost Paul Dalliday (Parkway)11-21; women’s secretaries singles – Angie Jinks (West Ward) w.o. Linda Darani (CoP).
Men’s under 25 singles – S Harris beat Zac Brown (Whittlesey Manor) 21-20; women’s 2-bowl pairs – L Harris & Katie Bailey (Blackstones) beat Fiona Richardson & Norma Squires (CoP) 19-17; men’s senior pairs – M Mann & Mike Ramsden (Vanguard) beat Trevor Christie & Buckley (Blackstones)16-15; men’s 2-bowl triples – Dalliday, Simon Law & Tristan Morton (Parkway) beat Richard Allam, Kevin Vinter & Holroyd ( Stamford Town) 21-9; women’s 4-bowl singles – Christine Ford (Ketton) beat Tina Tinklin (Conservative) 21-12;women’s 3-bowl rinks – Holroyd, Linda Starbuck & Ann Holmes (Stamford Town) beat S Morton, Marissa McKernan & J Masters (Parkway) 16-15.
Women’s 2-bowl rinks – Joyce Needham, Kath Browning & V Hempsell (Yaxley) beat Rita Downs, Sharon Bailey & K Bailey (Blackstones) 18-15; women’s senior pairs – V Newson & Sue Overton (Parkway) lost Elizabeth Wallace & Carol Warters (Ketton) 15-16; men’s 3-bowl triples – R Stevens, Graham Agger & Martin Welsford (WM) beat Martyn Dolby, Jonathan Earl & Adam Warrington ( Blackstones) 15-8; mixed pairs – L & S Harris (Blackstones) beat Sarah & Jeff Newson (Parkway) 19-7; mixed triples – S Suffling (Ketton), Martin Stokes & P Buckley (Blackstones ) lost S Morton, S Law & S Morton ( Parkway) 11-22; men’s pairs – Brian Martin & James Harford (Parkway) bt S Harris & J Earl (Blackstones) 21-11.
