Gill and Les with the Presidents
The Presidents with from the left: Roger Stevens, Steve Lander and Graham Agger.(Images courtesy of Viv Hempsell)
LOOKING FOR MORE TITLES ON SATURDAY
With two titles already in their grasp, Northants Bowling Federation’s men and women bowlers will contest four more today (Saturday) as they challenge to become the most successful county at the 2019 championships.
Having already won the senior mixed pairs and men’s three-bowl rinks, their bid for the Victor Ludorum and Victrix Ludorum trophies continues with final appearances for Stephen Harris in the men’s under 25 singles, his sister Louise in the equivalent women’s discipline and Sue Moir (Langtoft) in the two-bowl singles.
Completing a possible quartet of titles will be the Stamford Town trio of Moira and Helen Holroyd and Ann Holmes in the three-bowl rinks.
Stephen Harris faces R Claxton (Suffolk) in the Under 25 singles, while his sister Louise simultaneously takes on B Wabe from North Cambs in the women’s equivalent, having beaten E Collins 21-20 in a tense semi-final.
For Moir, a very accomplished singles player, it’s a chance to at last claim a title which has come close in previous years. Having beaten Hunts’ J Chapman in the semi-final she meets Lincs K Cox.
Completing the Northants challenge are Moira and Helen Holroyd and Ann Holmes for the Stamford Town Club who will play three from Cleveland in the three-bowls triples final, last won by Pat Reynolds, Sarah Newson and the late Helen Crow in 2014.
FABULOUS FRIDAY
Many Northants bowlers whose memories stretch that far will remember times when its players reached a handful of national championship latter stages at Skegness only to slip up, dubbing it Black Friday.
This year, with the experience of past disappointments still fresh, it’s bowlers turned it around and claimed two titles in a day.
Les Sharp, who is perhaps best recognised as giving sterling service as an umpire at the championship proved his skill as a player, by joining Yaxley clubmate Gill King to win the Senior Mixed pairs, defeating Brian Errington and Brenda Aitken (Durham) 18-14.
Completing a Northants double were Whittlesey Manor trio Roger Stevens, Graham Agger and Steve Lander (stepping in for indisposed Martin Welsford) who beat Suffolk 21-11 in the three-bowl triples. Lander had won the title in 20-12 with Steve Roden and Pete Brown.
As always, success comes with disappointment and so it turned out in the two-bowl rinks final where Tristan Morton returned to skip Paul Dalliday and Simon Law, after James Harford proved a very able substitute in helping them to a semi-final victory.
However though they all played well against the Derbyshire rink, opposition skip Russell Robinson proved the difference. He converted several crucial heads – enough to earn his side a 17-16 win on the last end.
Stephen Harris, with his sister Louise, also lost 24-7 in the semi-final of the mixed pairs to Notts’ Dave Adams and his wife and then with Jack Corney (Whittlesey Manor) in the Open Under 25 pairs was beaten 13-18 by Suffolk.
