OLLIE Jeapes has won the English Bowling Federation’s indoor under 25 open singles title for Northants…. at the tender age of 12!
The prodigious schoolboy talent from Chesterton, who plays his indoor bowls at the powerful Spalding club under the watchful eye of long-time England international Graham Smith, swept all before him at Newark, winning 21-4, 21-11 and 21-11.
It means Northants have retained the under 25 crown, with Stephen Harris having won it last year in his final season as a junior.
He quickly established a 15-7 lead in the final against Derbyshire’s Morgan Topliss and such was the youngster’s relentless pressure that his opponent was given few opportunities to recover.
Apart from receiving the under 25 singles trophy, he also shared the award for the junior player of the championships with Hunts’ 16-year-old Jorge Jackson, who won the ladies singles.
Northants narrowly missed out on a second national title when the Stamford pair of Shirley Suffling and Chris Ford, winners of the outdoor senior pairs title last year, lost 16-15 on the last end to Derbyshire’s Karen Chapman and Pauline Marples.
After convincing wins against pairs from Cleveland and Durham, they led 10-5 in the final before the Derbyshire duo switched positions which produced an immediate reaction to the extent that the match went into the final end all square at 15-15, but unfortunately for Northants the all-important shot went the way of their opponents.
Among other notable results for Northants, Paul Dalliday, James Harford and Simon Law reached the semi-finals of the men’s rinks, defeating Northumberland 23-16 and North Essex 25-11 before running into the all-conquering Durham trio, who powered home 21-4.
Elizabeth Wallace and Stephen Harris reached the semi-finals in the women’s senior singles and men’s singles respectively, Wallace winning 21-20 against North Essex before a 21-8 last four defeat at the hands of Durham, who incidentally won the final 21-0, while Harris had 21-5 and 21-20 wins against North Cambs and Derbyshire respectively before a 21-17 reverse against the eventual winner from Lincs, Kevin Rands.
Other Northants results:
Men’s senior singles: Tony Barwell lost 21-18 to Northumberland; Men’s pairs: Chris Ballard and Brian Martin defeated North Essex 21-18, but then lost 23-15 to Derbyshire in the quarter-finals. Mixed pairs: Tom Newman and Joan Robinson lost 19-9 to Derbyshire; Mixed rinks: Moira and John Holroyd, Kevin Vinter lost to Durham.
Women’s singles: Joan Robinson lost 21-18 to Northumberland; Women’s rinks: Elizabeth Wallace, Shirley Suffling, Chris Ford lost 21-15 to Durham,
In the Harry Carver Trophy, the women’s competition for current officers and past presidents, Northants finished fifth of 11, but only one point behind the winners, Durham.
Northants rinks: Elizabeth Wallace, Shirley Suffling, Chris Ford; Joan Robinson, Terri Handley, Val Du’Kett.
