THERE were no fewer than five titles successfully defended at the Northants county finals hosted by the Parkway club and four players achieved doubles on the day.
Paul Dalliday (Parkway) retained the mixed triples with Michelle Coleman and James Harford and joined Simon Law and Tristan Morton to win the 2b triples.
His hopes of a third title were dashed in the 2b singles by Stephen Harris (Blackstones), who went on to claim the mixed pairs with sister Louise.
In fact, Louise will be competing in the national finals at Skegness in three events, having received ‘walkovers’ in both the under 25 singles and open pairs, where she will be teaming up with schoolboy Ollie Jeapes (Parkway), who also qualified for the under 25 singles without having to roll a bowl in anger.
Angela Cox (Langtoft Pearl), who had qualified in four events, had to be content with a singles double – secretaries and Champion of Champions.
Former national senior mixed pairs champions Les Sharp and Gill King (Yaxley) are heading to Skegness again, while the latter also qualified in the 2b triples with Hazel Bass and Marlene Osborne.
Yaxley’s Robert Heath and Tony Belson retained the senior pairs; a heavily pregnant Sophie Morton (Parkway) kept the 4b singles title; Melvyn Beck successfully defended the secretaries singles, while Moira Holroyd, Linda Starbuck and Ann Holmes retained the 3b triples title for the Stamford club, who also won the men’s equivalent via Richard Allam, John Holroyd and Kevin Vinter, who included a late eight count in their victory over Peterborough & District.
It was consolation for both Holroyd and Vinter, who had both lost two finals earlier in the day.
Spare a thought for Elizabeth Wallace (Ketton), who came out second best in all three of her finals.
There were some dramatic finishes, including Chris Ford (Ketton) pipping Emma Providence (Market Deeping) 21-20 in the 2b singles, Pat Jones (Empingham) was a 21-19 winner against Joan Robinson (Yaxley), who was also the beaten finalist last year; Barry Lawrence (Conservative) came from behind to edge out Martyn Dolby (Blackstones) 21-19 in the veterans singles, while Peter Brown (Whittlesey Manor) achieved a double with the last bowl of the match to go through with Graham Agger.
New faces heading to the national finals include county secretary Terri Handley and Pam Owen (Deeping) in the senior pairs and Tom Newman (Whittlesey Manor) in the 4b singles.
FINAL RESULTS
MEN
2b singles – Stephen Harris (Blackstones) bt Paul Dalliday (Parkway) 21-14; 4b singles – Tom Newman (Whittlesey Manor) bt John Earl (Blackstones) 21-7; Veterans singles – Barry Lawrence (Conservative) bt Martyn Dolby (Blackstones) 21-19; Champion of Champions – Jonathan Corby (Empingham) bt James Harford (Parkway) 21-13; Secretaries singles – Melvyn Beck (Whittlesey Manor) bt Mike Ramsden (Empingham) 21-14; Pairs – Graham Agger & Peter Brown (Whittlesey Manor) bt Richard Allam & John Holroyd (Stamford) 17-16; Senior pairs – Robert Heath & Tony Belson (Yaxley) bt Len Marshall & Kevin Vinter (Stamford) 21-16; 2b triples – Paul Dalliday, Simon Law, Tristan Morton (Parkway) bt Adam Emery, Mike Robertson, Brian Martin (Parkway) 25-6; 3b triples – Richard Allam, John Holroyd, Kevin Vinter (Stamford) bt Joe Martin, Mick Greaves, Ray Keating (Peterborough & District) 24-17.
WOMEN
2b singles – Chris Ford (Ketton) bt Emma Providence (Market Deeping) 21-20; 4b singles – Sophie Morton (Parkway) bt Norma Squires (City of Peterborough) 21-10; Senior singles – Pat Jones (Empingham) bt Joan Robinson (Yaxley) 21-19; Champion of Champions – Angela Cox (Langtoft Pearl) bt Elizabeth Wallace (Ketton) 21-19; Secretaries singles – Angela Cox (Langtoft Pearl) bt Vivienne Hempsell (Yaxley) 21-13; Pairs – Elaine Upton & Helen Tilley (Ketton) bt Jean Scallon & Liz Hext (Conservative) 21-10; Senior pairs – Terri Handley & Pam Owen (Deeping) bt Elizabeth Wallace & Carol Warters (Ketton) 21-8; 2b triples – Moira Holroyd, Linda Starbuck, Ann Holmes (Stamford) bt Ann White, Angela Cox, Pat Booth (Langtoft Pearl) 23-19; 3b triples – Hazel Bass, Marlene Osborne, Gill King (Yaxley) bt Elizabeth Wallace, Val Du’Kett, Elaine Upton (Ketton) 20-9.
MIXED
Mixed pairs – Louise & Stephen Harris (Blackstones) bt Angela & Peter Cox (Langtoft Pearl) 20-9; Senior mixed pairs – Les Sharp & Gill King (Yaxley) bt Penny Hart & Ralph Barker (Whittlesey Town) 18-14; Mixed triples – Paul Dalliday, Michelle Coleman, James Harford (Parkway) bt Moira Holroyd, John Holroyd, Kevin Vinter (Stamford) 22-11.
