Northants Bowling Federation

Northants A team with President Dick Noble.

Northants B team

President presents 100 appearance county ties to Simon Law (left) and Mick Greaves.

NORTHANTS A made a winning start to their defence of the English Bowling Federation's
Derbyshire Trophy, the indoor inter-county championship, but they were given few favours by their own B team at Peterborough & District on Sunday morning.

The B team took four of the 14 points off the champions by sharing the rink honours at two apiece, and the final margin of victory for the A side was only eight shots – 94-86 – a far cry to 12 months ago when the A squad triumphed by 61 shots in a 14-0 success, albeit on their home green at Stamford.

For the B team, who finished bottom of the southern section last year, the rink of John Holroyd, Cliff Watson and Graham Agger provided the biggest winning margin by defeating Michael Humphreys, Adam Warrington and team captain James Harford 34-13.

County president Dick Noble led Jeff Clipston and Brian Bassam to a 22-21 victory over Paul Dalliday, Trevor Collins and Simon Law, who as the match entered the closing stages seemed destined to collect the spoils.

Tristan Morton was in awesome form for the A team as he guided Brian Martin and Bob Warters to a 29-10 victory over Mike Ramsden, Mick Greaves and debutant Mick Duell, while Stephen Harris, Roger Martin and Martyn Dolby made certain that the bulk of the points were going in the direction of the A team with a 31-20 defeat of Les Sharp, Ray Keating and Mick Linnell.

Next up for the B team is a home match against Norfolk on Sunday, November 17th, with the A team returning to action the following Sunday (November 24th) against North Cambs at Stamford. MB

RESULT

NORTHANTS A 94 (10), NORTHANTS B 86 (4): (Northants A rinks first) – 

Paul Dalliday, Trevor Collins, Simon Law, 21, Jeff Clipston, Brian Bassam, Dick Noble 22.

Stephen Harris, Roger Martin, Martyn Dolby 31, Les Sharp, Ray Keating, Mick Linnell 20.

Michael Humphreys, Adam Warrington, James Harford 13, John Holroyd, Cliff Watson, Graham Agger 34.

Brian Martin, Bob Warters, Tristan Morton 29, Mike Ramsden, Mick Greaves, Mick Duell 10.

THE NBF annual general meeting takes place at the Peterborough & District club next Wednesday (October 16th) at 7.30pm, while the NWBF AGM is at the same venue on Wednesday, November 6th at 7.00pm.

At the NWBF meeting, Dick Noble will begin his second year as president, but as yet no-one has come forward to take up the vacant position of deputy president.

Viv Hempsell (Yaxley) will take over as president from Chris Ford (Ketton) at the women's meeting.

THE annual NBF v NWBF indoor match, which was played at Stamford IBC on Saturday, ended in a 150-73 victory for the men.

The men won on all six rinks in what was the last presidential function for women's president Chris Ford before she hands over the chain of office to Viv Hempsell at next month's annual general meeting.

Speaking after the post match meal, she said that she had thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and thanked everyone for their support over the past 12 months.

RESULT

NBF 150, NWBF 73 (NBF rinks first):

Richard Allam, Barry Lawrence, Graham Agger 15, Janet Lonslow, Jan Want, Rose Marsh 12.

Mike Ramsden, Malcolm Squires, Mick Duell 31, Helen Holroyd, Shirley Suffling, Anne Holmes 17.

Les Sharp, Steve Johnson, Ray Keating 37, Cheryl McCarthy, Joyce Needham, Gill King 9.

Paul Dalliday, Dick Noble, Tristan Morton 24, June Brennan, Moira Holroyd, Chris Ford 14.

Alan Romaine, Kevin Vinter, Mick Linnell 20, Jenny Harvey, Doris Flowers, Elizabeth Wallace 10.

Melvyn Beck, Brian Bassam, James Harford 23, Norma Squires, Marlene Osborne, Denise Mackie 11.

NORTHANTS A begin the defence of the English Bowling Federation indoor inter-county championship on Sunday against their own B team at Peterborough & District (10.00am).

James Harford's team lifted the Derbyshire Trophy for only the third time in the county's history at the expense of Nottinghamshire at Newark in April, and they will be looking to repeat the feat this season.

There are two changes from the that succesful team for Sunday's opener, with Brian Martin and Stephen Harris replacing Jeff Newson and Nick Wilkie.

Malcolm Squires' B team finished bottom of the southern section last year – only their second season in the competition – so they will be hoping to improve matters this time around.

One new face in their squad from last season is that of Mick Duell, who will skip one of the four rinks.

How the teams line-up;

Northants A

Michael Humphreys, Adam Warrington, James Harford; Brian Martin, Bob Warters, Tristan Morton; Stephen Harris, Roger Martin, Martyn Dolby; Paul Dalliday, Trevor Collins, Simon Law.

Northants B

John Holroyd, Cliff Watson, Graham Agger; Jeff Clipston, Brian Bassam, Dick Noble; Les Sharp, Ray Keating, Mick Linnell; Mike Ramsden, Mick Greaves, Mick Duell. Res: Phil Afford.

Gill King and Les Sharp with their senior mixed pairs trophy

Steve Lander, Roger Stevens and Graham Agger with the three wood triples shield

Stephen and Louise Harris reached three finals between them.

Just when it looked like Northants might achieve their best-ever silverware return from the Skegness championships after reaching four Saturday finals on top of the two they won on Friday, their exhausted bowlers just failed to step up at the last minute.

Les Sharp and Gill King (Yaxley) in the senior mixed triples, together with Roger Stevens, Steve Lander (replacing the injured Martin Welsford) and Graham Agger in the three-bowl rinks had earlier given Northants a flying start but that’s where success came to a sudden halt.

Nearest to extending the outstanding performances of the week was Sue Moir who took the two-bowl singles decider to 20-20 against Cleethorpes bowler K Cox before having to concede the match 21-20.

Brother and sister Stephen and Louise Harris from Stamford, had high hopes of completing a Blackstones double in their respective Under 25 singles finals but neither could recapture the form that got them to the climax and lost respectively to R Claxton (Suffolk) and B Wabe (North Cambs) 15-21 and 16-21.

And any hopes that the Stamford Town combination of Moira and Helen Holroyd and Ann Holmes had of emulating Parkway in 2013 were dismissed in the early ends when they trailed their Cleveland opponents by 19 shots. They eventually conceded with only one shot on the board.

Celebrations were perhaps mooted after ‘Fabulous Friday’ but all Northants bowlers can be proud of reaching the championships and especially for reaching the closing stages.

NBF competition secretary Graham Agger summed up his week: “Like many of my fellow bowlers, I have been toiling for too many years trying to achieve a national title and now I have, I am absolutely thrilled.”

Competing at Skegness after many rounds of qualifying is not an exact science – especially on greens that can tend to throw up a weird examination paper – but, like competing at the US Masters golf at Augusta, it tends to eventually reward those with experience of the unique conditions who keep coming back year after year until eventually it is their time.

With so many finalists and semi-finalists, the Northants Federation luncheon on September 22 at Orton Hall promises to be a true celebration of achievement.

Make sure you get your ticket.

FOOTNOTE: Some consolation for Stephen Harris, losing his Under 25 singles and mixed pairs final with Louise, came with the award of the best Under 25 overall performance, having also lost in the semi-finals of the 4-bowl singles and Under 25 Open pairs with Jack Corney. BW

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.

NORTHANTS Bowling Federation celebrated its 90th anniversary with a commemorative match between the county and a team pulled together by President Dick Noble.

The match, a comprehensive win for the President 125-95, helped raise more than £425 for the charity Children with Cancer UK.

As well as a raffle – organised by Rita Mace and Janet Duffy – the event attracted further funds from the auction of a commemorative cake in county colours, made for the occasion by Whittlesey Manor members Bill and Linda Stark.

It was also an opportunity for the national president Mick Rayson to pay tribute to the service to the county of life member Cliff Watson, who is retiring as Newton Trophy captain having led the Adams team to the title in 2015 for the first time in the county’s history.

Watson’s wife Sue recently underwent an operation after suffering a broken hip and he wants to devote time to assist her recovery.

Said Rayson: “You will be an extremely hard act to follow but whomever takes on the captaincy, they know they can rely on your experienced counsel to help them in the task.

“We salute your devotion to the duties of the Northants Federation and wish you and Sue every happiness in the future.”