Northants Bowling Federation

Northants’ Derbyshire Trophy team has given the county an outside chance of reaching the National Championships in April with an outstanding defeat of Norfolk on Sunday (Feb 16).

Playing three 2-bowl triples rinks at Stamford and three away at Acle (Great Yarmouth), Northants, represented by 14 Peterborough IBC and four Stamford IBC players, emerged with 19 of the 22 points available thanks to an overall 158-106 victory.

Northants now need Norfolk to do them a favour by beating Lincolnshire to stand a chance to making it to the Newark climax.

At Stamford, the home club’s John Holroyd, again led superbly to set up scoring opportunities for City colleagues Joe Randall and James Harford, who had Norfolk firing in frustration to cut down the 34-10 battering they were given over the 25-end match.

England international Tris Morton inspired Nick Wilkie and Dick Noble to a 23-21 win, while Stamford’s 17-yearold Stephen Harris, Bob Warters and Martyn Dolby, snatched a vital point in a 19-19 draw against a rink skipped by Sam King, 19-year-old son of 2014 World Indoor Singles finalist Mervyn King.

While Harris relentlessly peppered the jack, Dolby, at times rode some good fortune but produced a wonder bowl on the penultimate end, drawing within an inch inside a cluster of Norfolk bowls to keep the game alive. The trio were more than happy to grab a single on the last end to salvage a point.

At Acle, the re-shuffled combination of Peterborogh’s Howard Shipp, Neil Wright and Simon Law took the honours with a 42-13 demolition of Jamie Howlett’s rink.

Pete Brown’s rink lost by nine but Jeff Newson claimed a count on the last end to run out winners by a six shot margin.

RESULTS

Derbyshire Trophy: Northants 158 (19 pts), Norfolk 106 (3).(Northants names first): Home – J Holroyd, J Randall, J Harford bt P Winter, L Stevenson and S Winter 34-10; S Harris, B Warters, M Dolby drew with L Hills, M Riches and S King 19-19, N Wilkie, D Noble, T Morton bt A Sayer, R Bunton and M Rowbotham 23-21. Away – G Agger, B Lawrence, P Brown lost to M Elliott, G Punchard and J Dyball 15-24; B Martin, A Thurston, J Newson bt D Cole, S Elliott and G Tubby 25-19; H Shipp, N Wright, S Law bt A Dunton, D Seabourne and J Howlett 42-13.

Northants Bowling Federation’s chances of securing a place in the finals of the Derbyshire Trophy finals were enhanced with a 130-118 defeat of North Cambs from matches played at Stamford and Wisbech on Sunday (Jan 26).

They emerged with four winning rinks in the two-bowl triples format – two at home and two away – but still face a stern test against Norfolk on February 16, when 2014 World Indoor singles finalist Mervyn King and his son Sam are rumoured to be included in the East Anglian visitors’ away team at Stamford IBC.

Another solid performance at lead from Stamford’s John Holroyd was the highlight of Northants’ home leg, peppering the jack consistently as his rink held on to win against a late surge from N.Cambs 26-20.

However, former Northants bowler Nigel Eagle made it uncomfortable for Neil Wright, Paul Bailey and Martyn Dolby, who inter-changed, as Federation rules allow, in a bid to overcome their opposition’s positive tactics but went down 14-28.

On Wisbech’s slower surface, the all-Peterborough combinations adapted well and emerged with an overall 67-61 success, despite a late stumble from the rink skipped by England international Tris Morton.

Results (Northants names only)

Derbyshire Trophy: Northants 130 North Cambs 118. At Stamford – J Holroyd, B Warters, J Harford won 26-20; N Wright, P Bailey, M Dolby lost 14-28; N Wilkie, D Noble, S Law won 21-19. At Wisbech – H Shipp. J Randall, T Morton lost 21-23; B Martin, A Thurston, J Newson won 23-12; G Agger, B Lawrence, P Brown won 25-16.

Northants Bowling Federation's hopes of reaching the national finals of the inter-county Derbyshire Trophy finals in April took a nasty jolt when they were comprehensively beaten by local rivals Lincolnshire on Sunday (Jan 12) in their opening match of the 2014 campaign.

With three two-bowl triples rinks at Stamford and three at Lincoln IBC, Northants were beaten 158-111 with Lincs picking up 20 of the 22 points available, winning five matches out of six – two of them at Stamford.

Northants only consolation came with a win for the previously untried combination of John Holroyd, making an impressive county debut, Bob Warters (both Stamford IBC) and Peterborough's rising star James Harford, who held off the threat of the Boston IBC trio of Jonathan West, Iain Clark and county president Geoff Parker. Four shots on the concluding end earned a 24-15 reward for a generally tidy performance.

While the Lincs home rinks on their own slick surface, proved a near-impregnable fortress against Northants' travelling Peterborough-based skips Peter Brown, Jeff Newson and Tristan Morton, the other home Northants rinks couldn't keep pace with the visitors, many of them well used to Stamford's more even-paced conditions.

As the unique Federation rules allow, Northants home rinks inter-changed positions in a bid to stem the bleeding but were unable to prevent Lincs taking control early on and maintaining the pressure.

Northants remaining matches will be against North Cambs (Stamford and Wisbech) on January 26 and Norfolk (Stamford and Acle) on February 16.

Results (Northants names first):

Derbyshire Inter-Federation Trophy: Northants 111 (2pts) Lincs 158 (20). Home – N Wilkie, D Noble, S Law 13, A Field, M Asplen, T Bannister 26; R Allam, P Bailey, M Dolby 20 T Powell, C Gill, P Flatters 29; J Holroyd, B Warters, J Harford 24 J West, I Clark, G Parker 15. Away – H Shipp, J Randall, T Morton 18, R Ashton, C Barks, G Draper 24; G Agger, B Lawrence, P Brown 22, K Richardson, D Johnson, M Smith 35; B Martin, A Thurston, J Newson 14, R Horne, D Stevenson, T Gilroy 29.

Northants County Bowling Federation Derbyshire Trophy captain Howard Shipp has named his team to play Lincolnshire in the opening match of the three-game 2014 series – ultimately challenging for a place in the English National Federation finals at Newark in April.

It shows a handful of changes from the team that just missed out in the 2013 campaign, when Northants lost their last match overall to Norfolk after comprehensive defeats of Lincs and North Cambs.

Three two-bowl triples rinks will play at Lincoln IBC on Sunday, January 12 and, simultaneously three at Stamford IBC, matches starting at 10am.

It means a county debut for Stamford's John Holroyd and the return of Peterborough's England outdoor international Tristan Morton.

At Lincoln (all Peterborough IBC): Howard Shipp, Joe Randall, Tristan Morton; Graham Agger, Barry Lawrence, Pete Brown; Brian Martin, Andrew Thurston, Jeff Newson. At Stamford: Nick Wilkie, Dick Noble, Simon Law (all P'bro), Richard Allam, Paul Bailey, Martyn Dolby (all Stamford); John Holroyd, Bob Warters (both Stamford), James Harford (P'bro).

Draws for the men's indoor competitios for the season 2013 / 2014 have now been added to the website.

There has been technical difficulty with the Ladies competition draws which we hope will be rectified soon.

We would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! 
from all at the NBF & NWBF.

Northants Federation bowlers are mourning the sudden death on December 7 of Mrs Connie Cox (77) one of the county's most successful competitors.

Widow of Tony Cox, one of the Stamford Indoor bowls club's first coaches and mother of five boys, Connie was highly competitive on whatever surface she bowled and won two English Federation titles. In 1994 with Joyce Foster and the late Celia Walpole she won the English 3-bowl triples at Skegness and in 2002 the English Indoor mixed pairs with Martyn Dolby.

Outdoors she played for Wittering, Ketton, Hunts WBA and Northants Federation while on indoor carpets she represented Stamford at club level and Northants county in national finals.

Connie was a diminutive and feisty competitor with many club and county championships to her name. Always a great supporter of fellow club players at major events, she was thrilled to represent Northants at national finals in Newark and Skegness earlier this year, after winning the indoor county triples with Glenys Edwards and Joyce Foster and then the outdoor county veterans (again with Joyce Foster).

A minute's silence was observed before recent Stamford Indoor Bowls Club's matches. The funeral takes place at Marholm Crematorium on Monday, December 23 (2pm) followed by a gathering of family and friends at Stamford IBC (from 3pm -5pm)

Northants Bowling Federation yet again stamped its presence on the English Bowling Federation championships with two dramatic victories as the sun set on the Skegness greens for another year.

Thirty-four players wore the distinctive orange county colours but it wasn't just their shirts that stood out – many performances were outstanding – particularly in the team events and by the close of play on Friday, Northants had claimed both the two-bowl men's triples and the mixed rinks.

Blackstone's Adam Warrington, Jonathon Earl and Martyn Dolby won the men's rinks and Paul Dalliday, Linda Toms and Barry Lawrence won the mixed rinks.

For Blackstone's Warrington, the victory was his third national outdoor title, having won the two-bowl singles in 2009 and 2012. Leading with great accuracy and composure he kept the pressure on their opponents from the start throughout the tournament while Earl and Dolby made some expert conversions and draw shots to keep their opponents at bay and their noses in front.

After comfortable wins over Derbyshire and Humberside, the trio came up again former multi-champion Ian Wones' experience Norfolk rink and immediately raced into a 6-0 lead. But the turning point came with a five-count on the ninth end to take a commanding 15-6 advantage. 

Wones switched to lead, as the rules allow, but he was unable to shake the Stamford-based trio off their game and the players shook hands at the 19th end with Northants in an unassailable 23-9 lead.

For the Whittlesey club, victory was a sweet reminder that it can produce top quality bowlers despite recent defections and they thoroughly deserved their silverware albeit after an extra end.

In the final against Suffolk – following defeats of Cleveland and Lincolnshire – they trailed 6-11 but hauled them back to lead 13-11 with an end to play only for Suffolk to snatch the two shots they needed to force extra time. 

Dalliday and Toms secured a winning position tight behind the jack and when Suffolk failed to remove them, six foot Dalliday leaped in the air to celebrate. 

In the men's pairs semi-final Warrington and Dolby were outgunned by a Cleveland skip playing aggressive conversions, while 16-year-old Stephen harris lost at the same stage to the eventual winner Aaron Barsley from Nottinghamshire. 

Shirley Suffling from Barnack also suffered disappointment losing 14-16 in the first round of the Ladies pairs with Chris Ford then by a similar margin alongside Paul Buckley in the veterans mixed pairs.

It proved not to be a happy return for Joyce Foster and Connie Cox after winning the ladies triples 17 years ago. They lost by two shots in the Veterans Pairs. 

Belvedere's Linda Darani lost 20-21 to Julie Hutchinson of Humberside in Champion of Champion Singles final. Linda lead 18-15 at one stage then trailing 17-19, getting back to 20-20 Julie then getting a 'toucher' which Linda narrowly missed with her final bowl.

 

Congratulations to all the bowlers who have made it to the English Bowling Federation National Finals. 

Please find links below, displaying competition winnersand the schedules for the EVF & EWBF competitions at Skegness.

Good luck to all competing!

FED OUTDOOR FINALS RESULTS 

ADVANCE NOTICE EBF 

ADVANCE NOTICE EWBF

The time is here, the 2013 NBF & NWBF outdoor finals take place on Sunday 21/07/2013.

Please find a schedule for the finals to download here.

Good luck to all competitors.