It was a record-breaking weekend for Northants at the English Bowling Federation indoor finals at Lincoln.

They won both the Derbyshire Trophy and Eversley Trophy for the first time at the same championships, and coupled with singles wins for Ollie Jeapes and county president Martyn Dolby (see story below) it meant a county record four titles in the same season.’

Northants won the Derbyshire Trophy inter-county championship for the fourth time with a crushing 116-60 defeat of northern group winners Notts in the final, and 24 hours later retained the Eversley Trophy, the competition for county executives, for the first time.

Northants won on three of the four rinks in the Derbyshire final, with Adam Warrington’s rink of Michael Humphreys and Wayne Morris leading the scoring spree with a 42-7 victory. There were also wins for the rinks of captain Simon Law (32-12) and John Earl (24-17).

RESULT

Northants A 110, Notts 60 (Northants rinks only):

Stuart & Graham Agger, Peter Brown lost 18-24; Michael Humphreys, Wayne Morris, Adam Warrington won 42-7; Brian Martin, Tom Newman, John Earl won 24-17); Paul Dalliday, Stephen Harris, Simon Law won 32-12.

In the Eversley Trophy, Northants dropped just one rink out of eight to total 22 points, a little matter of eight points clear of runners-up Suffolk.

Northants team: Martyn Dolby, Graham Agger, Peter Brown, Simon Law, Ally McNaughton, Bob Warters.

In the women’s equivalent, Northants finished in a share of fourth place in the Harry Carver Trophy.

Northants team: Liz Hex (president), Shirley Suffling, Terri Handley, Viv Hempsell, Elizabeth Wallace, Chris Ford.

Below: County president Martyn Dolby with the triumphant Derbyshire Trophy team: (Back row, left to right): Brian Martin, Tm Newman, Peter Brown, John Earl, Paul Dalliday. (Front): Stuart Agger, Michael Humphreys, Adam Warrington, Martyn Dolby (with shield), captain Simon Law, Stephen Harris, Graham Agger, Wayne Morris.

Below: The successful Eversley Trophy team led by county president Martyn Dolby (with trophy) which he received from national president Trevor Flatt. Pictured (left to right) Peter Brown, Ally McNaughton, Simon Law, Graham Agger, Bob Warters.

BOWLERS at either end of the age spectrum brought Northants two national singles titles at the English Bowling Federation indoor finals at Lincoln.

Martyn Dolby capped his presidential term by becoming the first player from the county to win the senior singles, while young schoolboy Ollie Jeapes regained the under 25 open singles title he first won two years ago.

It was the first time since 2007 that the county had won two individual titles at the national indoor finals, and for the president it was his fourth EBF indoor triumph.

Dolby was in imperious form throughout his campaign, winning 21-13, 21-3, 21-4 and then 21-19 in the final against Notts.

Young Jeapes put out the winner of the ladies singles in Jorja Jackson (Hunts) in the opening round before reclaiming his crown with 21-10, 21-8 and 21-13 victories.

Apart from those successes, Northants made little impact in the remaining nine events, winning only two matches.

One of those wins also involved Jeapes in the pairs with Simon Law, defeating LIncs 17-12 before bowing out in the semi-finals to Durham.

The women’s rink of Elizabeth Wallace, Sue Moir and Chris Ford put out the reigning champions from Suffolk in the opening round before falling to Lincs.

Three of Northants’ defeats were by the agonising margin of a single shot – Paul Dalliday in the singles, brother and sister Stephen and Louise Harris in the mixed pairs, and to rub salt in the wounds Harris suffered the same fate in the mixed rinks with Adam Warrington and Chris Ford and only lost by two in the rinks with Tom Newman and Michael Humphreys.

How the Northants players fared:

MEN

Singles: Paul Dalliday lost 20-21 to Hunts; Senior singles: Martyn Dolby defeated Humberside 21-13, Suffolk 21-3, Derbys 21-4 and Notts 21-19 in the final; Under 25 open singles: Ollie Jeapes defeated Hunts 21-15 North Essex 21-10, Suffolk 21-8 and Lincs 21-13 in the final; Pairs: Ollie Jeapes and Simon Law defeated Lincs 17-12, then lost 18-9 in the semi-finals to Durham; Rinks: Michael Humphreys, Tom Newman, Stephen Harris lost 17-15 to North Cambs.

MIXED

Pairs: Louise & Stephen Harris lost 13-12 to North Cambs; Rinks: Adam Warrington, Chris Ford, Stephen Harris lost 2-19 to Hunts.

WOMEN

Singles: Chris Ford lost 21-7 to Humberside; Senior singles: Yvonne Monagham lost 21-10 to Hunts; Pairs: Lin Tuck & Shirley Suffling lost 23-8 to Suffolk; Rinks: Elizabeth Wallace, Sue Moir, Chris Ford defeated Suffolk 21-16 then lost to Lincs 21-16.

Pictured below: Ollie Jeapes and Martyn Dolby with their trophies.

TEAM captains Ray Keating and Dave Corney have named their teams for the Adams and Newton warm-up matches in May.

The Newton team are playing against Whittlesey Manor on Saturday, May 4 in the John Dickenson Memorial Shield match, which returns to the calendar after a year’s absence.

The Adams squad are at Parkway on Sunday, May 19 to play against Hunts who are preparing for their forthcoming Middleton Cup programme and up for grabs is the Malcolm Squires and Dick Noble Memorial Shield which was introduced last year.

Adams team: Michael Humphreys, John Holroyd, Kevin Vinter; Duncan Lee, Neil Wright, Roger Martin; Trevor Smith, Graham Agger, Ray Keating; Jeff Clipston, Dudley Smith, Roger Strong; Stuart Agger, Mark Pye, Mick Linnell; Wayne Morris, Robert Heath, Martyn Dolby. Dress code: county shirts, black trousers or shorts.

Newton team: Steve Lander, Alec Emery, Paul Buckley; Mick Porter, Martin Bailey, Brian Bassam; Les Sharp, Dave Corney, Paul Bailey; Andy Cook, Jon Bailey, Melvyn Beck; Steve Shaw, Andy Dyer, Fred Richardson; Ian Chilvers, Philip Burbridge Phil Symonds. Dress code: Club shirts, grey or black trousers.

THE draws for the English Bowling Federation national indoor finals at Lincoln between April 22 and April 28 have been released.

Chris Ford and Stephen Harris will both be chasing title hat-tricks when the individual portion of the championships get under way on the Tuesday (April 23).

These are sandwiched between the women’s Harry Carver team event on the opening day and the men’s Eversley Trophy the following Sunday which Northants will be defending.

Northants’ Eversley team: Martyn Dolby, Simon Law, Graham Agger, Peter Brown, Bob Warters, Ally McNaughton.

The day before Northants will be seeking to win the Derbyshire Trophy inter-county title for the fourth time when they face Notts, the team they defeated when they last lifted the crown in 2019.

Team captain Simon Law has already announced his team for the final:

Brian Martin, Tom Newman, John Earl; Stuart Agger, Graham Agger, Peter Brown; Michael Humphreys, Wayne Morris, Adam Warrington; Paul Dalliday, Stephen Harris, Simon Law.

Reserves: Michael & Ollie Jeapes, Martyn Dolby.

NATIONAL FINALS DRAWS

MEN

Singles; Paul Dalliday v Hunts (Wednesday, 9.30am); Senior singles: Martyn Dolby v Humberside (Wednesday, 3.30pm); Under 25 singles: Ollie Jeapes v Hunts (Thursday, 5.00pm); Pairs: Ollie Jeapes & Simon Law v Lincs or Northumberland (Thursday, 7.30pm); Triples: Michael Humphreys, Tom Newman, Stephen Harris v North Cambs (Tuesday, 12.30pm).

MIXED

Pairs: Louise & Stephen Harris v North Cambs or Northumberland (Thursday, 5.00pm); Triples: Adam Warrington, Chris Ford, Stephen Harris v North Cambs or Hunts (Tuesday, 3.30pm).

WOMEN

Singles: Chris Ford v Humberside (Thursday, 12.00pm); Senior singles: Yvonne Monagham v Hunts or Suffolk (Thursday, 12.00pm); Pairs: Shirley Suffling & Lynn Tuck v Suffolk (Thursday, 9.30am); Triples: Elizabeth Wallace, Sue Moir, Chris Ford v Suffolk (Tuesday, 9.30am)

THE NBF completed a clean sweep against the NWBF by winning on all six rinks in the annual Ladies v Gents indoor challenge match for the Ean Eagle Trophy which was hosted by the Stamford club.

The teams were led by the respective county presidents, Martyn Dolby and Liz Hext, with the final result being 179-83 in favour of the men.

RESULT

GENTS 179, LADIES 83 (Gents rinks first):

John Suffling, Andy Cox, Paul Buckley 36, Fiona Richardson, Carrie Barclay, Judith Bates 9; Dave Corney, John Holroyd, Kevin Vinter 34, Karen Porter, Elizabeth Wallace, Chris Ford 14; Jeff Clipston, Michael Humphreys, John Earl 26, Jean Scallon, Pam Seymour, Sue Moir 15; Les Sharp, Mick Porter, Graham Agger 33, Jenny Harvey, Val Du’Kett, Shirley Suffling 12; Mike Ramsden, Joe Martin, Martyn Dolby 24, Michelle Smith, Jackie Brown, Liz Hext 20; Peter Linnell, Melvyn Beck, Ally McNaughton 26, Joan Baker, Hazel Brewin, Yvonne Monagham 13.

THE local bowls world and beyond are mourning the sad passing of Northants Bowling Federation life member and former president Cliff Watson after a lengthy illness.

A larger-than-life character, he was a well known and much respected figure both locally and within the Federation movement.

He served the NBF executive with distinction for almost thirty years and was county president between 2012 and 2014.

A loyal and staunch supporter of the Federation family, he made no fewer than 287 appearances for the county, and was part of the team that won the Newton Trophy in 1991, as well as figuring in several Eversley Trophy successes.

He also helped create history for the county when as team captain in 2015 he led Northants to a first-ever Adams Trophy success.

He spent many years as a key member of the Peterborough & District club after spells with South Ward and Whittlesey Manor.

Those characteristic white braces will live long in the memory, as will the considerable loyalty he showed at both club and county level and the major contribution he made to the local bowls scene in general.

He will be sorely missed by the many colleagues and friends he made during a long and distinguished bowls career, and our thoughts at this sad time go to wife Sue and daughter Karen.

The funeral service will take place at Peterborough Crematorium on Wednesday, April 3rd at 11.00am and then afterwards at the Peterborough & District Bowls Centre.

WITH coloured bottoms now permissible in EBF county team championships and national finals, the NBF have decided to register black trousers/shorts has their preferred choice applicable from the start of the outdoor season.

Therefore, the Adams and Newton teams will wear black bottoms with their orange county shirts, and individuals can also wear black as an option to white in the national finals at Skegness, and the following year’s indoor finals at Lincoln, but in team events, such as pairs and triples, all players must wear the same, either black or white.

In mixed events, the male players can wear black if they so wish, even if the female player continues to wear white.

With regard to shorts, players can now purchase them from any approved bowlswear manufacturer, with or without an EBF logo, but they must not contain a Bowls England motif.

Players will continue to wear grey bottoms in the county competitions up to the final, where white will be worn, unless their individual club has registered with the county an alternative colour to grey or white, and then that colour can be worn through all rounds of the county competitions, including the final, but once again players must all wear the same in pairs and triples.

A couple of other notable changes to the rules coming into force this year, include the veterans age for men being reduced from 65 to 60 from the start of the next indoor season to fall in line with the ladies, and teams can now field an all-female rink in the Dan Duffy county team competition which leads to qualification for the following year’s Durham Centenary Trophy.

THE NBF are looking for new blood to join the administrative set-up and help to safeguard the long-term future of the county.

At present the county have up to four vacancies on the management committee as well as seeking a deputy president to take over the reins when current president Martyn Dolby stands down.

Lack of support last year almost resulted in the Adams Trophy team going under and the county wants to avoid a situation whereby the executive/management committee faces a continual uphill struggle through lack of numbers.

Only last month two meetings had to be cancelled because not enough committee members were available to form a quorum.

Joining the administrative set-up as a committee member is not an onerous task as there are only about ten meetings across a 12-month period, and these last on average about one hour.

Players enjoy the cut and thrust of county team events and the county competitions, but without those officials prepared to sacrifice their own time these would not exist.

If you are interested in putting something back to the county from which you derive such enjoyment, then contact the county secretary .

THE NWBF are holding a fund-raising quiz night at Peterborough & District on Friday, April 12th starting at 7.00pm.

Tickets are £5 per person, including light refreshments, and no more than six in a team.

Register your team before April 5th with Viv Hempsell on 01733 234089.

NORTHANTS bowlers came away from the English Bowling Federation bowls week at Potters Resort with the coveted title.

The Stamford rink of Rosemary Roberts, who was runner-up last year in another rink, Elizabeth and Martin Wallace and Chris Ford swept to the mixed fours crown with a string of impressive performance none more so than in the final where they defeated a strong Nottingham rink who were former winners of the title.

They led 6-1 in the eight-end final before dropping a four on the penultimate end, but kept their composure to take a single on a dramatic last end to win 7-5.

It was a similar story in the semi-final, where they also dropped a four count on the seventh end against North Cambs to trail 5-6 going into the final end, but again they came up trumps with a double to win 7-5.

They were the only one of six Northants rinks that made it through to the last 16 from the group stages, winning all four matches.