THE county held their annual joint men’s and women’s presentation luncheon at the Ellindon Banqueting Suite, Bretton, when no fewer than six national titles were celebrated.
English Bowling Federation president Ray Taylor, from Derbyshire, was the guest of honour and proposed a toast to Northants Bowling Federation before assisting NBF chairman Martyn Dolby in the presentation of the national and men’s trophies.
With EWBF president Jean Phillips unable to attend, it was left to NWBF president Sheila Craig to propose a toast to the county and present the women’s trophies.
Stephen Harris was involved in all three indoor national successes, winning the singles, the triples with Michael Humphreys and Tom Newman-Borrett and figuring in the Derbyshire Trophy county championship winning team captained by Simon Law.
It was the first singles triumph for the county since 2007, but the triples remained in the county with Paul Dalliday, Simon Law and Tristan Morton winning it last year.
Northants clamed the Derbyshire Trophy for the second time in three years with an emphatic defeat of Northumberland in the final.
Newman-Borrett now has the distinction of being the holder of both indoor and outdoor triples title having followed up the success at Lincoln by teaming up with Steve Lander and Peter Brown to win the outdoor two-bowl triples crown at Skegness.
Thirteen-year-old Peyton Harford stole the show at Skegness when she teamed up with father James and Paul Dalliday to win the mixed rinks. Coming in as a substitute at the eleventh hour, she was totally unfazed by the sense of occasion and produced some outstanding performances for one so young and inexperienced.
Stamford secretary Sue Seed became only the second player from the county to win the women’s secretary singles, the first being Linda Darani, and it was the first outdoor success for the county in five years.
There was a special presentation to Graham Agger, who is stepping down next month after serving more than twenty years on the NBF committee, many of them as match secretary.
Another key official standing down at next month’s annual meeting is NBF chairman Martyn Dolby, who during his impressive response to the EBF president’s toast to the county said he was immensely proud to have served the county as both president and chairman.
