BOWLS: Northants Ladies keep Johns Trophy hopes alive

Northants Ladies needed a big victory from their trip to Wymondham to take on Norfolk to keep alive their Johns Trophy campaign, and they managed it as they won 128-86.
Northampton's Jamie Walker helped England to a British Isles Challenge victoryNorthampton's Jamie Walker helped England to a British Isles Challenge victory
Northampton's Jamie Walker helped England to a British Isles Challenge victory

In a great team effort, the team that had lost to Bedfordshire the previous week redeemed themselves with an excellent performance.

The County had five winning rinks, the highest scoring of which was shared by those skipped by Brenda Bishop and Barbara Haseldine, who posted 16 shots wins each.

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The County was in front from the very first end of the match in which the scores were 11-1 shots in its favour, and at no stage thereafter did the home county seriously threaten the lead against them.

After five ends of play the score was 34-16, at 10 ends it was still a healthy 11-shot lead at 58-47, and after 15 ends they were 17 shots up at 90-73.

The County players 
really put the pressure on 
over the last quarter of the match, with the next three ends across the rinks being particularly productive as Norfolk were restricted to just six shots to 20 conceded, which gave the County a lead of 31.

The pressure was kept on over the last three ends of play with Norfolk being unable to score more than seven more shots, with the County adding 18 more.

Rink details as follows, Norfolk skips only:

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Rink 1: Celia Morris, Julie Spreadbury, Di Brumwell & Hilary Sharpe 20 – S Curtis 11

Rink 2: Linda Warren, Chris Cooper, Viv Gaudyn & Emma Gray 17 – B Whitehead 16

Rink 3: Pat Starsmore, Sandra Mawson, Michelle Harris & Sharon Tansley 19 – C Webb 22

Rink 4: Alison Dring, Janet Ashby, Yvonne McKee & Brenda Bishop 23 – J Dearman 7

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Rink 5: Ann-Marie Waters, Jeannie Flippance, Katie Smith & Rebecca Wigfield 20 – J Kirby 17

Rink 6: Joyce George, Pat Bodily, Jill Welch & Barbara Haseldine 29 – J Devitt 13

THE following have been selected to represent Northants Ladies for the final Johns Trophy of this year’s group campaign on Saturday (July 9) at Kingsthorpe BC at 1.30pm.

With two wins under their belt and just one loss, the ladies still have an opportunity to qualify for the quarter-finals, but it does require a superhuman effort of a’ whitewash’ of Hertfordshire, that is a gain of 22 points, or just one drawn rink and 21 points.

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It is not confirmed, but it is understood that Hertfordshire have 58 points as a result of picking up 18 points against Hunts. The County has 39 points, therefore 21 points would give the County a one-point advantage in the final table.

The excellent win against Norfolk will vouch for the belief that this is a very good possibility.

Rink 1: Pat Starsmore, Kettering Lodge BC/Sandra Mawson, Northampton Whyte Melville BC/Michelle Harris & Sharon Tansley, both Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 2: Celia Morris, Kingsthorpe BC/Julie Spreadbury, Heyford BC/Di Brumwell & Hilary Sharpe, both Kingsthorpe BC

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Rink 3: Ann-Marie Waters,Roade BC/ Jeannie Flippance, Katie Smith & Rebecca Wigfield, all Desborough Town BC.

Rink 4: Joyce George, Wellingborough BC/ Pat Bodily, Northampton Whyte Melville BC/Jill Welch, Heyford BC/Barbara Haseldine, Finedon Town BC

Rink 5: Trish Basford, Geddington & Newton BC/Chris Cooper, Burton Latimer Town BC/ Viv Gaudyn, Higham Ferrers Town BC/Emma Gray, Burton Latimer Town BC

Rink 6: Alison Dring, Burton Latimer Town BC/Janet Ashby, Northampton West End BC/Yvonne McKee & Brenda Bishop, both Kingsthorpe BC

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Travelling Reserves: Val Betts, Higham Ferrers Town BC/Audrey Height, Kettering Lodge BC

Non-travelling Reserve: Margaret Cave, Thrapston

Northants Men enjoyed a handsome 138-98 friendly win over London Parks BA at Irchester.

The County had four winning rinks, the highest scoring of which was the one skipped by Michael Moulton which registered a 19 shots victory.

Rink details as follows, London Parks skips only:

Rink 1: Brian Jones, Robin Frost, George Willmott & Richard Somerton 25 – B Harrison 19

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Rink 2: Don Scott, Dave Lovell, Colin Barnes & Mossy Waters 27 – R Smith 13

Rink 3: Peter Kitchener, Brian Hunt, Geoff Harris & Norman Gibb 26 – R Watson 14

Rink 4: Trevor Tilley, John Chester, Peter Mercer & Michael Moulton 31 – G Marshall 12

Rink 5: Peter Hoad, Dave Garland, Bob Tingle & Geoff Hunt 12 – P Meckie 21

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Rink 6: Brian Diver, Jonathan George, John Cooper & Terry James 17 – D Cox 19

Middle England defeat for County

Northants Ladies endured a heavy Middle England League defeat to Gloucestershire at Brackley & District, losing 136-108.

After a promising position after 10 ends when the 
County were just 11 shots adrift, Gloucestershire 
really got their game going 
in the second half, and the County finally had to accept defeat.

The three winning rinks could not make up the deficit of the losing rinks, and the margin of the loss was 28 shots.

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The highest of the County’s winning rinks was that skipped by Sharon Tansley which won by seven shots, while Brenda Bishop and Val Betts’ rinks lost 30-13 and 34-14 respectively..

Rink details as follows, Gloucestershire skips only.

Rink 1: Pat Starsmore, Rhona Holland, Yvonne McKee & Brenda Bishop 13 – Joy Sheward 30

Rink 2: Velda Cooper, Elsie Hatton, Chris Cross & Jill Welch 18 – Kay Gent 17

Rink 3: Marlene Armitage, Sandra Mawson, Joan Sidebottom & Ann-Marie Waters 26 – L Collin 21

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Rink 4: Linda Warren, Elaine Urquhart, Di Brumwell & Hilary Sharpe 17 – M McCall 21

Rink 5: Alison Dring, Pam Sallaway, Ann Stewart & Val Betts 14 – Jeannette Scott 34

Rink 6: Chris Cooper, Heather Golding, Audrey Height & Sharon Tansley 20 – S Latham 13

THE following players have been selected to represent Northants women, in their Middle England League match against Nottinghamshire next Wednesday (July 13) at East Leake BC in Nottingham (1.30pm).

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Rink 1: Marlene Armitage, Wellingborough BC/Sandra Mawson & Pat Bodily, Northampton Whyte Melville BC/Brenda Bishop, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 2: Celia Morris, Kingsthorpe BC/Pat Coles, Geddington & Newton BC/Pat Mattinson, Thrapston BC/Val Betts, Higham Ferrers Town BC

Rink 3: Alison Dring, Burton Latimer Town BC/Heather Golding, Swanspool BC/Heather Lack, Burton Latimer Town BC/Barbara Haseldine, Finedon Town BC

Rink 4: Pat Starsmore, Kettering Lodge BC/Ann Stewart, Irchester BC/Anita Petrucci, Abington BC/Di Brumwell, Kingsthorpe BC

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Rink 5: Julie Spreadbury, Rhona Holland & Jill Welch, Heyford BC/ Wilma Walker, Corby Forest BC

Rink 6: Velda Cooper, Irchester BC/Trish Basford, Geddington & Newton BC/Margaret McGillivray, Desborough Town BC/Hilary Sharpe, Kingsthorpe BC

Reserves: Maggie Edwards, Kingsthorpe BC/Nancy Tebbutt, Thrapston BC/Elaine Munton, Northampton Whyte Melville BC

THE following players have been selected to represent Northants men in a 50 years celebration of the formation of the Northamptonshire Police BC (now re-named the Northamptonshire Retired Police BA), which was formed following the amalgamation of the Northampton Borough Police and the Northamptonshire Police Forces in 1966.

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The match will be played at 2pm next Tuesday at Wellingborough BC.

Rink 1: Will Clelland, Corby Seagrave House BC/Bill Leask, Swanspool BC/Geoff Hayter, Bugbrooke BC/Richard Somerton, Brackley & District BC

Rink 2: Harvey Fruish, Abington BC/George Donegan, Corby Seagrave House BC/Robin Frost, Bugbrooke BC/George Willmott, Irchester BC

Rink 3: Peter Hoad, Northampton Express BC/Dave Lovell, Irchester BC/Brian Diver, Corby Seagrave House BC/Geoff Hunt, Wellingborough BC

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Rink 4: Laurie Harrison, Earls Barton BC/Bob Brogdon, Northampton Express BC/Peter Kitchener, Irchester BC/Norman Gibb, Corby Seagrave House BC

Rink 5: John Carson, Corby Seagrave House BC/Malcolm Pell, Irchester BC/Colin Barnes, Abington BC/Geoff Harris, Higham Ferrers Town BC

Rink 6: Brian Fairbairn, Swanspool BC/Peter Gilkes & David Francis, Bugbrooke BC/John Cooper, Burton Latimer Town BC

Reserves: Geoff Simmons, Wellingborough BC/Dave Garland, Kingsthorpe BC

Don Smith leaves Abington role

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LONG-SERVING Abington BC secretary Don Smith is retiring after 20 years of service.

Smith is leaving the club to move to Manchester area along with his wife Sue, so he can be closer to his family.

He has been club secretary at Abington since 1997, and he has come to know, and be known by, hundreds of players around the county, and beyond.

Smith is not just a very efficient and effective secretary, however, for he can also ‘bowl a bit’ too, and the helping of the club to win the County Executive Triples on three occasions, in 2007, 2009 and 2010, and runner-up in 2013, vouches for this.

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He has also been a member of the club triples champions on two occasions, in 2011 and 2015, and the club held a goodbye evening for him on June 18.

Abington’s new secretary is Chris Beck.

NORTHAMPTON bowler Jamie Walker was part of the England team that won the British Isles Senior Men’s Championships and International Series at Llandrindod Wells in Wales.

Walker, who bowls for Northampton West End, has become a seasoned England international and was playing in the series as skip of a rink which included Ben Render from Yorkshire, Andrew Knapper from Berkshireand Tom Millership from Warwickshire.

All four players are current internationals.

England’s first match was against Scotland on Saturday, and England won 121-118, with Walker’s rink triumphing 27-18.

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Next up later the same day was a clash against Ireland, and again England won it, this time 125-101.

Once again, Walker’s rink did their bit by claiming a 24-15 victory.

England’s final game was against Wales on Sunday, and this was more of a struggle for Walker’s rink, who went down 22-12.

Their points gained proved crucial though, as England won the match by just one shot at 111-110, claiming just two rink victories.

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So England won the British Isles Series with a 100 per cent record of wins, with Wales second, Ireland third and winless Scotland fourth.

ABINGTON, St Crispin’s, Northampton Express and Roade all managed 100 per cent records in Saturday’s annual Manfield Cup competition - but it still wasn’t enough for any of those clubs to win it.

That honour went to Thrapston, whose four wins saw them with a plus-73 score, which was too good for Abington (+55), Crispin’s (+48), Express (+38) and Roade (+36).

It is the second year in a row that Thrapston have taken the honours in what is the oldest county bowls competition, which was first held back 1906, upon the formation of ‘Northamptonshire Bowling Association. It has been played for annually ever since, apart from the war years.

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Saturday’s event saw 37 clubs take part and was played at 18 different clubs around the county, with no club playing on its own green.

The result is subject to ratification from the scorecards, but Thrapston have been declared winners.

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