BOWLS: Heartbreak for Northants as they miss out in Johns Trophy

The County played Hertfordshire, the group leaders with a 100 per cent winning record, and they knew they not only had to win the match, but do so with a minimum score of 19 points to progress.

This meant Northants had to have at least four winning rinks and one tied, or better.

As it turned out, despite winning the match 129-105, they had four winning rinks, but the other two were defeated, therefore the ladies fell just one point short. The highest of the County’s winning rinks was that skipped by Hilary Sharpe, which recorded a terrific win by 21 shots, and examination of that rink’s scorecard will show that from a position of just one shot up after 14 ends , the visitors were denied another shot as Sharpe’s rink cruised to the end, picking up 20 shots without reply in the final seven ends.

The match didn’t start well for the County as Hertfordshire took an early lead from the very first end, and although they were only four shots up after five ends of play, after 10 ends Herts were 28 clear.

The County was taking a bit of a battering with only one of its rinks winning at that stage, and then by only two shots.

However, Northants fought back brilliantly, although they were still 21 adrift after 15 ends.

The recovery seemed to get an enormous boost at the stage of the match when there were only around 25 total ends left to be played by the six rinks.

One rink then picked up a score of six shots, another picked up a count of five shots and another collected a massive seven shots.

These scores almost wiped out the Hertfordshire lead completely and over the last three ends across all rinks the County raced ahead for the very good win, posting 39 shots to just seven conceded in those last three ends.

It was just unfortunate that the County could not make the points required, failing to do so by just a single point.

Rink scores as follows, Herts skips only:

Rink 1: Ann-Marie Waters, Jeannie Flippance, Katie Smith & Rebecca Wigfield 24 – Mavis Hendry 18

Rink 2: Alison Dring, Janet Ashby, Yvonne McKee & Brenda Bishop 12 – Sue Bard-Bodek 18

Rink 3: Celia Morris, Julie Spreadbury, Di Brumwell & Hilary Sharpe 32 – Hazel Ottley 11

Rink 4: Joyce George, Pat Bodily, Jill Welch & Barbara Haseldine 22 – Mollie Bowles 14

Rink 5: Pat Starsmore, Sandra Mawson, Michelle Harris & Sharon Tansley 20 – Daphne Pratt 28

Rink 6: Trish Basford, Chris Cooper, Viv Gaudyn & Emma Gray 19 – Alison Hall 16

NORTHANTS men travelled to Ruislip to take on Middlesex in a friendly match, and lost 121-90.

The County had just two winning rinks, the highest scoring of which was that skipped by Richard Somerton, which won by 14 shots, thanks to collecting a count of five on the last end.

Not far behind was the rink skipped by acting Ppesident George Willmott, whose rink won by just one shot less at 13 shots.

Rink scores, Middlesex skips only, as follows:

Rink 1: Gordon Morris, Vic Wallace, Paul Green & Peter Mercer 9 – Steve Gibson 25

Rink 2: Brian Hunt, Dave Garland, Colin Barnes & John Church 14 – Andy Knott 27

Rink 3: Peter Kitchener, Eddie Chapman, Terry Gallagher & George Willmott 22 – Richard Kirk 9

Rink 4: Ray Ward, Geoff Thomas, Dave Lovell & Kevin Mawson 9 – David Todd 27

Rink 5: Trevor Tilley, John Broderick, Ian Watts & Terry James 12 – Peter Picknell 23

Rink 6: Peter Hoad, Tony Warren, Neville Bodily & Richard Somerton 24 – Ken Wilson 10

North celebrate as they sink the South

The annual ‘Roma Hanger’ Challenge Trophy match, between the South Area and the North Area of the Bowls Northamptonshire Women’s Section was played last Monday at Wellingborough BC.

It was a good day for the ladies of the north, who claimed a 21-shot win.

They shared winning rinks with the South Area, but their losing rinks did soby only a total of five shots, with the highest scoring of the winner’s rinks being that skipped by Jeannie Flippance, which posted a 16 shots victory.

The final score was North Area 125 South Area 104.

Rink details as follows, North Area names first:

Rink 1: Velda Cooper, Karon Bierton, Ann Stewart & Nancy Tebbutt 19 – Rita Louis, Elaine Munton, Linda Warren & Pat Bodily 20

Rink 2: Joyce George, Margaret Tyler, Chris Cooper & Jeannie Flippance 30 – Judy Jones, Anita Hickman, Marjorie Keal & Anita Petrucci 14

Rink 3: Marlene Armitage, J Jones, Phyll Parry & Auidrey Height 18 – Rhona Holland, Janet Riome, Pat Symonds & Pam Wills 19

Rink 4: Pat Gayton, Sian Hugh-Jones, Shirley Ongley & Jan Hunt 24 – Val Rowson, Dawn Owen, Elsie Hatton & Joyce Porter 17

Rink 5: Pat Coles, Shelagh Galloway, Trish Basford & Wilma Walker 14 – Barbara Oliver, Chris Cross, Elaine Urquhart & Joan Sidebottom 17

Rink 6: Margaret Cave, Betty Tilley, Sylvia Downer & Margaret McGillivray 20 – Joy Tomalin, Lynn Babb, Sue Lane & Jill Welch 17

NORTHANTS Vice-Presidents travel to Welwyn & District BC to take on Hertfordshire Past Presidents BA in a friendly and lost 121-102.

The highest scoring of the County’s rinks was that skipped by Dave Stewart, which posted a seven shots advantage.

Rink scores, Herts skips only, as follows:

Rink 1: Peter Archer, Rodney Dean, Peter Byworth & Cliff Moore 21 – A Cottington 23

Rink 2: Tony Hancock, Richard Pitts, Peter Oliver & Dave Stewart 22 – Phil Havard 15

Rink 3: Maurice Tyler, Brian Jones, Mike McKeown & Dave Williamson 18 – Bob Mitchell 15

Rink 4: Brian Robbins, Charles Longstaff, Barry Hogston & Dick Howell 9 – John London 26

Rink 5: Len Marshall, Dave Betts, Colin Incles & Jack Brown 9 – Don Fox 21

Rink 6: Derek Essam, Jim Walvin, Paul Cooke & Michael Moulton 23 – Tony Radford 21

NORTHANTS men have selected the following players for a friendly against Surrey at Croydon next Wednesday (July 20).

Rink 1: Ray Ward, Corby Seagrave House BC/Les Parry, Wellingborough BC/Brian Jones, Heyford BC/Richard Somerton, Brackley & District BC

Rink 2: Brian Fairbairn, Swanspool BC/John Chester, Kettering Lodge BC/Neville Bodily, Northampton Whyte Melville BC/John Church, Higham Ferrers Town BC

Rink 3: Peter Hoad, Northampton Express BC/Jonathan George, Wellingborough BC/A.N. Other/Michael Moulton, Heyford BC

Rink 4: Harvey Fruish, Abington BC/David Francis, Bugbrooke BC/Peter Mercer, West Haddon BC/Ken Court, Brackley & District BC

Rink 5: Laurie Harrison, Earls Barton BC/John Cooper, Burton Latimer Town BC/Robin Frost, Bugbrooke BC/Mossy Waters, Rushden Town BC

Rink 6: Trevor Tilley, Irchester BC/Tony Warren, Northampton Express BC/Paul Cooke, Carlsberg BC/Reg Jones, Abington BC

Reserves: Gordon Morris, Northampton West End NC/Peter Gilkes, Bugbrooke BC/Malcolm Pell, Irchester BC/Eddie Chapman, Wellingborough BC

Oundle lose out as Bowls England triumph

OUNDLE Bowls Club’s centenary celebrations continued as the club hosted a Bowls England (BE) team of Presidents, past Presidents and County players.

It was a match in which 12 Counties were represented.

Originally a Quoits club, Oundle BC was founded in 1866, but the club started to play the more popular game of lawn bowls in 1916 and formally changed its name to Oundle Bowling Club in 1954.

On the match day the weather was kind to the players with a good deal of sunshine.

The match was won by the visitors, who took four of the six rinks, with Oundle winning the other two.

The highest winning rink for Oundle was the one skipped by ‘old stager’ Stewart Laxton, holder of the Bowls England ‘Award of Merit’, who won by 13 shots.

The final score was Bowls England 129 Oundle 111.

Oundle also hosted a morning meeting of presidents, chaired by Tony Alcock, the Bowls England CEO and 15-time world champion.

Bowls England players were offered a buffet luncheon on arrival and a two-course meal after the match, and after the meal Bowls England president Michael Jennings presented Oundle president Margaret Marlow with a celebration pennant.

Rink details as follows, Bowls England names first:

Rink 1: Jan Hunt, Gill Barkas, Don Whyatt & Bill Smith 24 – Liz Clayton, Wynn Cooper, Simon Bierton & Douglas Best 16

Rink 2: Graham O’Donohoe, Aileen Bowder, Dennis Cousins & Marcia Dunstone 25 – Joan Ackroyd, John Lilley, George Backhurst & Ron Fox 16

Rink 3: Roy Rogers, Kathy Rothera, Jessie Clark & Michael Jennings 26 – Nick Morson, Michael Hamill, Margaret Marlow & Robert Bellairs 15

Rink 4: Sara Foster, Tom Hall, Barbara Clutterbuck & Geoff Hunt 16 – Joyce Thorpe, Bill Bostock, Tim Hunt & Kevin Dexter 19

Rink 5: Harvey Fruish, Brigette Gunn, Alan Price & Wendy Coldham 17 – John Cunnington, Alan Cavanagh, Dawn Saunders & Stewart Laxton 30

Rink 6: Viv Tomlinson, John Cooper, Sid Barkas & Graham Tomlinson 23 – Margaret Walker, David Walker, Molly Bostock & John Hull 15