BOWLS: McKee selects squad for Liberty Trophy semi-final

Northants travel to the neutral venue of MidGlos IBC in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, aiming to reach the final of the national competition for the second time in three years, with the County winners of the competition in 2015.

Changes have been made to the team which beat Gloucestershire in the quarter-finals in January, including the introduction of Kingsthorpe’s Mark Tompkins for his first Liberty Trophy match with Northants, following his move to the county from Buckinghamshire, and the return of Connor Cinato.

Rink 1: Curtis Johnson, Wellingborough BC/Ben Sharpe, Kingsthorpe BC/Dominic Graham, Northampton & District IBA/Paul Broderick, Wellingborough BC

Rink 2: Neil Rolfe, Kingsthorpe BC/Chris Bland, Northampton & District IBA/Callum Height, Wellingborough BC/Andrew Manton, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 3: Jason Bryan, Kingsthorpe BC/David Walker, Kingsthorpe BC/Darren Childs, Wellingborough BC/Jamie Walker, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 4: Tony Dicks, Daventry IBC/Richard Mann, Desborough IBC/Connor Cinato, Kingsthorpe BC/Neil McKee, Kingsthorpe BC

Rink 5: Adam Pitfield, Wellingborough BC/Andy Smith, Northampton & District IBA/Darren Lyman, Wellingborough BC/Neil Corbyn, Wellingborough BC

Rink 6: Dave Love, Wellingborough BC/Mark Tompkins, Kingsthorpe BC/Matt Pownall, Wellingborough BC/Vernon Gearey, Kingsthorpe BC

Reserves: Richard Lemon, Northampton & District IBA/John Haines, Desborough IBC/Jim McKee, Kingsthorpe BC/Darren Lewis, Kingsthorpe BC/Dave Flippance, Desborough IBC/Tony O’Leary, Northampton & District IBA

Northants IBA name squad in charity clash

THE following players have been selected to play for Northants IBA in the President’s Charity Match at Wellingborough BC next Wednesday (March 8) at 2pm.

The County will be playing against two rinks from Wellingborough BC and one rink each from the Midland Counties IBA, Northamptonshire Retired Police BA, Daventry IBC & Northants Vice Presidents BA.

Rink 1: Dennis Collins, Wellingborough BC/Keith Pick, Desborough IBC/Dougie Ainsworth, Desborough IBC/Geoff Hunt, Wellingborough BC.

Rink 2: Pete Maloy, Kingsthorpe BC/Peter Kitchener, Rushden Town BC/Tony Warren, Northampton & District IBA/Richard Somerton, Brackley & District BC

Rink 3: Roger Miller, Desborough IBC/Richard Upton, Brackley & District BC/Bob Tingle, Desborough IBC/Tony Weston, Northampton & District IBA

Rink 4: Stuart Lowe, Daventry IBC/Trevor Tilley, Wellingborough BC/Bob Sullivan, Desborough IBC/Norman Gibb, Desborough IBC

Rink 5: Don Scott, Brackley & District BC/Peter Gilkes, Northampton & District IBA/Brian Langton, Rushden Town BC/Peter Mellor, Desborough IBC

Rink 6: Will Clelland, Desborough IBC/Dave Garland, Kingsthorpe BC/Brian Diver, Desborough IBC/John Streather, Rushden Town BC

Reserves: Eddie Short, Desborough IBC/Malcolm White, Rushden Town BC

Walker is among the awards in Coventry

SEVERAL county bowlers received awards at the Bowls England Presentation Dinner on Saturday at the Coventry Hilton Hotel.

A party of officers and members of Bowls Northamptonshire attended, together with the county winners of national titles in 2016.

The winners included the following Northants players:

Jamie Walker, Northampton West End BC – won the National Under 25 Singles Title

Rebecca Wigfield, Katie Smith (both Desborough Town BC), Darren Childs (Thrapston BC) & Jamie Walker, Northampton West End BC- won the National Mixed Fours Title

Rob White, Ian Bland, Wayne Stanley & Dominic Graham, Northampton Express BC – won the National Fours title.

Jamie Walker was also named the Young Male Bowler of the Year for 2016.

During the past nine or 10 years Walker has consistently performed to the highest standards. He has been a regular England International since 2010 at junior level and since 2013 at senior level as well, and he played for England in international series at both levels in 2016.

Walker was also successful in picking up two national outdoor titles in 2016, and towards the end of the year he was a member of the England triple that won the World Bowls Championship Triples title, and with it the gold 
medal, in New Zealand, alongside Andrew Knapper of Berkshire & Robert Paxton of Devon.

Northampton are able to defeat Daventry

NORTHAMPTON & District IBA took on Daventry IBC in the County Triples League and claimed a 75-61 victory.

It is an inter club league for four triples from each club, with two playing at home and two playing away.

This was a close encounter with each club having their home triples winning and their away triples losing.

Details as follows, Northampton names first:

At Northampton: Triple 1: Bob Reynolds, Bob Brogden & Chris Bland 27 – Stuart Lowe, Kip Frankson & Alan Davies 9

Triple 2: Tony Ellis, Terry Brown & Richard Lemon 16 – Adge Smith, Tony Robinson & Terry Fuller 12

At Daventry: Triple 3: Jordan Dickens, Dave Cox & Mark Dickens 13 – Barry French, Ray Dawson & Pete Dymond 18

Triple 4: John Clarke, Simon Coles & Tony Weston 19 – Riley Marklew, Dave Symonds & Malcolm Foster 22

Kingsthorpe secure Top Club success

KINGSTHORPE enjoyed a 79-41 Top Club competition win over St Neots & District.

The Top Club is an inter-club competition for the disciplines of two-wood singles for men and women, and mixed pairs, triples and fours.

Kingsthorpe claimed a 12-point haul from the success, with St Neots bagging just four.

Kingsthorpe lost only one of the five disciplines, which was the triples.

Women’s 2 Wood Singles: Marilyn Oram beat H Felce 18-6

Men’s 2 Wood Singles: Ben Sharpe beat J Barker 13-10

Mixed Pairs: Katie Smith & Jamie Walker beat C Goodwin & A Barker 22-5

Mixed Triples: Hilary Sharpe, Jason Bryan & Connor Cinato lost to M Moorbey, M Barlow & J Barker 9-15

Mixed Fours: Debbie Watkins, Di Brumwell, Vernon Gearey & Andrew Manton beat R Moorbey, E Felce, T Hall & R Coleman 17-5

Kingsthorpe now faces Essex County IBC in the national quarter-finals to be played on April 16.

Kingsthorpe claim the Wessex League crown

KINGSTHORPE secured the Wessex League Midland Region title as they saw off Rugby Thornfield B 92-50 to complete the league season with a 100 per cent record.

In second place was Rugby Thornfield’s A team, and they and Kingsthorpe now progress to the play-offs against the other regions, with Kingsthorpe taking on Moonfleet IBC from Weymouth in Dorset this Sunday (March 5).

Details of Kingsthorpe’s final group stage win are as follows, skips only, Kingsthorpe names first:

At Kingsthorpe: Rink 1: Mick Sharpe 18 – M Hewitson 15

Rink 2: Vernon Gearey 20 – R Scott 11

At Rugby: Rink 3: Ben Sharpe 21 – G Furness 13

Rink 4: Jim McKee 33 – B Truman 11

Under-25s see off Suffolk in League

NORTHANTS Under-25s secured an Eastern Counties League win over Suffolk at Cambridge Chesterton IBC.

Rink 1: Lois Woodward, Shannon Swift, Billie Swift & Adam Pitfield 34 – Hogan Cobbold 15

Rink 2: Trudy Beard, Connor Dolby, Abby Woodward & Tom Wellburn 21 – Jordan Halls 23

County results

LATEST county competition results.

Men’s singles: Tom Wellburn, Kingsthorpe BC given walkover by Dan Waterfield, Kettering Lodge BC

Men’s Under-25 singles: Connor Cinato, Kingsthorpe BC beat Kieran Rollings, Kettering Lodge BC 21-4

Men’s pairs: Danny Walker & partner, Wellingborough BC beat Dave Jones & partner, Northampton & District IBA 15-9; Jamie Walker & partner, Kingsthorpe BC beat Adam Pitfield & Matt Pownall, Wellingborough BC 21-10

Men’s triples: Jamie Walker’s triple, Kingsthorpe BC beat Steve White, Phil Daynes & Pete Dymond, Daventry IBC 24-6

Men’s unbadged singles: Peter Wellburn, Kingsthorpe BC beat Phil Daynes, Daventry IBC 21-9

Mixed Under-15 singles: Cauly Swift, Northampton & District IBA beat Holly Buckby, Desborough IBC

National results

LATEST national competition results.

Ladies over-60s singles: Area 6 Zone 1 Final: Marilyn Oram, Kingsthorpe BC beat Jane Redfern, Rugby Thornfield IBC 21-13.

Men’s triples: Area 6 Zone 1 Final: Andrew Manton, Neil McKee & Connor Cinato, Kingsthorpe BC beat Brian Lees, Mick Hawkins & Andrew Walters, Welford-on-Avon IBC 14-12

Men’s fours: Area 14 Zone 2 Final: Alan Dunkley, Ross Vicars, Ron Morland & Sam Wright, Brackley & District BC lost to Neil Smith’s rink, Westlecot IBC, Wiltshire 9-22

Men’s over-50s triples: Area 6 Zone 1 Final: Pete Maloy, Jim McKee & Mick Sharpe, Kingsthorpe BC beat Martin Timms’ triple, Welford-on-Avon IBC 15-10