Northampton Finals

Please find below the winners from the finals at Northampton Indoor Bowls Club from the 12th-17th February:

THE first of the English Indoor Bowling Association national championship weeks was again hosted by the Northampton club.

Eight events reached their conclusion, including the men’s over 50 triples, where Folkestone’s Colin Elson, Roger Herridge and Gordon Charlton collected the title for the second time after reaching the final for the third time in four years.

Zoe Eagles and Ashley Liddell won the mixed pairs for the first time for York, whilst the Riverain club, thwarted at the semi-final stage of the Mason Trophy, gained compensation by winning the Yetton Plate.

MIXED PAIRS

JUNIOR international Zoe Eagles teamed up with Adam Liddell to take national mixed pairs title to the York club for the first time.

They pipped Bristol’s Ros Constant, wife of former test cricket umpire David, and Chris Keating 17-16 in the final, who in turn had defeated City of Ely’s Catherine and Stuart Popple by one shot in the semi-finals (18-17).

The York pair were 24-12 semi-final winners over Chawton Park’s Richard and Margaret Holden, and that was the closest any pair got to them in the early rounds, as they conceded just 14 shots in their first three matches, which included a 25-0 second round demolition of Croydon.

MIXED FOURS

IT’S been quite a start to 2013 for Norfolk’s England international Rebecca Field.

Having been crowned Ladies’ World Match Play champion at Potters Leisure Resort in January, she then teamed up with Norfolk club colleagues Louise and Ian Catchpole and Wayne Willgress to win the national mixed fours title.

They trailed for most of the final against Wellingborough’s Jean Burgess, Tina and Paul Broderick and Jamie Walker, but came strong over the closing ends to turn a 23-21 deficit at 18 ends into a 26-24 success, with Ian Catchpole playing a crucial split shot to give them victory.

It was a third final defeat for the Brodericks since 2005, while Blackpool Newton Hall and Barwell, champions and runners-up respectively last year, failed to make it beyond the quarter-finals.

Barwell were beaten in the opening round by Norfolk, while Blackpool Newton Hall lost at the quarter-final stage to Bromsgrove.

MEN’S OVER 50 TRIPLES

THE Folkestone trio of Colin Elson, Roger Herridge and former England international Gordon Charlton are becoming part of the furniture in the closing stages of men’s over 50 triples.

They reached the final for the third time in four years, and won the title for the second time, defeating the Christie Miller triple of Chris Easton, Nigel Price and Andy Moore 18-16 in the decider.

Folkestone had an even closer shave in the semi-finals against the Falaise line-up of Trevor Logan, Steve Jeapes and Keith Cheetham, winning by just one shot, and that was the slender margin achieved by Christie Miller in their last four clash with Slade’s Clive Graves, Roger Wright and Don Savage.

Christie Miller had toppled the defending champions from Beccles – Graham Catchpole, Mark Todd and David Wood – 24-13 in the opening round.

OVER 60 INTER-CLUB DOUBLE RINK

LINCOLN claimed the Over 60 Inter-Club Double Rink crown for the third time in six years, defeating West Berks 37-36 in the final.

Mike Smith’s rink of Don Skayman, Barry Graves and Phil Garrick tipped the scales in favour of Lincoln with a 24-16 win over Derek Paterson’s quartet, the margin just enough to cover the seven-shot reverse for Dick Nicholson’s rink against Angus Steele.

Nicholson’s rink of Mace Andrews, Brian Jackman and Derek Johnson had enjoyed a shots fest in the semi-final against Barking, winning 34-5 in a 52-18 victory, while West Berks edged out defending champions Banister Park by just one shot, 42-41, thanks to the 27-18 win for Steele’s team of Fred Brown, Keith Lavery and Richard Kozlowski.

MASON TROPHY

SPALDING triumphed in the Mason Trophy women’s over 60 double rink event for the first time, beating Croydon 38-30 in the final.

Gloria Haney’s rink of Val Bowker, Gill Needham and Barbara Hurst provided the key to the Lincolnshire club’s success, setting up the 40-35 semi-final win over 2008 winners Riverain with a 23-18 victory, and then providing the decisive 20-12 success over Croydon in the final.

The other Spalding rink of Irene Blackman, Betty Deaton, Margaret Dark and Sylvia Wade had the unusual experience of drawing both their matches on the day.

In the other semi-final, Croydon defeated three-time finalists Thornbury 47-33, thanks to the 30-13 win for the rink of Barbara Tate, Doris Payne, Rosemarie Hilton and Carole Cuell.

VIVIENNE TROPHY

THE Arun club from Bognor Regis proved too strong on the day for St Neots in the Vivienne Trophy final, winning on all four rinks for a comfortable 102-59 victory.

The winning skips were Brenda Jones (29-16 over Diane Briars); Francis Ireland (19-17 over Marian Appleton); Chris Horsley (29-14 over Trish Dix) and Marion Brown (25-12 over Cheryl Hills).

YETTON PLATE

THE Riverain club, beaten in the semi-finals of the Mason Trophy, had their day in the sun with success in the Yetton Plate, the inter-club consolation competition for first round losers in the mainstream Yetton Trophy club championship.

The Hitchin-based club were 96-60 winners over Egerton Park in the final, winning on three of the four rinks – Shirley Page (30-14 over Jan Pitcher); Angie Fabris (24-13 over Marjorie Hendle) and Jenny Ralph (29-11 over Mandy Carrie).

The consolation win for the Bexhill-on-Sea club came from Lorraine Kemp, 22-13 over Shirley Hurst.

WOMEN’S OVER 50 TRIPLES

THE Cambridge Chesterton trio of Shirley Hall, Sue Ritchie and Catherine Locking are the new women’s over 50 triples winners following a 17-10 win over Taunton Deane’s Wendy Merchant, Sue Evans and Di Routley in the final.

In the semi-finals, Cambridge Chesterton edged out Angel’s Dawn Slater, Gwen Smithies and Jane Cogle 16-15, while Taunton Deane had a less fraught experience in winning 20-7 against Atherley, who included two former winners of the title in Anne Pearce and Wendy Line, with Liz Russell, a substitute for Margaret Darkin, completing the trio.

Defending champions Barwell (Val Hobart, Barbara Lewis and Pam Sutton) were beaten 18-9 by Taunton Deane in the quarter-finals.