This weekend at Leamington

The opening weekend at the Bowls England National Championships at Leamington saw four titles being won.

Devon’s brother and sister duo Sam and Sophie Tolchard won Family Pairs competition, supported by the Friends of English Bowling.

The Kings BC pair beat brothers William and Jamie Walker (Northampton West End BC) in the final.

Results:

Quarter-Final results:
Tom McGuinness and John McGuinness (Buckinghamshire) beat David Snell and Michael Snell (Wiltshire) 21-17;
Sophie Tolchard and Sam Tolchard (Devon) beat Graham Street and Marcus Street (Surrey) 25-13;
William Walker and Jamie Walker (Northamptonshire) beat Mark Smith and Adam Smith (Warwickshire) 22-11;
Les Yeomans and Chris Yeomans (Northumberland) beat Dex Weyand and Ken Weyand (Kent) 18-17

Semi-Finals:
Sophie Tolchard and Sam Tolchard (Devon) bt Tom McGuinness and John McGuinness (Buckinghamshire) 19-18;

William Walker and Jamie Walker (Northamptonshire) bt Les Yeomans and Chris Yeomans (Northumberland) 22-12

Final:
Sophie Tolchard and Sam Tolchard (Devon) bt William Walker and Jamie Walker (Northamptonshire) 22-5

On Saturday, Surrey successfully retained the Johns Trophy after defeating Wiltshire in a repeat of the final from 12 months ago.

Surrey reached the final after securing victory over the 2016 champions Lincolnshire in the semi-final, with Wiltshire defeating Essex by just three shots.

Wiltshire were targeting their first success in the competition since 1995, with Surrey aiming for their fourth triumph in six years.

Semi-Final Results:
Surrey beat Lincolnshire 122-105
Rink Scores (Surrey skips first): P Bourne lost to A Dunham 10-21; S Maylin drew with L Mountain 15-15; D Seward lost to A Gowshall 21-24; P Garden beat O Wells 30-13; D Souter beat R Markham 32-8; M Smith lost to P Strong 14-24

Wiltshire beat Essex 117-114
Rink Scores (Wiltshire skips first): A Fail lost to J Polley 12-26; S Griffiths lost to C Moss 19-28; S Bird beat S Madgewick 25-15; L Young beat E Score 23-16; A Jacobs beat A Smart 20-12; M Hartley beat B Bowyer 18-17

Final:
Surrey beat Wiltshire 142-91
Rink Scores (Surrey skips first): S Maylin beat S Griffiths 15-14; D Seward beat S Bird 24-18; P Garden beat L Young 18-16; D Souter beat A Jacobs 32-18; M Smith beat M Hartley 21-12; P Bourne beat A Fail 32-13.

Meanwhile in the Middleton Cup, Devon secured their fourth victory in five years after defeating Kent in the Final.

In a repeat of the 2016 and 2017 finals, Devon defeated Kent, who haven’t won the title since 1993 – despite appearing in five finals since their success against Cumbria 26 years ago.

Devon reached the final with a victory over Leicestershire in a repeat of the final 12 months ago, when the Foxes secured an emphatic extra ends victory. Kent, meanwhile, defeated Northumberland in the last four who were seeking their first final appearance since 1988.

Semi-Final Results:
Kent beat Northumberland 120-75
Rink Scores (Kent skips first): T Monk beat D Parkes 21-13; R Kendrick beat S Harvey 17-11; M Sekjer beat C Yeomans 21-14; G Charlton lost to C Cooper 13-19; D Hanmore beat J Curtis 20-10; S McCaughan beat R Train 28-8.

Devon beat Leicestershire 118-99
Rink Scores (Devon skips first): G Sanders beat C Rodgers 25-16; J Webber lost to S Hayes 13-16; I Lesley beat N Hope 22-17; R Paxton beat J Dawson 18-16; R Whitlock drew with A Hollis 14-14; M Coombes beat C Moore 26-20.

Final:
Devon beat Kent 120-79
Rink Scores (Devon skips first): J Webber beat S McCaughan 18-14; I Lesley beat T Monk 17-16; R Paxton beat R Kendrick 25-11; R Whitlock beat M Sekjer 24-7; M Coombes beat G Charlton 19-10; G Sanders lost to D Hanmore 17-21

In the DBE singles final, Mike Robertson beat Mike Ditson to take the 2019 crown.

In the North versus South match, the Southerners were triumphant with a 89-79 victory.