NORTHANTS FINALS: Sarah on song as usual, Harris completes junior double

The Parkway player has now accumulated seven county titles in the past two years, and so faces another busy schedule at the national finals in Skegness next month.

She avenged last year’s defeat in the four-bowl singles final when defeating Sue Moir (Langtoft Pearl) 21-17.

She teamed up with her mother Val to retain the pairs crown, but only just, a last end double earning them a 15-14 victory over club colleagues Karen Martin and Julie Masters.

The hat-trick was completed with success in the mixed triples alongside her mother and Peter Brown, a late substitute for her father Jeff, forced to pull out after the trial ends with a recurring back problem – Blackstones’ Jenny and Trevor Harris with Paul Bailey were on the receiving end, 18-9.

Apart from Val Newson, there were title doubles achieved by no fewer than seven other players, including the Ketton trio of Carol Warters, wife of men’s county president Bob, Shirley Suffling and Chris Ford who claimed both triples titles – 21-9 in the two-bowl event against Blackstones’ Jenny Harris, Rita Downs and Sharon Bailey, and 21-15 in the three-bowl version after an all-Ketton final with Peggy Birch, Elaine Upton and Val Du’Kett.

Blackstones’ Stephen Harris won both junior events, repeating last year’s victory over Jack Corney (Whittlesey Manor) in the under 25 singles decider, 21-16 after trailing 14-16, and then producing a match winning bowl with his last delivery in the junior open pairs alongside Darren Middleton to once again deny Corney and new partner Zack Brown, 17-16.

Sheila Craig (Conservative) teamed up with Pat Bussey to defeat Ketton’s Shirley Suffling and Chris Ford 19-12 in the senior pairs, and then defeated host club player Fiona Richardson 21-17 in the two-bowl singles.

The Parkway club won no fewer than eight finals on the day, with Simon Law and Neil Wright both collecting two apiece.

Wright edged out Martyn Dolby (Blackstones) 21-20 in the four-bowl singles, but had a less exacting time in the three-bowl triples with Law and Ean Morton, substituting for Tony Scarr, as they defeated Whittlesey Manor’s Paul Dalliday, Roger Stevens and Martin Welsford 20-5.

Law had earlier won the mixed pairs with Chris Morton, 19-14 against Ann and Malcolm Cullingworth (Langtoft Pearl), the latter also beaten on the last end (13-14) in the senior pairs with Richard Montgomery against Graham Jackson and Roger Martin, representing the host club.

The Parkway club also won the men’s two-bowl triples when Stuart Reynolds, James Harford and Mike Robertson cruised home 25-11 against Whittlesey Town’s Terry Corney, Terry English and Stuart Wilson, although the Whittlesey club had celebrated success earlier in the day when Joan Butcher defeated Crowland’s Christine Pell 21-17 in the Champion of Champions singles.

Parkway’s other title came courtesy of Howard Shipp in the men’s Champion of Champions with a 21-17 defeat of Yaxley’s Graham Agger, who also suffered disappointment in the two-bowl singles when he was beaten 16-21 by Peter Cox (Langtoft Pearl).

Husband and wife Malcolm and Norma Squires, major players in the development of the new City of Peterborough club, were duly rewarded with a singles title each, Malcolm beating Mike Ramsden (Empingham) 21-17 in the secretaries event, while Norma defeated Viv Hempsell (Yaxley) 21-14 in the senior singles.

Another husband and wife combination, Tony and Linda Kemp (Conservatives), denied Roger Martin and Linda Darani (City of Peterborough) title doubles by winning the senior mixed pairs 21-16, Darani having earlier claimed the secretaries singles, 21-7 against Pearl O’Brien (Deeping).

Blackstones will be the county’s representatives in the national club championship next year after edging out Yaxley 79-75 in the final of the Dan Duffy Trophy, the Stamford-based club having beaten both of last year’s finalists, Whittlesey Manor and Parkway, en route to the final.

RESULTS
MEN

2B SINGLES – Peter Cox (Langtoft Pearl) bt Graham Agger (Yaxley) 21-16. 4B SINGLES – Neil Wright (Parkway) bt Martyn Dolby (Blackstones) 21-20. CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS – Howard Shipp (Parkway) bt Graham Agger (Yaxley) 21-17. VETERANS SINGLES – Mick Duell (West Ward) bt Norman Hill (Yaxley) 21-7. SECRETARY SINGLES – Malcolm Squires (City of Peterborough) bt Mike Ramsden (Empingham) 21-18. U25 SINGLES – Stephen Harris (Blackstones) bt Jack Corney (Whittlesey Manor) 21-16.PAIRS – Nick Wilkie & Paul Buckley (Blackstones) bt Sean Fenlon & Jim Ruddy (West Ward) 20-13.SENIOR PAIRS – Graham Jackson & Roger Martin (City of Peterborough) bt Malcom Cullingworth &Richard Montgomery (Langtoft Pearl) 14-13. U25 OPEN PAIRS – Darren Middleton & Stephen Harris (Blackstones) bt Jack Corney & Zack Brown (Whittlesey Manor) 17-16. 2B TRIPLES – Stuart Reynolds, James Harford, Mike Robertson (Parkway) bt Terry Corney, Terry English, Stuart Wilson (Whittlesey Town) 25-11. 3B TRIPLES – Neil Wright, Ean Morton (substitute for Tony Scarr), Simon Law (Parkway) bt Paul Dalliday, Roger Stevens, Martin Welsford (Whittlesey Manor) 20-5.

MIXED

MIXED PAIRS – Chris Morton & Simon Law (Parkway) bt Ann & Malcolm Cullingworth (Langtoft Pearl) 19-14. SENIOR MIXED PAIRS– Linda & Tony Kemp (Conservative) bt Linda Darani & Roger Martin (City of Peterborough) 21-16. MIXED TRIPLES – Sarah & Val Newson, Peter Brown (substituting for Jeff Newson) bt Jenny & Trevor Harris, Paul Bailey (Blackstones) 18-9.

WOMEN

2B SINGLES – Sheila Craig (Conservative) bt Fiona Richardson (City of Peterborough) 21-17. 4B SINGLES - Sarah Newson (Parkway) bt Sue Moir (Langtoft Pearl) 21-17. CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS – Joan Butcher (Whittlesey Town) bt Christine Pell (Crowland) 21-17. SENIOR SINGLES – Norma Squires (City of Peterborough) bt Viv Hempsell (Yaxley) 21-14. SECRETARY SINGLES – Linda Darani (City of Peterborough) bt Pearl O’Brien (Deeping) 21-7. U25 SINGLES – Louise Harris (Blackstones) – only entry. PAIRS – Saran & Val Newson (Parkway) bt Karen Martin & Julie Masters (Parkway) 15-14.

SENIOR PAIRS – Pat Bussey & Sheila Craig (Conservative) bt Shirley Suffling & Chris Ford (Ketton) 19-12. 2B TRIPLES – Carol Warters, Shirley Suffling, Chris Ford (Ketton) bt Jenny Harris, Rita Downs, Sharon Bailey (Blackstones) 21-9. 3B TRIPLES – Carol Warters, Shirley Suffling, Chris Ford (Ketton) bt Peggy Birch, Elaine Upton, Val Du’Kett (Ketton) 21-15.

TEAM

DAN DUFFY TROPHY (club championship) – Blackstones bt Yaxley 79-75 (Blackstones rinks first): Rita Downs, Paul Bailey, Paul Buckley 19, Julie Cooper, Doris Flowers, Andrew Cooper 18. Stephen Harris, Dusty Miller, Jon Earl 29, Stella Dale, Eugene King, Les Sharp 14. Wayne Morris, Mark Pye, Adam Warrington 17, Peter White, Joan Padley, Robert Heath 20. Martin Stokes, Paul Martlew, Martyn Dolby 14, Jack Scurfield, Gill King, Tony Belson 23.