Northants' Newton Trophy team facing a big local derby

The Northants Silver Jubilee team are pictured before their crushing defeat of North Essex at the City of Peterborough club. From the left are, back, Pearl OBrien, Hazel Bass, Joan Padley, Doris Flowers, Linda Darani, Marlene Osbourne, Gill Day, Carol Grief, Jean Kendall, Veina Slater, Myra Landsburgh, front, Pat Collicott, Liz Barr, Terri Handley, Ann Cooper (team captain), Jessica Phillips, Wendy Humphreys, Maggie Holden and Linda Toms.

It's a big weekend for the Northants men's team in the Newton Trophy.

Just five points from their final match at home to local rivals Hunts at the City of Peterborough club on Saturday will put them through to the final at Skegness for the first time since 1991.

Having guided the county’s Adams Cup team to their first-ever success in the national finals in 2015, team captain Cliff Watson is now on the brink of leading the Newton squad back to Skegness at the first time of asking.

With three wins out of three, Hunts are the only team that can spoil the Northants party, but they need a minimum 18 out of the 22 points on Saturday to keep their hopes alive, and even then they would require maximum points against Norfolk in their final match to snatch top spot.

Meanwhile, the Adams team are in action against Hunts at Whittlesey Manor with little more than pride to play for having lost their last two matches against title-chasing Lincs and Suffolk.

n The Northants county women’s teams completed the double over visiting North Essex, losing just one rink between them out of ten.

That came in the Donald Steward match at Whittlesey Manor, where Northants were 138-85 winners, with rinks wins from Chris Ford, Julie Masters, Sheila Craig and Norma Squires.

The Silver Jubilee team made it two wins out of two with their 168-57 crushing of their opponents at the City of Peterborough club to register maximum points, the rinks of Liz Barr, Joan Padley and Gill Day led the scoring spree with 123 shots between them. The other rink wins came from Hazel Bass and Wendy Humphreys.

The teams were in action at home to Norfolk yesterday.

RESULTS

DONALD STEWARD TROPHY

Northants 138 (16), North Essex 85 (2) – (Northants rinks only):

Carol Warters, Janet Duffy, Chris Ford won 29-17; Fiona Richardson, Wendy Harrold, Julie Masters won 35-10; Liz Hext, Tina Tinklin, Sheila Craig won 34-17; Kathy Browning, Gill King, Norma Squires won 21-16; Sue Moir, Margaret Linnell, Rita Mace lost 19-25.

SILVER JUBILEE VASE

Northants 168 (18), North Essex 57 (0) – (Northants rinks only):

Maggie Holden, Doris Flowers, Liz Barr won 41-11; Pat Collicott, Joyce Needham, Hazel Bass won 20-17; Carol Grief, Linda Toms, Joan Padley won 43-7; Jean Kendall, Jessica Phillips, Wendy Humphreys won 25-13; Terri Handley, Marlene Osbourne, Gill Day won 39-9.

n The Northants county finals on Sunday, July 23, have been switched from Whittlesey Manor to Parkway.

The Manor club were hoping to host the finals with members Tony and Rita Mace as county presidents, but they have encountered problems with the playing surface, and the presidents, in conjunction with club and county officials, decided that in the best interests of the bowlers the finals should be moved.

n In the Northants women’s championships, Chris Ford (Ketton) and Norma Squires (City of Peterborough) are through to the county final of the four-bowl singles, while Julie Masters (Parkway) and Shirley Suffling (Ketton) will meet in the senior singles decider.