Local bowlers won a national mixed title in Norfolk and RIP Yaxley stalwart

English Bowling Federation presidents Trevor Flatt and Irene Ballam are pictured with the winning Northants rink (left to right) Rosemary Roberts, Chris Ford, Elizabeth Wallace and Martin Wallace.

The Stamford quartet of Rosemary Roberts, who was a runner-up last year in a different rink, Elizabeth and Martin Wallace, and Chris Ford produced a string of impressive displays, none more so than in the final where they defeated former winners from Nottingham 7-5.

They were the only one of six Northants rinks to reach the last 16 knockout stage winning all four group matches.

Ford is in a rich vein of form having won three Northants Indoor titles at the end of last month.

UNSUNG HERO

Hunts Bowls stalwart Bob Morton just missed out on the Bowls England 'Unsung Hero' award in Coventry having been on a shortlist of four drawn from hundreds of nominations from around the country.

Morton is the the Hunts men's team manager and competition secretary. He and his wife Angie, who is county secretary and women's competition secretary, are the key components in the county's administrative structure.

RIP ANN COOPER

Sad to report the passing of former Northants Women's Bowling Federation president Ann Cooper, a stalwart of the Yaxley club.

She was county president in 2005 and, as captain of the Silver Jubilee Vase team, guided them to the national final in 2012.