Northants shock Suffolk in County Championship opener

Some of the Northants Newton Trophy team, with new captain Dave Corney (wearing blazer).

Northants’ new-look Newton Trophy team upset the form book in their opening English Bowling Federation county championship fixture under new captain Dave Corney by defeating Suffolk, twice winners in the past three finals and runners-up in the other.

They won on four of the six rinks at Whittlesey Manor for a resounding 192-153 victory to claim 18 of the 22 points on offer and now they hope to build on that foundation at home to Hunts on Saturday.

There were runaway wins for the rinks of Tony Belson (45-18), Tom Fielding (40-23) and Ally McNaughton (39-21), while Barry Lawrence’s rink held off a late challenge to win 27-24.

The Adams Trophy team, playing at Parkway, were unable to complete the double, losing 140-178 (4-18) to Suffolk, their rink wins coming from Paul Buckley (26-19) and Adam Warrington (33-18).

Northants women suffered a second successive defeat in the Donald Steward Trophy, when they were beaten 111-99 by North Cambs at March.

There were wins for the rinks of Gill King (29-16) and Myra Landsburgh (22-17), while Chris Ford’s trio went down by a single shot (25-26).

They will hope for better fortune next Wednesday when, along with the Silver Jubilee Vase team, they host Suffolk at City of Peterborough and Yaxley respectively.

With North Cambs not having a team in the Silver Jubilee Vase, the counties played a three-rink friendly with Northants winning 91-56.

Meanwhile, local bowlers are mourning the sad passing of former Northants Bowling Federation president Dick Noble.

He was a well known and much respected bowler both locally and further afield, having been a prominent figure at the city-based West Ward for many years before moving to Whittlesey Manor.

He was county president in 2018/2019, but the pandemic denied him a second year in office, and at the time of his passing he held the position of the county’s first-ever chairman.