Club News
16 July: Stamford League
With the majority of teams having just 4 or 5 matches left to play this season, the probable positions of the teams in each division are not yet final by any means, but there are some solid indications of how the teams will fare.
Blackstones C continue to dominate Division 1 with 80 points and 2 matches in hand; they beat Bourne Woods 8-2 last Friday and had a bye on Monday. The next 4 teams are all in with a chance of second place; Stamford Town Crusaders have 69 points and a match in hand, Market Overton Tornadoes and Blackstones D are on 66 points and 65 points respectively, and Bourne Woods is on 64 points with a match in hand.
Market Deeping Regals (85 points) and Ketton (82 points) have opened up a gap at the top of Division 2 after Regals beat Oakham Delta 10-0 and Barnack Saxons 8-2, and Ketton had 8-2 victories over both Carlby Corgis and Barnack Vikings. These two teams look the most likely to be promoted. Third-place Carlby Corgis are on 68 points and could potentially be caught by Empingham Falcons on 62 points, but with a match in hand.
Greetham Poachers top Division 3 with 93 points, after a 10-0 victory over Carlby Bees and winning by 8-2 against Stamford Town Aztecs. Poachers have lost only one match this season, against Stamford Town Dragons – a record unmatched by any other team in the league. Dragons and Bourne Castle are in second and third positions, with 77 and 73 points respectively, with Blackstones A still in touch on 67 points with a match in hand.
National Finals Qualifiers:
Stamford League fully represented in national finals
Bowlers from the Stamford and District League will compete in ten of the 21 disciplines when the English Bowling Federation hosts its national individual championships for possibly the last time at the Suncastle greens in Skegness from August 19.
Secretary of the Langtoft club Angela Cox plays in three events after claiming her titles at the Northants Bowling Federation finals at the immaculate Blackstones green on Sunday, while Ketton will also feature in four of the ladies events.
Cox, who commutes from Holbeach to represent Langtoft in the League, beat Sue Seed (Stamford Town) in the 4-bowl singles and Carol Grief (Crowland) in the Secretaries' Singles before teaming up with clubmate Pat Booth to beat Wittering mother and daughter Mitch and Hannah Willoughby in the pairs.
Ketton, represented in six county final categories, won four of them. It was double domination in the two- and three-bowls triples, where Carol Warters and Shirley Suffling were joined respectively by Lynn Hulme and Helen Tilley to beat rinks from Yaxley.
Tilley also paired with Elaine Upton - winner of the Under 25 national ladies singles in 1986 - to win the Senior doubles against Crowland. Upton earlier won the champion of champions singles against Judy Arnold from Deeping bowling Association.
Federation president Martyn Dolby will give Blackstones colleague Dusty Miller his first taste of competition at the Skegness nationals, thanks to their last end defeat of defending county champions John Suffling and Bob Warters (Ketton) in the Senior pairs. Suffling also lost the Senior mixed pairs with Upton.
Another host club combination of Mick Humphreys, Stephen Harris and Paul Buckley will carry Stamford League hopes in 2-bowl triples, while Chris Ford beat Town colleague Elizabeth Wallace in the Senior singles.
Results: Men
Two-bowl singles: Paul Dalliday (Parkway) bt Stuart Agger (Whittlesey Manor) 21-11; Four-bowl singles: Ollie Jeapes (Parkway) bt John Earl (Blackstones) 21-6; Veterans singles: Graham Agger (Whittlesey Manor) bt Roger Stevens (Whittlesey Manor) 21-8; Champion of Champions: Roger Stevens (Whittlesey Manor) bt Neil Wright (Parkway) 21-19; Secretary singles: Robert Heath (Yaxley) bt Ally McNaughton (Wittering) 21-13; Pairs: Graham Agger & Peter Brown (Whittlesey Manor) bt Roger Stevens & Tom Newman (Whittlesey Manor) 20-19; Senior pairs: Dusty Millar & Martyn Dolby (Blackstones) bt John Suffling & Bob Warters (Ketton) 16-15; Mixed pairs: Michelle Coleman & Paul Dalliday (Parkway) bt Louise & Stephen Harris (Blackstones) 24-9; Senior mixed pairs: Jenny Mosley & Michael Gordon (Yaxley) bt John Suffling & Elaine Upton (Ketton) 16-14; Two-bowl triples: Michael Humphreys, Paul Buckley, Stephen Harris (Blackstones) bt Ollie Jeapes, Adam Emery (sub), Michael Jeapes (Parkway) 17-16; Three-bowl triples: Adam Emery, Tristan & Ean Morton (Parkway) bt Bob Goodall (sub), Steve & Gavin Jinks (City of Peterborough) 22-11; Mixed triples: Paul Dalliday, Michelle Coleman, Tristan Morton (sub) bt Michael Humphreys, Katie Bailey, John Earl (Blackstones) 21-13.
Results: Women
Two-bowl singles: Jan McDougall (Crowland) bt Chris Ford (Stamford Town) 21-18; Four-bowl singles: Angela Cox (Langtoft) bt Sue Seed (Stamford Town) 21-15; Senior singles: Chris Ford (Stamford Town) bt Elizabeth Wallace (Stamford Town) 21-6; Champion of Champions: Elaine Upton (Ketton) bt Judith Arnold (Deeping) 21-11; Secretary singles: Angela Cox (Langtoft) bt Carol Grief (Crowland) 21-10; Pairs: Angela Cox & Patricia Booth (Langtoft) bt Hannah & Mitch Willoughby (Wittering) 25-12; Senior pairs: Helen Tilley & Elaine Upton (Ketton) bt Chris Ryan & Jan McDougall (Crowland) 21-16; Two-bowl triples: Carol Warters, Shirley Suffling, Helen Tilley (Ketton) bt Kate Heath, Viv Hempsell, Karen Mercer (Yaxley) 22-12; Three-bowl triples: Carol Warters, Lynn Hulme, Shirley Suffling (Ketton) bt Hazel Bass, Gill King, Marlene Osborne (Yaxley) 22-6.
9th July: Stamford League
Two matches into the second half of the Stamford League, and the main contenders for the top spots in each division have staked their claims. The majority of teams have just six matches left to play, the exceptions being those teams which have had byes on 5th and 8th July, and the teams in Division 1 with postponed matches.
Blackstones D continue to lead Division 1 with 72 points and a match in hand, even after a bye last Friday and a 10 – 0 defeat by Stamford Town Crusaders on Monday. Bourne Woods, also with a match in hand, are 10 points behind them after beating Wittering 6 – 4 last Friday and having a bye on Monday. Market Overton Tornadoes and Stamford Town Crusaders are still just in touch, with 60 and 59 points respectively.
The top four teams in Division 2 have all played their full quota of matches. Market Deeping Regals top the division with 67 points after a 9 – 1 victory over second-place Ketton on Friday and an 8 – 2 victory over Carlby Corgis on Monday. Ketton hold on to second place with 66 points after beating Carlby Corgis by 8 – 2. Carlby Corgis are still in contention with 59 points, as are Empingham Falcons with 56 points.
Greetham Poachers have opened up a gap at the top of Division 3, with 75 points, after beating both Market Deeping Royals and Greetham Anglians by 8 – 2. Second-place Stamford Town Dragons are on 67 points in spite of losing 10 – 0 to Blackstones A, closely followed by Bourne Castle on 65 points after victories over Carlby Bees (6 – 4) and Market Overton Harriers (8 – 2). Blackstones A, on 59 points, have a match in hand after a bye last Friday, so could, in theory, still catch up.
9th July: Northants Federation Finals
KETTON CHALLENGE FOR SIX OF THE BEST
Ketton bowlers, currently celebrating the club’s 50th anniversary year, will contest six finals when the Northants Bowling Federation hosts its annual championships at the Blackstones green in Stamford on Sunday.
Indeed last year’s national pairs finalist Elaine Upton will feature in three of them. Previously she won the English Bowling Federation Under 25 county and national singles in 1986 and has continued to shine.
As well as the champion of champions singles against Deeping’s Judith Arnold, Elaine partners clubmate John Suffling in the Senior mixed pairs against Mike Gordon and Jenny Mosley from Yaxley and joins Helen Tilley in the Ladies senior pairs. They will play Chris Ryan and Jan McDougall (Crowland).
Another Ketton pairing - Carol Warters and Shirley Suffling - feature in both ladies triples. In the two-bowl version they are skipped by Helen Tilley and in the three-bowl format, Lynn Hulme joins them. Both opponents are different Yaxley rinks.
Completing the six Ketton finalists, John Suffling and Bob Warters defend their veteran singles against Michael ( Dusty) Miller and Martyn Dolby (Blackstones).
Stephen Harris will also be busy on his home green, reaching the finals of the mixed pairs with his sister Louise and the men’s 2-bowl triples with Mick Humphreys and Paul Buckley. Stephen Harris lost his delayed two-bowl singles semi-final against Paul Dalliday (Parkway), who will now play Stuart Agger (Whittlesey Manor) in the final.
Elsewhere Chris Ford features in the 4-bowl and Senior singles finals - the latter against Stamford Town colleague Elizabeth Wallace, while Angela Cox (Langtoft) challenges for the 4-bowl singles, Secretaries singles and pairs with Pat Booth. Wittering have representatives in the men’s Secretaries singles (Ally McNaughton) and the ladies pairs represented by mother and daughter Mitch and Hannah Willoughby.
All county winners will represent Northants in the week-long national finals at the Skegness Suncastle greens August from August 19-25.
SCHEDULE
10 am: Senior Mixed pairs - E Upton/J Suffling ( Ketton ) v J Mosley, MGordon (Yaxley) (rink 1), ladies senior singles - C Ford v E Wallace ( both Stamford Town) (2), Men’s champion of champions singles - R Steven’s ( Whittlesey Manor) v N Wright ( Parkway) (3), ladies 4 b singles - S Seed ( Town) v A Cox (Langtoft) (4), men’s 4b singles - J Earl ( Blackstones) v O Jeapes ( Parkway) (5), men’s 2b singles - S Agger (W Manor) v TBC (6).
12 noon : Ladies Secretaries singles - C Grief ( Crowland) v A Cox (Langtoft) (1), Men’s secretaries singles - AMcNaughton ( Wittering) v R Heath (Yaxley)(2), ladies 2b singles - J McDougall (Crowland) v C Ford (Town) (3), mixed rinks - MColeman, P Dalliday, T Morton ( Parkway) v M Humphreys, K Bailey, J Earl ( Blackstones) (4), men’s veteran singles - R Stevens v G Agger (both W Manor)(5), ladies 2-b triples - C Warters, S Suffling, H Tilley (Ketton) v K Heath, V Hempsell, K Merton ( Yaxley) ( 6).
2pm: ladies C of C singles - J Arnold ( Deeping BA) v E Upton (Ketton) (2), men’s 3b triples - F Richardson, S& J Jinks ( City of Peterborough) v A Emery, E & T Morton ( Parkway)(3), men’s veteran pairs - D Miller, M Dolby (Blackstones) v J Suffling, B Warters (Ketton) (4), mixed pairs - M Coleman, P Dalliday (Parkway ) v L & S Harris ( Blackstones) (5).
4pm: Ladies 3b triples - C Warters, L Hulme, S Suffling (Ketton) v G King, MOsbourne, H Bass ( Yaxley) (1), men’s 2b triples - O & M Jeapes, A Emery (Parkway) v M Humphreys, S Harris, P Buckley ( Blackstones) (2), ladies pairs - M & H Willoughby (Wittering) v PBooth, ACox (Langtoft) (3), men’s pairs - G Gger, P Brown v R Stevens, TNewman ( all W Manor) (4), ladies senior pairs - H Tilley, E Upton (Ketton) v C Ryan, J McDougall (Crowland) (5).
Thanks to Bob Warters for this report. See also photos in gallery below.
2nd July
We have reached the half-way point in the Stamford League, with all teams having played 8 matches (with the exception of four teams in Division 1 with postponed matches still to be played).
Blackstones C top Division 1 with 60 points and a match in hand, after an 8-2 victory over Langtoft and a 10-0 win over Wittering. Bourne Woods have moved up into second place with 56 points from 8 matches, having beaten Blackstones D 8-2 and Greetham Valley Eagles 10-0. Market Overton Tornadoes have dropped to third place with 50 points after losing to Oakham A 3-7 and Stamford Town Crusaders 2-8.
In Division 2, Ketton still top the table with 57 points, after having a bye last Friday then beating Empingham Falcons 8-2. Market Deeping Regals have moved up into second place with 50 points, having beaten Barnack Vikings 6-4 and Ryhall 8-2. Not far behind, Carlby Corgis have now dropped to third position with 47 points, having had a bye on Monday after beating Barnack Vikings 10-0 last Friday.
Now that all the teams in Division 3 have played their 8 matches, Greetham Poachers and Stamford Town Dragons both have 59 points, with Poachers just edging ahead on aggregate. Greetham Poachers had victories over Blackstones A (6-4) and Market Overton Harriers (8-2) and Stamford Town Dragons beat Market Overton Harriers (10-0) and Bourne Castle (6-4). Bourne Castle have slipped to third place on 51 points after their loss against Dragons followed by a bye on Monday. Blackstones A are close behind on 49 points.
All items published under Club News last year are now archived under Archive 2023. All photos are archived under Photo Gallery 2023. This year's items will be archived under Archive 2024.