Norfolk’s bowlers enjoy mixed success at national finals held in Skegness

Sue Lee and Linda Blake won the Alice Rice Pairs Trophy in Skegness. Picture: Linda Blake (Image: Archant)

For the first time since 2008 both the Norfolk's Silver Vase Team and Donald Steward team had reached the finals having won all their group games in the Southern section.

On the first Saturday of the championships the Silver Vase team played Humberside, northern winners, and unfortunately had to settle for second place with a 91-134 defeat.

In the Steward final Norfolk also lost out to Humberside 97-109 being awarded the Kathleen Bozeat Trophy.

Norfolk did not fare much better when the individual competitions got underway, a case of what might have been with many narrow defeats.

Wayne Burrage, Norfolk's representative for both the men's two bowl and four bowl competitions bowed out 20-21 in each. His opponent in the two bowl going on to win the title.

In the men's veteran singles Kenny Breame had success in the first two rounds, 21-19 against Northants and 21-20 against Humberside before losing 20-21 in the semis to the eventual winner A Turton, Notts. County President, Andy Sayer, won his Secretaries singles 21-10 against Humberside before going down 11-21 against N Essex in the semi-finals. Tom Baker had a comfortable victory on day one of the championships in the Champion of Champions before losing to Humberside in round two, the eventual winner.

In the men's pairs Mark Tuner and Clive Derry had a close game before losing to Northants 17-20 on the last end.

In the mixed pairs Sue Lee and Ian Wones started brightly before losing 16-18 to Cleveland's I & J Gillespie. John Hunter and Kenny Breame got the week off to a good start with a 21-15 win in men's senior pairs but lost narrowly in the second round to Cleveland. The husband and wife pairing of Elaine & David Cole had a close game in the senior mixed pairs before losing 17-20 to Cleveland.

Norfolk's representatives from Wootton Park fell at the first hurdle in the men's two bowl rinks whilst the Aldiss Park trio in the three bowl rinks had a cracking game against Nicky Brett's Hunts triple. They held a slight lead with two ends to play but Hunts took the last two ends to run out 15-14 and eventually went on to lift the trophy.

In the mixed rinks Norfolk's trio battled back form 7-20 to 20-20 only to lose by one on the extra end. Aaron Stimson suffered a first round defeat in the under 25 singles before teaming up with Matty Sparrow in the under 25 open pairs and reached the final with wins: 20-6 v Durham, 18-15 v Humberside, 21-13 v Northumberland before losing to Hunts in the final 13-20.

On the ladies side there were first round defeats for Emily O'Hanlon four bowl singles, 11-21 v Notts; Sarah Smith under 25's 7-21 v Notts; Pam Rolph senior singles 7-21 v Hunts; Elaine Cole Champion of Champions 15-21 v N Essex. Andrea Morton lost 15-21 v Lincs in two bowl singles but had better success in the Secretaries Singles winning 21-11 in round one before losing to Cleveland's Lisa Simpson in the next round 21-13, the latter going on to lift the trophy.

In the ladies Senior Pairs Lilian Barber and Pauline Scott went down to Derbyshire 15-20. The all family affair of Val Moore, Grandmother, Lesley O'Hanlon, Mother, and Emily O'Hanlon Granddaughter sadly went out of the two bowl rinks 8-23 v Northumberland. The three bowl triples from Gissing, Claire Forster, Pat Last and Joy Jolly, had a hard fought first round game against Derbyshire before going down 11-13.

There was better news for the Ladies pairs combination of Sue Lee and Linda Blake who went on to lift the Alice Rice Pairs Trophy with victories against Humberside 17-10 in round one, 39-4 against Notts in round two, 18-14 against Northumberland in semis and 23-16 against Suffolk in the final.