CRUNCH DURHAM WIN
DRAMATIC REVIVAL SECURES VITAL MIDDLETON CUP SUCCESS AGAINST OLD FOES YORKSHIRE
Durham County’s A team had to dig deep to come from behind to beat a resolute Yorkshire team in the Middleton Cup at Houghton Dairy Lane.
The game looked to be drifting away, but a late Durham charge turned things around as they ran out 133120 winners.
Across the green, it was an even split, with three winning rinks and three losses.
Elm Tree’s Colin Boston secured a 26-9 win over Paul Humphreys, Stockton’s Paul Mosley had a high-energy 2714 success against Mark Walton and Hartlepool’s John Mansfield continues to impress, enjoying a 31-19 win over Gary Bunce.
Team manager David Bolt (Silksworth) lost his four-year unbeaten Middleton record, going down 26-20 to Steve Walton.
Silksworth member Billy Ferry’s quartet finished 2515 down to Dave Clark while Silksworth’s Ian Riches lost 27-14 to Sam Winter.
The 16-6 points return, combined with Derbyshire’s 18-4 win over Notts, sets up a winner-takes-all final group game between Durham and Derbyshire at Kirkbymoorside on July 8 for the quarterfinal place. Scores (Durham skips first): W Ferry 15 G Clark 25, J Mansfield 31 G Bunce 19, P Mosley 27 M Walton 14, D Bolt 20 S Walton 26, C Boston 26 P Humphreys 9, I Riches 14 S Winter 27
Latest standings: Derbyshire 36 (+46), Durham 36 (+44), Yorkshire 10, Notts 6 Durham County’s B team
followed up their opening 202 Alsop Trophy win over Yorkshire with a hard-fought 14-8 success against Northumberland at Morpeth.
Durham only had two winning rinks –Barnes Park’s Albie Hill beat Ian Dickenson 26-12 and Dairy Lane’s Ray Robinson beat Bill Ray 27-13.
Captain Dale Oram’s rink went down 25-15 to Lee Birch, Hundens’ Stuart Clarke lost 23-15 to George Donkin and Dairy Lane’s Alan J. Dunn was beaten 17-12 by Bob Donkin, while Leadgate’s David Warnaby succumbed 26-19 to former Thompson Park player Jackie Taylor.
Durham face a crunch game against leaders Cumbria at Dairy Lane next Saturday. Latest standings: Cumbria 38, Durham 33, Northumberland 22, Yorkshire 9, Lancashire 4
Durham County ladies’ Stella Logan League squad rallied from their 86-shot hammering by Lancashire to beat Yorkshire by 21 shots.
Durham, victorious against Yorkshire for the first time in seven attempts, had three winning rinks, Darlington North Park’s Sam Pattison,
with Sunderland’s Lorraine Breheny at third, eased to a 27-8 win, while Roker Park’s Maureen Firth steered Jackie Classen (Dairy Lane), Evelyn Barkes (Hetton) and Pauline Vincent (Houghton Town) to a 26-11 victory.
Horden’s Val Gray triumphed 24-17. The 8-2 points return moves Durham above Yorkshire into third place. Next up is a trip to Cumbria.
Tomorrow, the ladies’ Walker Cup Double Fours squad start out on their bid to repeat their National title success in 2013, facing Cumbria at Hexham. Durham: S Forster (Houghton DL), F Slinn (Newton Hall), G Morgan (Houghton DL), J Rodgerson (Houghton DL); J Brown (Pelton Fell), S Almond (Sunderland), T Pearson (Consett Park), A Anderson (Darlington Woodland)
Roker Marine scraped home 5½-1½ against Hetton Workmen to move top of Earl Cup Division One.
Barnes Park hit Houghton Town for 100 in their 7-0 win, while holders Houghton Dairy Lane are bizarrely occupying one of the relegation spots, although they have only played three games.
In Division Two, leaders Hylton CW - half a point ahead of Usworth - lost 5-2 to Whitburn but bounced back to win 4-3 at South Hylton.
Third Division leaders North Biddick lost their unbeaten record, crashing 6-1 at Sunderland, but they still have a 7½-point lead over Washington, Pemberton notched their first win, 7-0 against Grindon Mill.
Barnes West End lead Barnes Park by 1½ points at the top of the Swan Cup Division One.
West End ground out a 4½2½ win over Seaham Town while Park were beaten at Hetton Workmen, Thompson Park’s losing streak reached nine with a 7-0 home loss to Houghton Town.
Division Two leaders North Biddick beat Pemberton 6-1 while Roker Park were good 5-2 winners at Washington, Ryhope ended a sevengame losing streak, defeating Grindon Mill 5-2.
Washington top both divisions in the Harold Howey Trophy. Washington B beat Hylton CW 4-0 to go seven unbeaten at the top of Division One, with Roker Park three points behind. Holders Barnes West End, 4-0 victors at Houghton Dairy Lane A, are only four points off top spot.
Leaders Washington A beat South Hetton 4-0 in Division Two, while Pemberton A won the battle of the bottom two 3-1 at Roker Marine B.
In the Storey Bowl, leaders Seaham Town saw off Thompson Park 7-0 for an
11th straight win, holders Hetton Workmen beat Dawdon 6-1 and Pennywell sealed their first win, 6-1 against Wearmouth. Houghton Town moved third with a 6-1 win over Hylton CW.
Whitburn moved top of the Grindon League by a couple of points after a 4-1 win at Wearmouth, with Usworth second following a 5-0 defeat of Pennywell.
The league takes a break for the Tommy Thompson double fours this week. First round draw: Hylton CW v Whitburn, Ryhope v Silksworth, Dawdon v Grindon Mill, Pennywell v South Hylton.
The Sunderland & District knockout competitions are slowing getting underway.
In the 3-2-1 Knockout Triples, Barnes West End, pursuing a third consecutive title, secured a 233-199 win at North Biddick to set up a quarter-final trip to Dairy Lane or Dawdon. Silksworth booked a last-eight spot with a 239-191 win at Roker Park.
Grindon Mill’s Alan Patterson defeated Alan J. Dunn (Dairy Lane) 18-2 in the Burkett Shield first round and next meets club-mate C.Barella.
In the Silver Jacks, John Kelly outgunned Silksworth club-mate Terry Todd 20-5.
The county competition second stages continued this week.
In the fours, Barnes West End’s Brian Sanderson succumbed 22-9 to Darlington RA’s Andrew Kirtland. The remaining last-16 ties take place at Stockton on Monday, when holders Gary Farquhar (Silksworth) takes on Hundens’ Stuart Clarke, Barnes Park’s Michael Laydon faces Hartlepool Old Boy’s Carl Higgins, Dairy Lane’s Jimmy McKinney tackles Dunston’s Malcolm Johnston and Silksworth’sDavidBoltplaysRoker Marine’s Richie Mckie.
In the triples, despite a cracking performance, Barnes Park’s Les Taylor, Mark Higgins and Michael Laydon exited 17-15 to Stockton’s county skip Paul Mosley. Dale Oram’s title-defending Hartlepool Park rink lost 26-16 to Dunston’s Alan Theobold.
The remaining five ties will be played at Silksworth on Tuesday, including an allSilksworth affair between Paul Baker and Ian Riches. The hosts have two other rinks in action.
In the pairs at Nevilles Cross, Dairy Lane’s Alan Thurlbeck was super sub for Ian Whorlton and teamed up with Joe Sutherland to beat Silksworth’s Neal Ridley and Ian Riches 25-11.
Phil Dixon & Shaun McIntosh (Silksworth) agonisingly lost on an extra end, 24-23 to Stockton’s Paul Mosley. Five more ties take place at Nevilles Cross on Wednesday, with Billy Ferry (Silksworth) up against Darlington RA’s Andrew Kirtland.
In the two-bowl singles at Barnes Park, Roker Marine’s Pat Thomson secured a county semi-final spot with a 17-10 win over Silksworth’s Josh Halcrow however Dairy Lane legend Ken Briscoe missed out, losing 17-10 to Stockton youngster Mark Hodgson.
Dairy Lane’s Susan Forster endured a tough week in the ladies’ county competitions.
Her search for an elusive singles title goes on after a 21-18 semi-final loss to Darlington Woodland’s Ann Anderson on a sodden Horden playing surface.
Forster and Joan Rodgerson were beaten 22-21 at home by Pelton Fell’s Olive Brown in the pairs, though Hetton Workmen’s Maureen Hall and Norma Stephenson enjoyed an excellent 20-19 win over Consett Park’s Gill Jones.
Hetton meet Pelton Fell in the semi-final at Dairy Lane on Monday.
In the Bowls England senior singles, Barnes Park’s Les Taylor had a fine 21-17 win over Hundens’ former county singles champion Stuart Clarke, while Houghton Dairy Lane’s Peter Hudspith edged a 21-20 win over Pelton Fell’s Brian Brown.
In the senior pairs, Roker Marine’s Ray Bell had a good 21-11 win over Hetton’s Chris Fish, but Barnes West End’s Brian Sanderson lost 22-10 at Leadgate to Derek Metcalfe and Dairy Lane’s Ken Briscoe went down 19-17 to Pelton Fell’s Jim Hutchinson.
Barnes Park visit Dipton tomorrow in the Top Club competition, with the winners at home to Morpeth St George’s.
In the ladies’ senior pairs, Dairy Lane’s Joan Rodgerson had a cracking 19-7 win over Consett Park’s Gill Jones, but Sue Almond (Sunderland) was beaten 18-12 by Pelton Fell, who face Rodgerson next.