Silksworth’s stars seal British Isles title success
The Silksworth four become the first ever Durham County squad to lift a British Isles title and Bolt becomes only the third English player to have won the British Isles four’s title at outdoor and indoor level albeit not in the same year.
It was a difficult outdoor season for Bolt, as the remaining of his season was cut short due to ill health, he was also left out of the September international trial although Bolt wouldn't have been fully fit for the trial it was a surprise his name wasn’t in the list of 32, the eight reserves or in the list eight players exempt from the trial.
In the defence of their national fours title the same Silksworth rink were dumped out in the first round in the county stage by club club-mates Terry Dean, the Dyson father & son and Michael Laydon 23-20.
The men’s County A team with Bolt as team manager missed out on the Northern Counties Muras Trophy on shots difference – sixteen to be exact, while in the Middleton they failed to get out of the group stages after losing to Lancashire and Cumbria respectively.
The women’s county A team also failed to progress out of the group stages of the John’s Trophy, a heavy loss in a winner takes all qualifier against Yorkshire ended their hopes.
The men’s county B team had a mixed Alsop Trophy campaign, victories over Lancashire and the eventual champions Cumbria was only good enough for second place.
In the men’s Balcomb Trophy double fours Durham squad suffered a disappointing 45-27 first round defeat at the hands of Northumberland at a windy Houghton Dairy Lane, while the women did make it to the regional final at York Railway but lost to Lincolnshire 40-21 in the final.
There was disappointment for Durham’s young gun’s in the under 25 double fours squad as they were beaten 46-38 by Lincolnshire in the White Rose Regional semi-finals at Kirkbymoorside.
In the men’s county finals hopes of three local county champions failed to materialise on a tricky Blackhall green.
In the Pairs final Silksworth’s Kevin Donkin & Billy Ferry saw a 19-14 lead slip away as a late charge by Elm Tree’s Glenn Skipp secured a 21-19 win.
In the triples final the Seaham Town trio of Bryan Henderson ( jnr), Jimmy McAdoo and Brian Henderson (snr) missed on a first county title as they were beaten 18-13 by Leadgate’s Garry Robson.
The area’s third defeat came in the two bowl final when Barnes West End’s Bryan Sanderson was beaten 17-10 by Elm Tree’s David Fenwick.
In the women’s county finals the talented Houghton Dairy Lane pair of Susan Forster and Joan Rodgerson saw their hopes of another county Pairs title dashed as they were beaten 23-21 in the final by Newton Hall’s Ann Bernard.
In the two bowl final Darlington North Park’s Julie Robinson defeated Sunderland’s Sue Almond’s 16-11.
The first of the 2015 season’s Sunderland & District titles went to Barnes West End.
They defeated Roker Marine 233-187 to land the 3-2-1 knock out triples, it also ended a 40 year wait for them to replicate the win in 1975.
The Barnes West End trio of John Patterson, Richie Jobling and Frankie Froud lifted the Burkett Shield, in the final they beat Grindon Mill’s Alan Graham, Michael Noble and Alan Patterson 22-17.
The Silver Jack’s pairs title went to Roker Marine’s John Smith and Fred Knubley.
In the final they beat Silksworth’s Ian Riches and Kevin Donkin 22-10, this win was the Marine lad’s third Jacks title adding to their wins in 2005 and 2012.
The Sunderland Women’s Town singles champion was Ryhope’s Margaret Mitchinson, while the Whitburn duo of Brenda Harper and Muriel Felce landed the pairs honours.
The triples final was an all Sunderland affair with
Jean Graham, Janet Sykes and Susan Almond geting the better of their club mates Dorothy Tulip, Janice Petrucci and Brenda Campbell 23-12.
The fours title went to the Roker Park quartet of Maureen Firth (sub for Ann Candlish), Irene Cantes, Pat Johnson and Jean Huntingdon.
The popular Ladies Marjorie Marshall Triples Competition was played at Barnes Park.
The Sunderland trio of Jean Graham, Janet Sykes and Sue Almond took the title with an 18-5 win over Roker Marine’s Alice Curtis, Pat Whitaker and Amy Bevan.