Forcer in tight win against Ridley
Action in the local stages of the national competitions has been sparse.
In the two bowl singles, there was a thrilling allShields affair when Jonny Forcer beat Neal Ridley 21-20.
There was more Shields disappointment when Jaxon McKenna lost 21-17 at home to Stanley’s Brett Arkley.
It was not all bad news for McKenna though, as alongside Anne Upsall they beat Arkley in the mixed pairs 13-11 to secure an area final tie against former national champions Hartlepool’s Lauren and Paul Mosley.
In the mixed fours, South Shields’ Ian Riches also booked an area final place after beating Durham’s Michael Barkess 16-10. The Shields quartet will face Hartlepool’s Carl Higgins.
Houghton’s Sam Patterson was beaten in the family pairs 18-9 at home by West Denton’s Michael Bennett, while last year’s qualifiers South Shields’ McIntosh brothers were beaten 21-16 at West Denton by Arron Robson.
This year’s county champion of champions has been blighted by walkovers, in the singles of the six ties a shocking five ended in walkovers.
However, in the triples Houghton’s Peter Thomson booked a semi final place after a hard-fought 17-16 win at Darlington against Graham Peacock.
In the senior singles, South Shields’ Fred Knubley beat Shildon’s E.Coatsworth 21-5 and will tackle Ferryhill’s Alan Hind next.
There was another Shields win this time in the senior pairs as Bobby Graham beat Stanley’s Michael English 215 – however, Graham missed out in the triples 21-17 to Houghton’s Frankie Froud.
In the latest Senior Midlands league matches, Durham maintained their title charge with a 18-4 (+13) win over Yorkshire at Durham.
Across the green, Durham had four winning rinks, Dale Oram 26-11, Billy Ferry 14-10, Keith Wilford 18-16 and Barry Attwood 22-13.
Next up is a trip to York to face Nottinghamshire in February.
Gateshead are holding a three bowl Open Pairs competition on March 22. It is limited to 32 entries, entry fee is £50 with a first prize of £1,000 subject to a full entry. Contact Malcolm Johnston on 07790315453.