Wins at both ends of the age range!

Northants enjoyed a recordbreaking weekend at the English Bowling Federation indoor finals at Lincoln.

They won both team titles in the space of 24 hours for the first time in their history and, coupled with singles successes at either end of the age spectrum for county president Martyn Dolby and Ollie Jeapes, it meant that the county won four titles in these Championships for the first time.

Dolby, who plays out of the Stamford club, capped his presidential tenure by becoming the first player from the county to win the senior singles, defeating Notts 2119 in the final after 21-3 and 21-4 wins in the previous two rounds.

Schoolboy Jeapes regained the under 25 open singles he first won two years ago by defeating Lincs 21-13 in the final. He’s still only 14 and is attached to clubs in Spalding and Stamford.

Jeapes’ opening round success had come against Hunts' Jorja Jackson, who went on to win the women's singles.

Those two successes apart, the county made little impact individually, winning just two matches in the nine remaining competitions.

Mind you, three defeats were by the agonising margin of one shot with Stephen Harris on the receiving end of two of them, and to rub salt

in the wounds he lost a third by two.

Northants, who had a 100 per cent record in winning the southern section in the Derbyshire Trophy, swept to a fourth success in the competition by hammering northern winners Notts 11660

in the final.

The successful team, captained by Simon Law, was Michael Humphreys, Tom Newman, Adam Warrington, Stuart & Graham Agger, Peter Brown, Wayne Morris, Paul Dalliday, John Earl, Wayne Morris and Brian

Martin.

Northants then retained the Eversley Trophy, the daylong double rink competition for county executives, for the first time.

The team was led by president Martyn Dolby and included Peter Brown, Graham

Agger, Ally McNaughton, Simon Law and Bob Warters.

THIS WEEKEND

Northants' Newton Trophy squad are in action at Whittlesey Manor on Saturday in the John Dickenson Memorial Shield match.

Ollie Jeapes (left) and Martyn Dolby with their EBF national indoor singles trophies.