Stamford Indoor Bowls Club round-up

Stamford’s Men’s B team have at last chalked up their first Lincs League (South) victory of the season against fellow strugglers Boston B - albeit by the narrowest of margins.

Trailing in the early stages, Stamford led by seven at 15 ends but squandered shots in the closing few ends and it needed a late rush of scoring by Martin Hewitt’s rink of Pete Linnell, Mick Owens and Graham Patrickson to secure an overall 8-6 points win in a 69-63 aggregate.

The rink contributed a 26-10 win thanks chiefly to 10 shots without reply in the last five ends.

Dean Wilkinson’s four had two points in their grasp but dropped two shots on the last end, while Dennis Henshaw’s quartet could not hold on to a 15-13 lead at 16 ends.

The A team’s hopes of closing the gap on Spalding’s lead at the top suffered a setback when they could only manage four of the 14 points at stake at Boston A.

While some of their leading players chose to chase vital points representing Northants Federation at Huntingdon, a re-shuffled side couldn’t hold a rampant home team, though rinks skipped by Chris Ballard and Neil Wright put up stubborn resistance to claim points which could ultimately be crucial.

Supported by Dusty Miller and father and son, Wayne and Owen Aspinall, they surged into a 10-4 lead and eventually won by nine shots.

Against the wily Les Feary, Wright’s rink of Ally McNaughton and late replacements Pete Linnell and Ron Blake, fought back from 8-13 behind to win by three shots.

The B team’s next fixture is at home to Spalding on January 13 while the A team visit Grantham the following day.

Results: Lincs Men’s League (South): Stamford B 69 (8 pts) Boston B 63 (6). Stamford names only: J Suffling, B Orme, R Blake, D Henshaw lost 15-19; P Linnell,M Owens, G Patrickson, M Hewitt won 26-10; H Gordon, K Rawlins, C Jones, P Smith lost 14-19; S Christie, G Clarke, D Bruce, D Wilkinson lost 14-15.

Lincs Men’s League (South): Boston A 95 (10) Stamford A 55 (4). Stamford names only: W Aspinall, D Miller, O Aspinall, C Ballard won 22-13; M Linnell, B Crouch, K Rippin, B Warters lost 8-23; T Barwell, M Ramsden, P Buckley, R Martin lost 9-46; P Linnell, R Blake, A Mc Naughton, N Wright won 16-13.

Stamford can expect to face a young, talented side when they meet St Neots for a last 16 place in the Denny Plate on Saturday (10am).

With area sections re-configured this year, it is the first time the two clubs have met in national inter-club team competition, Stamford having beaten Louth and St Neots their Cambridgeshire rivals from Peterborough in the last round.

St Neots lost to star-studded Huntingdon in the first round of the Denny Cup, while Stamford were beaten by former champions Spalding Lightning.

In the four-rink format - two rinks of four at home and two away playing simultaneously with aggregate scores to count over 18 ends - it will be a case of which team handles best the contrasting away rinks on the day. St Neots is recognised as one of the slickest carpet surfaces in the region.

Stamford: Home - Chris Ballard, Ally McNaughton, Bob Warters, Roger Martin; Mick Humphreys, Wayne Morris, Neil Wright, Adam Warrington. Away - Paul Dalliday, Mick Linnell, Michael Jeapes, Simon Law; Wayne Aspinall, Dusty Miller, Owen Aspinall, Jon Earl.

Simultaneously Stamford women will break new ground by facing Cambridge Chesterton IBC in the equivalent Yetton Plate.

They scored an upset with a commanding performance against Skegness in the last round while Chesterton beat Kettering Lodge.

Stamford: Home - Janet Lonslow, Peggy Birch, Stella Henshaw, Chris Ford; Janet Dye, Miriam Hulbert, Elizabeth Wallace, Denise Mackie. Away - Marilyn Christie , Rose March, Shirley Suffling, Sue Moir; Val Du’Kett, Ann Northen, Rita Downs, Moira Holroyd.

Northants Bowling Federation’s A team are on course to reach the final of the EBF Inter County Derbyshire Trophy after recording their third successive win - this time at Huntingdon - following success against Northants B and North Cambs.

They won 90-81 against Hunts, claiming 11 of the14 points available

There were rink wins for captain Simon Law and Peter Brown while Adam Warrington drew and Jon Earl lost by five shots.

They are not in action again until February when they complete their programme with home matches at Stamford IBC against North Essex and Norfolk.

Northants B won narrowly at March against North Cambs but lost at Norfolk and on a slippery surface at North Essex.

Northants Bowling Federation’s indoor competition draws have been made with the preliminary round of the men’s singles to be played by December 23. Finals will be staged at Stamford IBC on Sunday, February 25.

The draws have now been made for Stamford IBC’s club competitions and, such is the size of the entries, that first round matches in men’s singles, sets singles, open senior singles, men’s and mixed pairs must be played by January 29.

The club will be closed between Saturday, December 23 (noon) and Monday, January 2 apart from the Christmas Open Fours Tournament on Thursday December 28, the draw for which will be made on Friday, December 15 (7pm). The club re-opens on January 3.

Stamford’s mixed team captain Shirley Suffling has been selected for the Lincolnshire Women’s Atherley Trophy side to play at Nottingham in the EIBA Inter-county championship on December 16.

As part of the six-rink team, she has been picked at number three to Horncastle skip Mary Wells, alongside Jane Taplin (Horncastle) and Sheila Pratt (Sleaford).