Wearside women bowlers have tough week in county triples and fours

It has been a tough week for our local entries in the women’s county triples and fours competitions.
Houghton Dairy Lane's Norma Stephenson in action.Houghton Dairy Lane's Norma Stephenson in action.
Houghton Dairy Lane's Norma Stephenson in action.

The triples former county champions, Dairy Lane’s Susan Forster, Glynis Morgan and Joan Rodgerson, came unstuck at home when they were beaten 15-11 by Darlington South Park’s Carol Wade, the South Park trio will face Darlington Woodland’s Julie Robinson next.

Roker Marine’s Carolyn Barthram went down 18-12 at Pelton Fell against Arlene Stafford, the third local loss saw Whitburn Communities Brenda Harper lose 22-6 at Jarrow West End against Jean Clift.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The second round of the triples takes place on Monday with the two remaining local hopes both away.

Joan Rodgerson prepares to send down a bowl.Joan Rodgerson prepares to send down a bowl.
Joan Rodgerson prepares to send down a bowl.

Sunderland’s Lorraine Breheny heads to Pelton Fell to face Stafford while Dairy Lane’s Norma Stephenson makes the trip to Darlington Woodland’s to face Tracy Fairless.

In the first round of the fours Dairy Lane’s Joan Rodgerson again fell foul of South Park’s Carol Wade, in a thriller at Dairy Lane the South Park quartet edged it 17-16.

Wade will return to Dairy Lane for the next round on Wednesday as they face Norma Stephenson, the latter had a good 23-19 win at Hundens against Eileen Atkinson.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

There was better news for Roker Marine’s Carolyn Barthram, a cracking 16-10 win at Jarrow West End against Jean Clift sets up a trip to Lyndhurst in the next round.

Sunderland’s Sue Almond missed out on home advantage losing 14-8 to Lyndhurst’s Dodsworth. Whitburn's Brenda Harper narrowly went down 19-16 at Darlington Woodland’s against Julie Robinson.

In the men’s county singles, an all Silksworth Pumas affair saw Neal Ridley beat club mate Jack Deverson 21-14, Ridley will face either another club mate, Lee Maughan, or Jarrow West End’s Alan Hughes.

Bowls Durham have had it confirmed they will only get one qualifier to go to the national championships in all events except the women’s junior singles, where they will get two.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This means only the county champions will make the trip to Leamington Spa again, the criteria is based on each individual county's number of entries, then the top 13 are given two entries with the rest only receiving one.

Last night the Grindon League got under way. The opening round of games saw holders Houghton Dairy Lane travel to league debutee’s Pemberton, Barnes Park hosted Usworth, Ryhope tackled South Hylton and Silksworth Pumas entertained Whitburn. Details in next week's report.

The Tommy Thompson double fours tie between Hylton Colliery Welfare and Usworth will now take place on June 10, the original date coincided with the extra bank holiday on June 3.

In the Durham & District League, Houghton Dairy Lane made a losing start in their opener, going down 6-4 (-9) at Spennymoor. Pelton Fell whitewashed Hundens and Bowburn beat Sherburn Village 7-3.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the Bowls England competitions, Jarrow West End's Alan Lawton beat Darlington RA’s Mark Jones 21-12 in the first round of the senior singles.

In the mixed pairs Roker Marine’s Grace and Rod Maxwell pulled off a cracking last bowl 15-14 win at Pelton Fell against Brian Brown, the marine pair host Hundens Iain Prentice in the next round.

In the mixed fours the Pumas Jaxon McKenna’s hopes were dashed in the first round after suffering a 23-12 loss at Darlington South Park against Scott Morland. The South Park quartet will head to either Whitburn or Jarrow next.

Durham County women opened their Northern Trophy campaign yesterday as they made the trip to Redcar to face Yorkshire. There were county debuts for Whitburn’s Vicky Happer and Darlington South Park young gun Sophie Wood. Full details in next week’s report.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Durham Team: S Forster (HDL), J Parkin (Nor), G Morgan (HDL), J Rodgerson (HDL), C Bayliss (Sun), V Happer (WBC), S Almond (Sun), L Breheny (Sun), J Crift (JWE), D Jackson (DC), E Horan (NH), J Pattison (DW), G Harle (BC), M Hall (HDL), F Slinn (NH), N Stephenson (HDL), J Brown (PF), E Atkinson (Hun), T Pearson (CP), A Stafford (PF), S Wood (DSP), K Toulson (Hun), P Charleton (DC), J Woodward (DC)

The women’s Stella Logan squad get there six-match season under way this week as they host Northumberland at Pelton Fell.

Locally Karen Sinclair (Houghton DL), Liz Morris (Silksworth), Pat Robson (Sunderland) and the Roker Marine duo of Jean Rhodes and Carolyn Barthram all feature in the line-up, Dairy Lane’s Evelyn Barkes in among the reserves.

The men’s Muras Trophy squad get the Northern Counties campaign under way next week as they head to Dunnington to face Yorkshire.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As a build-up to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Bowls England held a four-nation test event, which featured squads from Australia, Malaysia and Wales as well as the England elite squad.

The Bowls Development Alliance (BDA) received some good news this week, as part of more than 120 organisations working in partnership with Sport England to level up access to sport and physical activity across the country.

The BDA will receive expertise, support and an investment of approximately £1.9million of government and National Lottery funding from Sport England to co-deliver the ambitions of its 10-year 'Uniting the Movement' strategy.

The BDA, working in close partnership with Bowls England, the English Indoor Bowling Association, British Crown Green Bowling Association, English Short-Mat Bowling Association and Disability Bowls England, is going to use the Sport England investment to support growth in the sport by working closely with our clubs and wider communities to tackle inequalities and make the sport more accessible to all.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The final standings in the Open Singles Circuit have been confirmed, top of the rankings is Kent’s Pat Briscoe, you have to go down to 59th to find the first local player – David Bolt, the north east needs another event with currently only Hartlepool hosting one during the season, the planned Durham one was sadly postponed.

Related topics: