Girls on top! Yetton Plate quarter-final bid next

Stamford's Yetton Plate home players, from the left: Joyce Foster, Flick Rogers, Peggy Birch, Rose March, Betty Sims, Margaret Bloxham, Elizabeth Wallace, Joan Robinson.

Stamford's women bowlers are just one match away from emulating the achievement of their male counterparts two years ago by reaching the last 16 of national inter-club Yetton Plate competition for the first time.

In 2014 the men beat Harrogate to reach the last eight of the Denny Plate b

ut this time it was all about the women, who took glory in the Yetton by over-powering Derbyshire side Church Gresley 70-48 - the aggregate of two rinks playing at home and two away.

Stamford quickly established a 19-shot overall lead after 10 of the 18 ends, one home rink skipped by Margaret Bloxham leading 16-5 while Peggy Birch led 7-4. A telephone call away at Swadlincote, Chris Ford's and Glenys Edwards' rinks were keeping it tight building narrow leads on an unfamiliar slower surface.

The away rinks continued to keep a stranglehold on the match, eventually winning 16-11 and 15-8 respectively and when Bloxham's four picked up nine shots in seven ends it took the tie beyond doubt.

For a place in the quarter-final, Stamford must now play on January 7 at Erewash IBC, near Beeston, South Notts, who beat Doncaster 73-51.

Result (Stamford names only)

Yetton Plate: Stamford 70 Church Gresley 48. Home - J Foster, B Sims, R March, P Birch lost 14-16; J Robinson, E Wallace, F Rogers, M Bloxham won 25-10. Away - J Brennan, C Warters, S Suffling, C Ford won 16-11; M Andrews, M Holroyd, S Moir, G Edwards won 15-11.

While Stamford's women were claiming the limelight, the club's men, competing in the Denny Plate, were caught in the headlights of a comprehensive defeat by East Yorkshire club North Cave, whose home rinks proved too strong on their home surface.

Stamford's away players, regularly efficient on their home green, never got to grips with a more pedestrian surface I'll-suited to their bowls, enabling the North Cave bowlers to take full advantage.

Martyn Dolby's rink trailed 3-19 at one stage after conceding 14 shots without reply but rallied to only lose by eight...a number which Paul Bailey's rink conceded inadvertently on the appropriate 13th end in a vain attempt to smash a result out of a head already against him.

It only served to add further insult to injury as they toiled in vain to turn the tables on an already lost cause. they finally lost 28-12.

Result (Stamford names only)

Denny Plate: North Cave 82 Stamford 63. home - D Hudson, D King, D Want, P Edwards won 15-14; J Holroyd, C Watson, A Warrington, Roger Martin won 23-15. Away - S Harris, M Humphreys, J Earl, M Dolby lost 25-13; R Allam, D Miller, B Warters, P Bailey lost 28-12.