Top Club: Stamford just miss quarter-final spot

Stamford's team in the Top Club competition came very close to progressing to the quarter-finals when they lost to highly-rated Kingsthorpe at Northampton, despite having to make last minute changes.

Their mixed rinks of pairs, triples and fours all had a chance of winning with 14 of the 18 ends completed.

But they just failed to capitalise on a golden opportunity and only the triple of John Holroyd, Shirley Suffling and Bob Warters prevailed with a last bowl 19-15 victory over the rink skipped by England Under 25 captain Connor Cinatto, after trailing 2-12 at seven ends.

Team captain Paul Bailey had earlier been put on the back foot when respective pairs and triples skips Tristan Morton and Jonathan Earl withdrew only hours before the match, leaving him having to quickly rearrange his options.

Elizabeth Wallace switched from leading in the fours to play the women's singles but after leading in the early stages against Debbie Watkins fell 3-16 behind and finally lost 8-21. In the men's 2-bowl discipline Kingsthorpe captain Ben Sharpe gave Adam Warrington little chance to show his form, running out a 21-3 winner.

Elizabeth's husband Martin had planned to attend as a spectator but finished up playing with a set of violet-coloured bowls borrowed from fours rink-mate Helen Holroyd and the pair performed heroics alongside Christine Ford and Paul Bailey, only succumbing to their experienced opponents 12-17 in the closing stages.

In the pairs, Katie Bailey and Martyn Dolby fell 3-10 behind after seven ends against Katie Smith and England regular Jamie Walker but fought back gallantly to tie the match with just a handful of ends to play only to concede 14-15 to a Walker barrage of heavy bowls.

Kingsthorpe won the match 14-4 (89-56) and will be home to Ipswich in the quarter-finals.

STAMFORD B STEP UP PROMOTION CHALLENGE

Stamford Men's B team duly stepped up their promotion challenge to escape from the second division of the Lincs League with an emphatic 145-77 defeat of Skegness, collecting all 18 points available.

With 54 points, Stamford B are six points behind Boston B from five matches, with with Horncastle on 52.

Don Bruce, Keith Rippin, Mark Hebden and his father-in-law Trevor Christie comfortably took the rink honours with a 38-8 win, conceding only two shots from the eighth of 21 ends.

Keith Gentry's rink included two six-counts and a five on the last end in their 29-19 win while the other skips - Mick Owens, Alan Barnes and Derek King - also finished strongly.

Result (Stamford names only) :

Lincolnshire Men's League Division Two: Stamford B 145 (18 pts) Skegness 77 (0). R Blake, D Henshaw, D Heffernan, M Owens won 25-14; D Bruce, K Rippin, M Hebden, T Christie won 38-8; D Howarth, A Lonslow, A McNaughton, D King won 27-19; T Barwell, D Veasey, D Middleton, K Gentry won 29-19; R Graham, M Cullingworth, R Montgomery, A Barnes won 26-17.

The B team plays Boston B in their top of the table clash on Saturday ( December 22) when the team is: R Graham, M Cullingworth, R Montgomery, A Barnes; R Blake, D Henshaw, D Heffernan, M Hebden; P Linnell, D Miller, J Hebden, T Christie; D Howarth, A Lonslow, A McNaughton, D King; T Barwell, D Veasey, D Middleton, K Gentry. Res T Mackie, D Bruce, M Hewitt.

STAMFORD A TEAM TO HOST SLEAFORD

With Lincoln looking likely to regain top spot in the first Division of the Lincs Men's League with a home match against struggling Grantham on Saturday (December 22), Stamford A will aim to regain their advantage when they host Sleaford on January 5 (2pm).

The scheduled team is: M Ramsden, J Holroyd, N Wright, J Newson; A Romaine, J Travis-Jenner, A Warrington, P Bailey; W Aspinall, C Ballard, B Warters, Roger Martin; R Allam, M Linnell, M Humphreys, J Earl; D Hudson, Mal Smith, P Edwards, M Dolby. Res : O Aspinall, C Watson, C Jones, K Gentry, K Rippin.