The draws have been made for the qualifiers for the Lincolnshire Indoor Bowling Association disciplines to be played internally at Stamford IBC in the forthcoming weeks.

With current county singles champion Stephen Harris now representing Spalding and unable to defend his title in Stamford colours, local bowlers are looking to still make a good show in the inter-club knock-out stages, with Stamford by far and away the best represented in the local qualifiers.

Christine Ford and Martyn Dolby are hoping to go one better in the mixed pairs having lost to Horncastle in last year's final but will first have to overcome Jeff and Jeanette Bourne in the qualifying first round.

Elsewhere the women are represented on equal terms against the men in the Open sets singles through Ford, Shirley Suffling, Denise Mackie, Helen Holroyd and Pat Jones.

The county semi-finals will be held at Horncastle on March 30 and the finals at Boston on April 28.

DRAWS

Lincs County singles (6 to qualify, 21-up): Group A -J Holroyd v M Hebden or A Speechley; Group B - J Pearson or J Hebden v G Oliver or K Gentry; Group C - D King or T Barwell v W Aspinall or G Cameron; Group D - M Humphreys v R Allam or A Romaine; Group E - M De Camp or O Aspinall v M Ramsden; Group F - A Warrington or T Christie v C Ballard. First round matches must be played by November 11, final qualifiers by December 9.

Lincs IBA Open Singles sets (6): Group A - H Holroyd or A Romaine v P Jones or M Ramsden; Group B - O Aspinall or J Holroyd v J Hebden or A Speechley; Group C - W Aspinall or M Humphreys v C Ballard or A Warrington; Group D - J Pearson or M Hebden v K Gentry or G Oliver; Group E - C Ford or R Allam v K Rippin or S Suffling; Group F - De Mackie or D King v T Barwell or G Cameron. First round matches by November 11.

Lincs IBA Open Over 60 singles (4 to qualify, 21-up) Group A (first round by November 11 - M Dolby or A Speechley v M De Camps or A Romaine, T Barwell or K Vinter v D Mackie or K Rippin. Winners play-off by December 9. Group B - G Cameron or S Suffling v B Warters or C Watson (winners by December 9; Group C - M Ramsden or R Allam v P Jones or J Bourne (winners by December 9); Group D - D King or C Ford v J Pearson or K Gentry (winners by December 9).

Lincs IBA men's pairs (3 to qualify): Group A - Bailey or N Wright v R Allam or M Hebden, winners to play G Oliver or C Watson; Group B - K Vinter or T Christie v C Ballard or J Holroyd; Group C - K Rippin or B Warters v M Ramsden or T Barwell. First round matches by October 14, second by November 11.

Lincs IBA Men's triples (3): Group A - R Allam or C Ballard v C Watson; Group B - M Ramsden or K Vinter v J Holroyd; T Barwell or N Wright v M Hebden. First rounds by November 11.

Lincs IBA mixed pairs (3): Group A - D King or T Barwell v R Allam; Group B - M Humphreys or P Bailey v J Holroyd or C Watson; Group C - A Speechley or C Ballard v J Bourne or C Ford. First round by November 11.

Lincs IBA men's fours (2 qualifiers): N Wright or T Christie & C Ballard or TBC. (winners by December 9).

BW

The latest solitary point came from the 8-8 pairs draw by Jeanette Bourne and Tony Barwell.

Elsewhere there was a singles defeat by Barwell (15-7), and no joy in the triples (David Howarth, Judy Barwell, Jeff Bourne) or the fours (with Jeanette) in an overall 40-26 shots defeat.

Reading about the fact that Stamford Indoor Bowls Facility recently hosted a national disability training day back in May, Pally Marsdunn contacted the club to see if it would be willing to let her father have a go.  Now her father has recently moved to Stamford so that he can be nearer his daughter.

No problem you may think until it transpired her father is 82 years old, registered blind and has had both legs amputated below the knee.  Club Chairman, Keith Rippin, said no problem I know just the man for the job, our head coach, John Little, has just undertaken training course to assist disabled bowlers and to becomes one of three coaches at the club who can cope with circumstances like these.

So Hugh Dunn duly turned up at the bowls club only to inform the coaches that he too had been a coach but in athletics, in Northern Ireland, where he had reached the pinnacle in coaching, a level FIVE certificate.  In fact this proved to be an advantage rather than a hindrance as he was well aware of how we needed to assist him and was a star pupil on the day.

Having one disability can be challenging enough to some people but it might be thought that having two, such as Hugh has, could be so debilitating that it would not be possible to participate in the game. NOT SO as bowls is game that can be played by people of all abilities to a level that they feel comfortable with and so it was with Hugh, who enjoyed it so much he is going to come back for another go.  In fact he is determined he is going to master it as he believes it is something he can do.

KR