Setback for Stamford A in Lincs County First Division

Post date: Jan 26, 2015 12:14:28 PM

Stamford A's position in the Lincs County League First Division, is looking perilous after a 95-80 home defeat by rivals Boston A, in which they took only four of the 18 points available.

It will likely need for them to take near maximum points from their remaining matches against fellow strugglers Sleaford and Louth A to avoid relegation back into the second division following a disappointing performance, compared to their triumphs in the Denny Plate.

Only two rinks emerged with success. Martyn Dolby's four - featuring a welcome return by Doug Want - battling back from 1-9 down to win 16-14 and that skipped by Roger Martin - with 15-year-old Jay-Travis Jenner making an impression - and patiently overcoming early setbacks to score a runaway 22-14 win, thanks chiefly to 12 shots in the last four ends.

Results

Lincs League Division One: Stamford A 80 (4), Boston A 95 (14). Stamford names only: N Rigby, S Travis, J Holroyd, K Rippin lost 15-18; R Allam, R Montgomery, R Keating, C Watson lost 14-27; A Romaine, J Travis-Jenner, B Warters, R Martin won 22-14; S Harris, D Want, J Earl, M Dolby won 16-14;D Hudson, M Cullingworth, A Warrington, P Edwards lost 13-22.

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Five Stamford bowlers featured in Lincolnshire Over 60s Midland Counties 116-106 defeat of Warwickshire at Melton, securing 18 points in the process.

Peter Cox and Cliff Watson played lead and No.3 to Maurice Elding (Spalding) in an 1815 win . while Bob Warters, Doug Want and Peter Edwards, joined Boston's Geoff Parker to run out 20-12 winners.

Local bowlers will also be involved when Lincs Over 60s play Leicestershire at Stamford in the League's penultimate match on February 4 (12.30pm).

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Stamford bowlers are making excellent progress in Northants Federation 4-bowl singles competitions with John Holroyd already through to the quarter-finals with defeats of Roger Ward (21-5) and Stephen Harris (21-14). Others include Adam Warrington (21-20 over Dave Hudson), Derek King (21-15 over Bob Warters), Martyn Dolby (21-17 away to Nick Wilkie), Cliff Watson (21-12 away to Jeff Pitt) and Michael Humphreys ( 21-8 away to John Thurston).

In the Mixed pairs, John and Moira Holroyd scored an impressive 17-16 win over Neil Wright and Fiona Richardson at Peterborough but there was defeat by 19-13 for Bob and Carol Warters against last year's county champions and national runners-up Joan Robinson and Nick Wilkie.

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A late burst of scoring by Jeff Newson's rink of Brian Martin and Joe Randall, enabled Northants to pluck 14 points from their crucial EBF Inter-County Derbyshire Trophy match at Wisbech against North Cambs and give their county a chance to earn a place in the final at Newark at the end of April.

Playing under the new four-rink format of two-bowl triples, several Northants players found the tricky, more sluggish playing surface alien to their respective home rinks of Stamford and Peterborough IBC but battled hard to acclimatise over the 25-end contest.

However, Stamford's Stephen Harris leading in a new partnership with Peterborough's Andrew Thurston and Simon Law quickly latched on to the pace and the trio ran away 36-12 winners to set up the victory, while the end rinks of Martyn Dolby and James Harford often struggled against the local knowledge of their respective home players and went down 15-23 and 16-27 respectively.

So it was left to the experienced Newson to tidy up the points transforming a 20-24 deficit after 20 ends by scoring 13 shots without reply in the final stages and earn Northants a 100-86 overall win, against a team who had previously taken all 18 points from Hunts, earlier victors over Northants.

With their final opponents Norfolk on February 15 (at Stamford) winning 17-1 at home to Hunts, it means a victory over their East Anglian rivals could earn Northants a place at Newark against the northern section winners, which include Durham, Derbyshire and Notts.

Results

EBF Derbyshire Trophy: Northants 100 (14pts), North Cambs 86 (4). Northants names only: J Holroyd, B Warters, J Harford lost 16-27; B Martin, J Randall, J Newson won 33-24; S Harris, A Thurston, S Law won 36-12; N Wilkie, R Martin, M Dolby lost 15-23.