Smashed Plates! Double defeats in Denny and Yetton

Stamford's Over 60s team are top of the Lincolnshire League Division Two. They are pictured after their latest win at Skegness. Full story below. (image by Janet Lonslow).

Hopes of progress for Stamford men in the national Denny Plate inter-club competition were cruelly dashed against Boston - just two shots separating the teams after 84 ends of bowls.

For the Stamford women, competing simultaneously in the Yetton Plate against Church Gresley from Derbyshire, the margin was more convincing with a 15-shots Margin after 21 ends of intense competition.

For the men against Boston, there were many twists and turns among the two rinks playing at home and the two away before it was left to the rink skipped by Jeff Newson at Boston to try to salvage a tied score and force an extra end.

With three of the four rinks completed - and the telephone lines open and on hold between the two venues - Stamford trailed by three shots overall, Tristan Morton's rink having secured a 26-17 victory over Jonathan West including picking up a game changing six count on the 15th end.

It finally left Newson with one bowl to deliver an almost impossible shot- remove a Boston bowl from the rink while keeping his own in the count for three shots to force an extra end.

It proved just out of reach and Stamford fell short by two shots.

Earlier at Stamford, Jon Earl's rink fell 11-19 adrift before picking up 10 in the last six ends to win 21-19 while on the adjoining rink, skipped by Martyn Dolby, they led 18-11, only to concede a crucial five on the penultimate end in a 22-19 win.

Results (Stamford names first) :

Denny Plate: Stamford 79 Boston 81. Home - D Hudson, M Humphreys, P Edwards, M Dolby beat N Dunnington, T Powell, A Tomlin, S Whyers 22-19; W Aspinall, J Holroyd, A Warrington, J Earl beat A Field, R White, G Parker, L Feary 21-19; away - P Dalliday, B Warters, J Harford, T Morton beat B Reeson, A Hodgson, R West, J West 26-17; R Allam, T Scarr, Roger Martin, J Newson lost to I Clark, G Hardstaff, P Flatters, R Vinter 10-26.

For the Stamford women it was always going to be an uphill struggle against their opponents from Swadlincote when the respective combined scores came through of 15-32 and 28-49 at the fifth and tenth ends.

And although the rinks skipped by Denise Mackie at home and Glenys Edwards, away won 21-16 and 23-17 respectively the struggles of their other rinks were reflected in the overall scores.

Result (Stamford names only):

Yetton Plate: Stamford 71 Church Gresley 86. Home - J Want, J Robinson, C Warters, D Mackie won 21-16; R Roberts, F Rogers, P Birch, M Bloxham lost 12-28; away - J Brennan, P Jones, S Suffling, C Ford lost 15-25; E Wallace, M Holroyd, H Holroyd, G Edwards won 23-17.

SENIORS HOLD TOP POSITION IN COUNTY LEAGUE

Stamford's over 60 seniors' Lincolnshire League side retained their top spot in the second division with a 14-4 victory at Skegness. It keeps them six points clear of nearest rivals Lincoln B who took 16 points from their C team and have a game in hand.

Top rink was that skipped by John Little, making his senior season debut with Ron Blake, Derek Veasey and Keith Rippin. They won 28-9 and were chiefly responsible for the convincing 99-84 scoreline.

Credit also to the rinks skipped by Mick Owens and Trevor Christie, who claimed 22-17 and 18-17 wins respectively, the latter winning the last six ends from an 11-17 deficit.

Results (Stamford names only):

Lincolnshire Over 60s League Division Two: Skegness 84 (4pts) Stamford 99 (14). A Romaine, D Henshaw, D Bruce, K Vinter lost 16-17; R Blake, D Veasey, K Rippin, J Little won 28-9; A Lonslow, D Miller, D Heffernan, T Christie won 18-17; D Howarth, M Hawkes, A March, Richard Martin lost 15-24; T Barwell, J Bourne, T Mackie, M Owens won 22-17.

PAIRS QUALIFIERS

Alan Romaine and Tony Barwell were outstanding in qualifying for the final stages of the Lincs County pairs. They beat Bob Warters and Tristan Morton (deputising for Simon Law) 15-14, Barwell drawing with pinpoint accuracy for a second shot when an extra end look almost inevitable.

MIXED MISFORTUNES AT SCUNTHORPE

Scunthorpe has never been a happy hunting ground for points in the Lincolnshire League for Stamford teams and so it proved once more when the mixed team travelled north by coach in search of success to bolster their Division Two aspirations.

Christine Ford's players, however, returned empty-handed - beaten on all rinks by a home side, who knew all the idiosyncrasies of the surface and took full advantage.

The team's next match is at Lincoln on December 23.

Result (Stamford names only):

Lincolnshire Mixed League Division Two: Scunthorpe 124 (18 pts) Stamford 64 (0). J Dye, T Mackie, D Mackie, K Rippin lost 13-19; M King, J Suffling, S Suffling, D King lost 11-26; Mick Smith, V Du'Kett, P Jones, A McNaughton lost 10-33; E Wallace, A Lonslow, M Wallace, C Ford lost 13-24; J Lonslow, C Warters, M Dye, B Warters lost 17-22.

FOOTNOTE: Father and daughter Paul and Katie Bailey are out of the national mixed pairs - beaten by Spalding's Lauren Finbow and Jordan Philpott 16-8.