By David Taylor

Last updated at 12:53, Thursday, 21 January 2010

Cumbria Indoor Bowls Club’s Over-60 Double Rink A team made the trip across to Darlington for the game against Featherstone, and they recorded an excellent 15-shot win to earn a place in the national quarter-final.

Finalists: Mark Nanson, left, will meet David Forster (Jnr)

Lincoln, who beat Nottingham in their last game, will provide the opposition.

Both Cumbria rinks made a fair start to the game but after leading 4-2 John Bell saw his four drop 12 shots in the next four ends to go down 14-4.

Joe Menzies’ four, however, was in control of their game and by halfway had a 13-shot lead against David Colbourne.

After Tony Horobin had threatened to run away with the game against John Bell, the Cumbrians responded in great style and by 13 ends their game was all square once more.

Horobin did get on top again in the closing stages to record a two shot win but Menzies kept the pressure on Colbourne and won 25-8 to secure the overall victory.

National Competitions

IN the national singles, Ron Gass scored an excellent win over Kevin Harrison last time but failed to show the same sparkle on this occasion and went down 21-11 to Mark Nanson.

David Forster Jnr was in scintillating form at the weekend and allowed David Baxter just a single shot in their singles game at Copeland.

He was also in excellent form in the triples game at Carlisle when he, his father and Jack Walker were narrowly beaten by Paul Barlow, Danny May and Stuart Airey.

An excellent leading performance from the young player allied to some good play from his father and Walker took the home trio all the way and it took a telling bowl by Airey on the last end to finally secure a single shot win for the Carlisle trio.

Forster Snr and Jack Walker had also been in top form when hosting the game against Richard Chandler and Danny May and got off to a flying start leading 14-1 after just six ends.

The visitors did pull back and picked up 13 shots in the course of the last six ends but the damage had been done and the Copeland pair went through 24-20.

Gary Robertson and Ron McMath had the better of the early exchanges in their pairs game against Paul Barlow and Stephen Farish but it did not last and the better fancied pair eventually got on top and went on to record a 15-shot win.

In the other pairs game completed Neil Karge and Mark Nanson led 13-5 against Anthony Little and David McManus but they then stuck on 13 before overcoming the curse of triskaidekaphobia to resume their scoring and win 21-11.

In the triples, Andrew Baxter, Trevor Taylor and Stephen Farish powered their way to a 19-1 lead against Ian Gallagher and that was the end of that.

The game between Rick Gallagher, Neil Karge and Mark Nanson who met David Sparrow, David McManus and Anthony Little was a much more evenly matched affair and the two trios were inseparable playing the last.

The vital shot however went in favour of Nanson for a 14-13 win. In the last of the triples played it looked for a while as though there a shock on the cards.

Kevin Dobson, Kevin Johnstone and Paul Campbell did really well in the first part of their game against Eddie Murray, David Linton and Rae Graham and after eight ends led 12-3.

Unfortunately for the underdogs, that was as good as it got and in the second half their better fancied opponents powered away to win 25-14, a creditable performance nevertheless.

Rae Graham was also successful in the fours when partnered by Eddie Murray, Ron Gass and John Wills who built up a commanding lead and had just enough in reserve to see off the late thrust of Mark Nanson and win 24-20.

In the senior singles, Anthony Little made a tardy start against David McManus but was soon in the driving seat and got on top to win 21-14.

In the other semi-final Ray Gall was in consistent form and gave the redoubtable John Crozier little chance to get into the game before winning 21-7.

Over-60 Inter County League

Cumbria plays its last round robin match today against Durham knowing that just a single point from the 26 on offer will be enough to earn a place in the semi-final.

This must surely be a banker bet and one which will come up and see Cumbria play Northampton in early February.

February 4 was the original proposed date but it seems likely that problems over green availability will mean a slightly earlier date and Leeds now seems the most likely venue.

Last year the team travelled by coach to semi-final at Doncaster with quite a number of spectators and there is every possibility that when the date and venue are finalised details of similar travel arrangements for both the team and supporters will be made available.

Yetton Trophy

Cumbria IBC crashed out of the Yetton Trophy last week when going down by ten shots to York despite winning on three of the four rinks.

Eleanor Gass, Karen Edmondson and Cindy Edmondson all skipped winning rinks but Jackie Bewley’s four found the speed and occasional idiosyncrasies of the York green just too much to handle and were well beaten.

Denny Cup

All eyes this Saturday will be on Erewash Indoor Bowls Club when Cumbria IBC meets Desborough Maidenhead in the quarter final of the Denny Cup.

Cumbria, winners of the national title for the last two years are hoping to make it three in a row and with the side in good form there seems no reason other than over confidence to stop it achieving further success.

The chosen side for the game which commences at is shown below.

As a result of the Denny quarter final there are precious few national games organised though the final of the Over-60 pairs between Jim Morris and Alan Carruthers and Geordie McCulloch and Sandy Kirkpatrick is scheduled for 10.00am on Sunday and in the Ladies fours there should be a good game between Janice Gower and Karen Edmondson.

First published at 11:28, Thursday, 21 January 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk