Middleton Cup: Tough Start for Northumberland Away at Bolton
Northumberland suffered a frustrating defeat on the road after traveling to Bolton to face Lancashire in their opening fixture of the Middleton Cup. Playing away from home with no home advantage and on an artificial surface, the squad faced a tough test from the opening ends.
The match opened, with just a single shot separating the two sides collectively at end 5 (30-31). However, Lancashire began to assert control across the green during the middle ends, extending their advantage to 18 shots by end 10 (53-71) and pulling away further by end 15 (84-122).
Despite a solid rink win from G. Myerscough (27-19) and a fiercely contested battle from J. Minto’s rink, who unfortunately just missed out by a single shot in a narrow 17-18 loss, the hosts managed the closing stages effectively to secure a 97 – 136 aggregate victory.
Match Verdict
TOTAL POINTS: Northumberland 2 – 20 LancashireWhile it is a difficult result to start, this is only game one of four in the Middleton Cup North area group. With three fixtures still to play, it is still all to play for and the squad has ample opportunity to regroup and bounce back.
Johns Trophy: Northumberland Triumph Over Yorkshire in Thirsk Thriller
Bowls Northumberland secured a magnificent victory over a powerhouse Yorkshire side after traveling to Thirsk for their opening fixture of the Johns Trophy.
The match began as a tense, high-caliber shootout, with Northumberland edging ahead by 4 shots collectively at end 5 (24-20). Yorkshire rallied strongly during the middle ends to take a 7-shot lead by end 10 (54-61), but Northumberland showed incredible character to launch a spectacular second-half fightback, nudging 2 shots clear by end 15 (81-79).
Backed by four excellent rink wins from S. Storey (19-11), A. Dunton (18-16), F. Charlton (19-11), and B. Ware (15-11), the squad showed nerves of steel in the closing stages to secure a brilliant 98 – 87 aggregate victory.
Match Verdict
TOTAL POINTS: Northumberland 18 – 4 YorkshireAn outstanding team performance away from home to kickstart the campaign with a sensational result. Howay the North!