There was disappointment for the Vipers in the quarter finals of the EIBA mixed Top Club, drawn against Solihull the Vipers drew 8-8 but lost the tie on shots 90-66 at Scunthorpe. The Vipers lost both singles, Maureen Charles lost 21-8 against England’s Izzie White while Jaxon McKenna went down 21-12 to Ryan Prosser. Hopes were raised with wins in the mixed pairs and mixed triples. Jackie Stewart Tallack & David Bolt beat Tom Holmes 17-16 and Charlotte Williams, Josh Halcrow and Paul Hartley beat Ben Harris 18-11. With the shots difference in Solihull’s favour the Vipers needed a result in the mixed fours however Pat Browne, Ann Upsall, Gary Farquhar and Josh Minto were beaten 21-11 by Alex Lewis. The win sends Solihull to the national finals at Nottingham where they will tackle Norfolk in the semi final.
In the area one national singles the Vipers Paul Hartley beat club mate David Bolt 21-13, Hartley will head to Stanley next to face Brett Arkley. More good news for the Vipers in the pairs as Dave Paterson & Alan Lawton beat club mate Josh Halcrow 17-16 on an extra end. Lawton’s reward is a tie against Hartley & Bolt.
The Vipers trio of David Sykes, Stewart Hubbard and Chris McGready beat West Denton’s Clive Knott 20-17 to set up a clash against The Parks Jonny Morgan. The latter ended Houghton’s Peter Thomson’s hopes 19-14 at Houghton.
In the latest round of County Inter club fixtures Houghton ladies got 2026 off to a winning start with a 10-0 win over Great Aycliffe. At Houghton Joan Rodgerson steered J Watt, Ann Dale and Ellen Faith to a 21-8 win over J Bowtell. Lorraine Galley’s rink of Pam Bainbridge, Gill Ferguson and Jane Hore ground out an 18-14 win over J Robinson, those scores gave Houghton a seventeen shot advantage. Down at Aycliffe on a quicker surface both away rinks put in a good shift. Maureen Hall, Evelyn Barkes, Elizabeth Morris and Norma Stephenson beat Edna Hugill 16-12. The other rink of Margaret Godfrey, Jan Todd, Brenda Robson and Joan Baker turned around a 15-11 deficit with three ends left to beat S Weatherson 17-16 and seal a 72-50 win overall. Next up for Houghton is a clash against Gateshead in February.
There was some good news for the County Seniors as they booked a semi final place in the EIBA Over 60’s Inter County competition. In the semi final played at Scunthorpe Durham beat Worcestershire 131-88. Across the green Durham won on three of the six rinks, the Vipers Dale Oram beat M Adkins 33-9, Stanley’s Brian Houghton beat K Alders 37-9 and Hartlepool’s John Ainger beat B Jones 27-8. In the semi finals Durham will face Norfolk on 17 February (1230) at Scunthorpe.
A good week for the County Seniors (main picture) was capped off when they won the Tony Horobin Trophy. The first leg against Yorkshire saw Durham win 6-0 so just needed one winning rink in the second leg at Doncaster. As it happens Durham won on two rinks to seal a 8-4 victory. Darlington’s Mark Jones beat W Waldie 22-9 while Hartlepool’s John Ainger ran out a 14-13 winner against D Clough. The county are back in Midland League action as they head once again to Scunthorpe to face North Lincolnshire.
As the World Indoor Championships continue at the Potters Resort the local hopes in the singles sadly came to an end at the first hurdle. With the Vipers Paul Hartley already out the next local hope was Hartlepool’s Mark Higgins. The draw couldn’t have been more difficult for the Hartlepool debutee as he faced the former five times winner Scotland’s Paul Foster MBE. It was a tough afternoon for Higgins as Foster went straight to his 23-24 metre jacks, coupled with the portable rink being a completely new set up and the nerves of making his debut Higgins lost the first set 11-0. Sadly for the Hartlepool lad the second set went the same way as Foster took it 10-1. This will be a great experience for Higgins and will no doubt have whetted his appetite to qualify and return to the infamous blue portable rink.
The final hope in the singles was Stanley’s Brett Arkley, he also had a tough draw against former winner England’s Jamie Walker. The England star needed a win to cement his place in the top sixteen and he showed he meant business taking the first set 8-3. Arkley however battled back to take the second set 10-5 and take it into a three end tie break. Walker took the first end and Arkley levelled it off taking the second end. The final end saw both players having no time outs left so unable to visit the head during the most important moment of the match. It was to be heartbreak for Arkley as his final bowl held off to leave Walker a very relieved 2-1 tie break winner.
It was a familiar pair that took the pairs title, in an all Scottish final Paul Foster MBE & Alex Marshall MBE beat Stewart Anderson & Darren Burnett 11-5, 12-7. Celebrating their thirtieth year playing in the World Championships they now have a combined thirty six titles, this was their fifth success as a pair.
The mixed pairs title went to and Ireland & England combination. Chloe Wilson and Jamie Walker beat England’s Emily Kernick and Les Gillett 7-7,9-8. This was a first Potters win for young Wilson and a first mixed title for Walker.
On Saturday Hartlepool’s Russell Bewick will head to Potters to make his debut on the portable rink. Bewick will face West Lothian’s Richard Mark in the semi final of the Masters Singles. The game will be streamed via the World Bowls Tour YouTube channel at 10.45am.