Spalding district bowlers enjoyed a successful time at the Lincolnshire County semi-finals and finals, held at Blackstones Bowls Club in Stamford.
Harry Mycock, Dominic McVittie and Martin Spencer, from Royal Mail Cart Bowls Club, qualified for August’s National Championships at Leamington Spa in the men’s triples by beating Cleethorpes’ Paul Cook, Paul Dent and Nigel Cordy 25-5 in the semi-final and won the county title for the first time with a 19-9 win against Mark Robinson, Gary Morris and David Bristow, from Burton House, Boston.
Although representing Cleethorpes, local bowlers Ruby Philpott and Chelsea Spencer teamed up with Amy Pharaoh to win the ladies’ triples with victory against Sue Grimbleby, Gail Windsor and Deb McBride, 20-13, and booked their place at Leamington in a high-quality final against defending national champions from Burton House, Louise Whyers, Penny Strong and Annie Dunham, 14-13 after a tense extra end finish.
In the men’s pairs, Ash Caress and Jordan Philpott won the title with comfortable victories against Colin Cleary and Waylon Clarke from Horncastle, 28-9 in the semi-final, and Cook and Gareth Bland from Cleethorpes in the final.
Philpott, Spencer and Pharaoh were joined by Caroline Cullum in the ladies’ fours and put in an impressive performance against Helen Butler, Louise Whyers, Strong and Dunham to win comprehensively, 19-1. Although winning the semi-final ensured qualification to the nationals, they lost in the final against Dunholme’s Lesley Holmes, Di Wilson-Rogers, Barbara Heath and Lin Mountain.
Royal Mail Cart’s Sally Humphries had a day to remember as she qualified to Leamington for the first time in the ladies’ two-bowl singles. In the semi-final, she beat Julie Hicks, from Moulton Harrox, 16-13. Humphries has been playing for only three years and this is her first time entering national competitions, so it was a special moment when she won her semi-final match. In the final, she lost to McBride from Shires.
Castle’s Nathan Puttrell and James Cherry won the u24 pairs event with wins against Jack and Freddie Hoyles, from Goodfellowship, and Kylo and Taylor Cranidge, from Blossom Way. Harry Mycock partnered Blackstones’ Owen Aspinall but lost to the Cranidge brothers in the semi-final.
Mycock won the u24 singles, with victories against Aspinall, from Blackstones, 21-10, and Max Butters, from Spalding Town, 21-3. Butters still qualified for Leamington by beating clubmate George Almey in his semi-final.
In the ladies’ singles, Burton House’s Dunham won the county title by beating Whyers 21-17 and then a high-quality final saw her beat fellow England international Pharaoh 21-19.
In the men’s two-bowl singles, Philpott followed his pairs success by beating Darren Trapmore, from Horncastle, 17-4 to qualify in his second event for the season. It wasn’t meant to be in the final though as he lost to Blossom Way’s Chris Hanslip.
Philpott and Spencer rounded off a successful weekend by winning the ladies’ pairs title by beating Friskney’s Brenda Rice and Amanda Forty 22-9 and fellow Cleethorpes bowlers Cullum and Pharaoh 24-17 in the final.
There was disappointment for Caress in the men’s singles as he lost in the semi-final against eventual winner Mick Thompson from Lincoln’s Moorlands Railway.
In the men’s fours, Steve Hill, Mycock, McVittie and Spencer, who won the national title in 2023 and the British Isles title in 2024, lost by a single shot in the semi-final against Paul McGoldrich, Mark Eurich, Dion Auckland and Mathew Orrey from Grantham.
