2023/24 champions: Julia Barron and Edwina Foster
JULIA BARRON somehow has to dislodge Marilyn Bradbury from the singles honours board to complete a grand slam of ladies' titles, after a final success in the pairs with new partner Edwina Foster.
Julia now currently holds the pairs, triples and fours titles but has twice lost in the singles final to the brilliant Marilyn, the seven-times champion, including last season.
In the pairs final against Joan Bowey and Mavis Price, Edwina and Julia opened up a 5-0 lead in just two but then lost five successive ends to trail 5-8. From then on it was a one-sided contest as Edwina and Julia chalked up eight ends in a row before the four girls shook hands after 17 ends with the score 22-9.
For Julia it was her third pairs success, having partnered Joy Gillian to success in 2016 and 2017. Edwina, who took over from Joy, who was reluctant to enter while coming to terms with an 'arm', was winning the pairs for the first time.
Edwina and Joan are products of Marilyn's coaching and she was there to watch them have a pretty good leads' battle.
NORMA FUTTER, Veronica Thysse and Tina Hay, previous winners in recent seasons, all missed out on another final as the sectional stages of the competition came to a close.
Norma and Veronica, champions in 2021, lost their decider to Edwina Foster and Julia Barron, champion in 2016 and 2017, 16-12, while defending champion Tina Hay, with new partner Helen Paterson, filling in for Soly Batka, went down 15-10 to the rapidly improving Joan Bowey and 2019 winner Mavis Price.
With Joy Gillian reluctant to play while she comes to terms with an 'arm', Julia found an excellent replacement in Edwina, who fought a rare tussle with Veronica. Later in the season Veronica will join Julia in the triples and fours.
Veronica and Norma took three on the opening end but fell behind on the third end and never regained the lead.
Joan and Mavis opened up a 10-4 lead on eight but any thoughts of a runaway victory were soon dispelled as Helen, now devoting more time to bowls, and Tina clawed their way back to 9-10 in three ends. That was as close as they got although it took a three on the last end to finally end the fightback.
ANN WALSH and Lyn Sibson were involved in another thriller in the second round of the competition - and sadly for them it has the same conclusion as the previous week.
In the opening round, they led 11-4 against Veronica Thysse and Norma Futter only to let the advantage slip. Against Edwina Foster and Julia Barron, they mounted a spirited comeback to win six ends on the trot to from 3-11 to 11-11 with just one end to play.
Edwina and Julia held their nerve to stop the rot with two shots on the final end for a 13-11 victory to set up the decider against Veronica and Norma.
In the other half of the draw, Joan Bowey and Mavis Price saw off Dawn Ferguson and Ellaine Jopling 19-14. Joan and Mavis now meet Tina Hay and Helen Paterson to see who finishes top of the group.
THE championship got off to a thrilling start as the 2021 winners, Norma Futter and Veronica Thysse, recovered from a desperate start to inflict an 18-13 defeat on the experienced pair of Lyn Sibson and Ann Walsh.
From a precarious 4-11, due mainly to dropping a six on the fifth end, Norma and Veronica took total control of the game and by the 12th end the South African-born pair had moved into a 15-12 lead.
The competition is split into two sections of three teams and in the other group, defending champion Tina Hay, missing her injured partner, Soly Batka, teamed up with the much-improved Helen Paterson to draw 10-10 against Ellaine Jopling and Dawn Ferguson.