BERT Keech 'C' went top of York Veterans' Bowls League division one for the first time when they beat Barbican 16-15.

However, their stay at the summit will be short-lived, as the winners of the rearranged clash between high-flying duo Barbican and Holgate will leapfrog them to be crowned champions.

West Park 'B', who lost 14-8 against Holgate, are relegated together with Huntington WMC.

Holgate WMC beat West Park 'A' 22-13 to clinch the division two title, both teams being promoted to division one. Museum beat Wigginton 'C' 21-18, but both these teams are relegated.

Division three champions Bootham lost only their second game of the season against Poppleton 'A'. Shipton ensured promotion by beating Nestl 'B' 17-10.

Acomb 'B' saved themselves from relegation by beating Forum 'B' 23-7, condemning the losers to the drop along with Bishopthorpe 'B'.

RI Amateurs avenged their only defeat in division four by beating RI Corinthians 33-8 to finish the season six points clear at the top.

Nestl 'C' missed their chance of promotion by losing 16-14 to Acomb 'A'. West Park 'C' took advantage by beating Fulford Conservatives 'B' 23-8 to move into second place. Poppleton 'B' had their second win of the season, beating Retreat 18-11, but they are still relegated along with Fulford Cons 'B'.

Osbaldwick 'A' lost their second consecutive game in division five to club-mates Osbaldwick 'B' 18-10, but still managed to win the title with a better shots difference than Forum 'A', who beat Bishopthorpe 'A' 18-12. The Bishops are relegated along with Copmanthorpe 'A'.

Stamford Bridge 'B' pipped RI Spartans 16-14 to win the division six title and force Spartans, who had been in the top two all season, to drop down below Dringhouses 'C', who beat Vickers 17-16 to move into second place.

In the semi-finals of the Maddison Cup, Shipton came from 12-2 in arrears to beat Holgate 22-20, scoring four shots on the last two ends. Bootham had a comfortable 21-11 win over Retreat. The finalists are the top two teams in division three.

In the semi-finals of the Coronation Cup, Dringhouses 'A' recovered from 11-2 down after nine ends to trail by only two shots with three ends remaining. Osbaldwick 'A' then scored three shots on the next two ends and ran out 15-11 winners. Forum 'A' scored four shots on the fourth end against Acomb 'A' and raced into an 11-2 lead. Acomb never recovered and Forum ran out easy 21-12 winners. The finalists are the top two teams in division five.

Both finals will be played at West Bank Park on Thursday, August 7.

Updated: 11:32 Friday, July 25, 2003