YORKSHIRE'S wait for success in bowls' Middleton Cup was extended to 27 years after they were edged by just one shot in a thrilling quarter-final against Roses rivals Lancashire at Appleby.

It was Yorkshire's first Middleton Cup quarter-final for five years, with both sides having come through difficult groups to reach this stage.

The match started well for the White Rose as they built a small lead, in the main thanks to the rinks skipped by Vinnie O’Neil (Middlesbrough) and Ben Render (Nafferton), who had established leads of 9-2 and 11-3 respectively.

However, the match began to swing towards the Red Rose as the rinks of Dominic Kelly (Nafferton) and Paul Humphreys (York RI Amateurs) were made to toil.

Across the next ten ends the match ebbed and flowed with neither county able to establish a significant advantage.

By 18 ends, Yorkshire found themselves seven shots to the good but a quick succession of large Lancashire scores saw the lead wiped out and replaced by a nine-shot deficit.

With only three rinks left on the green, all playing their last ends, Yorkshire needed five shots to force an extra end.

Phil Emmerson’s (Holgate) rink did superbly to steal a four but, at the same time, Sam Winter’s (Holderness) side conceded a one, which left Render looking for a way to find the required two shots for the tie.

With little option, Render looked to take the jack into the ditch but missed by fractions, meaning Lancashire had triumphed by a solitary shot.