YORK Indoor Bowls Club’s domestic finals threw up some exciting singles matches.

In the men’s singles, Dave Stroughair came from 20-17 down to beat Adam Liddell 21-20 in the semi-final and was then up against Steve Roberts in the final.

Stroughair made the early running to lead 10-5, but Roberts came back to close to within one at 11-10.

Stroughair, seeking his 11th title, pulled away again to lead 19-14.

Roberts refused to give in and picked up a two to give himself a chance, but Stroughair scored a two to take the title 21-16.

The ladies singles also proved to be a thriller with Hayley Macdonald, last season’s beaten finalist, playing Sue Allen.

Allen led 6-0 before Macdonald hit back in style, winning seven out of the following eight ends to lead 13-7, but then had to face a good run against. Allen won five successive ends scoring 11 shots to make the score 18-13. Macdonald pulled back to 18-17, only for Allen to take the title for the first time with a single then a two to finish 21-17.

Adam Liddell, who is going to live in Australia next month, bid farewell by taking the under-25s singles title for the fourth time, beating fellow Yorkshire League player Neal Macdonald 21-10.

Macdonald had led 8-5 before Liddell came back by winning ten out of 12 ends to take the trophy.

York’s finals continue tonight at 6.30pm with the ladies and men’s Simpson pairs, with Zoe Eagles and Helen Walker playing Lynn Tattersall and Pauline Cooper, plus Dave and John Stroughair playing Alan Vowles and Mark Clarke.

Tomorrow at 10am, Joan Jackson and Carol Instone play Maureen Walker and Sheila Turpin in the ladies Langford pairs final.

The Eric Hopwood triples final will be played at the same time as Neal Macdonald and John Jennison compete in the men’s singles plate final.

At 1pm, Pam Richardson and Pauline Cooper play each other in the ladies over-55s singles final.

Next Tuesday at 10am, the vets fours league play-off final takes place between John Berridge’s team and Bob Blackburn’s side, along with the rearranged vets singles final between Ray Calpin and Alan Vowles.

Yorkshire’s big day is on Saturday when they play Devon in the Atherley Trophy at Melton Mowbray IBC, starting at 1pm.

Yorkshire are looking to win the trophy for the first time since 1999.

They appeared in the final in 2010 but lost to Kent, while Devon lost their only final appearance in 2003.

York ladies will be well represented at the Yorkshire knockout finals at Hornsea IBC on Sunday, appearing in three of the four finals.

Dot Kennelly’s team are playing first in the pairs against Redcar, starting at 10am.

Then, at 12.40pm, Linda Harrison’s triples team play Doncaster.

At 1.30pm, Helen Walker’s fours side will play Scarborough before the singles final between Hornsea and Redcar at 2pm.

New Earswick host top teams in Challenge Trophy

NEW Earswick Indoor Bowls Club hosted the annual Yorkshire Over-55s Co-operative Funeralcare Challenge Trophy, with the top three teams from the first division and the second champions playing in a round robin competition.

The teams all played each other on a four-rink basis with two points for each winning rink and four points for the aggregate.

York beat Huddersfield 36-33 with each team winning two rinks, but York taking ten points to their rivals’ haul of four.

The other first round game ended in a 40-37 win for Featherstone who gathered 11 points to Hornsea’s three.

Featherstone then toppled York 58-27 (12 points to two), while Huddersfield saw off Hornsea 45-28 (also 12-2).

Featherstone only needed four points against Huddersfield to take the title and they made no mistake winning all four rinks for a 63-21 triumph.

York rallied to take three of the four rinks against Hornsea and win 48-21, their 12-point tally enabling them to leapfrog Huddersfield to finish runners-up.

Philip Taylor, the area manager of the Co-operative Funeralcare, presented the winner’s captain Joe Caplinski with the Brian Fearnley Challenge Shield and the Co-operative Funeralcare trophy.

The Independent Home Living Shield went to York skipper Graham Instone.

Meanwhile, in the annual Good Friday drawn triples competition at New Earswick, 36 members enjoyed a round-robin drive competition, won by Brian Harton, Steve Corner and Ray Bowman, who finished with a score of plus 21 and were presented with their prizes by club president Gordon Fratson.