ALAN Vowles and Phil Parsons won York Indoor Bowls Club's opening domestic competition of the season - the Tom Forbes Pairs Trophy - after beating Graham Instone and Wally Darbyshire in the final.

The game was tight in the early stages and Instone and Darbyshire countered a dropped single on their first end to take the lead with a two on the next.

They scored a single on the sixth end to make the score 4-3 but, that was it, they were unable to score again.

Vowles and Parsons won nine successive ends, scoring 15 shots, and the game was conceded with three ends to play. The final score being 19-3.

York Knights ended the year on a dismal note as they were beaten 123-61 by North Cave Yellow in the Yorkshire Over 55`s League Division Two.

The game got off to a bad start for the Knights as they found themselves 39-9 down after five ends, then 65-28 after ten.

Their only consolation came at home - from the rink of Chris Baldwin, Darbyshire, Dave White and Gordon Walker - who picked up a three on their last end to draw 20-20.

The other home rink of Harley Wenham, Dennis Walls, Noel Mallen and Ken Robinson was 22-2 down after eight ends but the game was fairly even after that and finished 41-19.

Away, Dave Snarr, Alan Yoward, Ray Wynn, and Ron Munro had come from 14-0 down after four ends to 20-13 with five to play - but they lost all of them and finished 32-13.

Alan Potter, Doug Mitchell, Dave Clarke and Trevor Scott were in with a chance when they scored two twos in succession to make their score 16-9 with seven ends to play but they, too, also suffered a disappointing run-in and the game finished 30-9.

Competitors for York & District IBC's New Years Eve Pairs competition are asked to register at 9.30am, with the draw taking place at 9.45am and the first game starting at 10am.