Julie crowned golden queen

IT WAS a golden day for Julie Hutchinson who won her 50th county title at the Humberside County EBF Indoor Bowls Finals played at Scunthorpe IBC.

Julie is the first Humberside bowler to reach this milestone in her county career.

Her half century was reached playing with husband Steve in the mixed pairs competition, which they won 17 shots to 15 against Eva Dayes and Rob Barker.

But Julie lost two other finals in the ladies triples and mixed rinks.

In the ladies triples, she and her partners Maureen Featherstone and Zoe Hewitt were beaten 26-9 by the North Cave team of Sylvia Neville, Eva Dayes and Lesley Saunders.

And in the mixed rinks, she crashed 27-9 with her husband Steve and Bill Horsewood to the North Cave trio of Eva Dayes, Dave Baitson and Ted Morton.

The men's pairs final, Goxhill's Tony Hebblewhite and Brian Stamp were beaten 21-11 by Melbourne's Keith Dibble and Roger Wilson.

In the men's singles Steve Danby facing Keith Barker played a strong game before finally clinching the title at 21-16.

Last years winner of the ladies' singles, Millie Walmsley from south Cave, finished as runner-up by just one shot to Barbara Thompson of Blossom Way when the match ended 21-20.

The ladies pairs was much more one-sided, with Eva Dayes and Betty Harris beating Mona Cairns and Joan Woodcock 22-3.

In the men's rinks final, the north bank trio comprising Rob and Keith Barker with Ian Bentley, found the form they lacked last year to pip Steve Hutchinson, Trevor Smith and Bill Horsewood 15-14.

All the winners will be hoping to convert their county titles into a national one at the EBF finals in Newark next month.