To be classed as a Junior one has to be Under 18. There are currently (2007/08) 32 registered Juniors in our county mainly concentrated in the two clubs of North Duffield and Crossgates. Being a Junior does not necessarily mean being a novice -  many of our own young players have now been bowling for several years and play regularly league teams.

Note that apart from the 1st Junior Championships in 2003 reported below, all other Junior Championships are now reported under the County Championship pages for the relevant year

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**OCTOBER 2006**

Four of the North Duffield Juniors, David & Joseph Newsome, Gareth & Jacinta Townend, were selected to play in the England U18 team  

**SEPTEMBER 2007**

Note that three of the North Duffield Juniors were again selected to play in the England U18 team. Joseph Newsome has had to "retire" due to age (!) but Alex Robinson from Crossgates trialled for, and was accepted for this years squad.  

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2008

WOODBRIDGE TROPHY (11th May) This year David Newsome (16) was joined by James Lambert (16), Nathan Kotek (13) and James Clark (14) as our entry on this annual Fours competition. Along with another 13 teams they had 5 games during the course of the day. Although most of their games were very close, with shots tied going into the last end in three of them and just 1 down in another, they were very unfortunate to actually lose all five. Hopefully they will have another go next year and have better luck. 

ENGLAND U18s vs WALES (April 19th) This was the England sides first "international" match and their opponents were a Welsh side of Under 21s. The game took place in Camarthen and consisted of 2 sessions of Pairs and 2 of Triples (teams of 30) played on 6 mats. In the Pairs Jacinta, with Dan Blackman, won her first game 12-9 but lost the second 6-15 and David, with Scott Follis, won both his games, 14-10 and 15-8. In the Triples, Gareth was teamed with Simon Brindley and Matt Sifford and lost both, 7-9 and 4-12 whilst Alex, playing with John Burton-Gow and Tom Deen, won both,  11-8 and 16-11. Overall, the match went to the England side by 31 points to 17 (shots unknown).

(All our 4 players together with Noel and Janet Clark and Peter Brown also took part the next day in a Welsh Open Triples Charity match.)  

ENGLAND U18s vs CHESHIRE (February 24th) Gareth, Jacinta, David and Alex were all in the team of 24 (8 triples) for this match against the Cheshire team, played at the Winnington Recreation Club. Alex played with Geoffrey and A N Other (?) but lost both games (4-16 and 6-11). Jacinta was with Andrew Beard and John (?) and won her first game 15-7 but lost the second 8-13. However, David and Gareth, playing with Matt (?) had a good day winning both their games (13-8 and 16-8). The final result was 18-14 to Cheshire but the Juniors claimed the aggregate 4 points for having the higher number of shots (246-234) so the match was in fact declared a draw at 18-18. All four have now been invited to take part in the Junior teams first International game which will be against Wales at Camarthen in April.

ENGLAND U18s vs WEST MIDLANDS (February 3rd) - Cancelled

2007

ENGLAND U18s vs WEST SUSSEX (November 18th) - Although Alex and David were both selected, they both had to opt out due to domestic problems leaving Gareth and Jacinta to make the journey down to the south coast to play against West Sussex at Chichester. The format was for 4 Triples and 4 Fours (a team of 28) with everyone getting just 2 games. Both our two played in a Four. Gareth skipped his rink and won 11-6 and 8-6 whilst Jacinta played Second in hers and won 7-4 and drew 6-6. Although the Junior team won 18-14 on points, the aggregate of 4 points went to the home team  who had an overall shot difference of +3 shots. The result was therefore an honourable draw.

ENGLAND U18s vs WARWICKSHIRE (October 21st 2007) - All our four played (Coventry) and although there are no details of individual scores/performances, the U18s won by 19-13 (+15 shots).

ENGLAND U18 Trials (September 2nd 2007) - Attended by Gareth/Jacinta Townend, David Newsome and Alex Robinson. All 4 eventually selected into this years squad. 

EBYDS School of Excellence - (July 15th 2007) - Gareth, Jacinta and David were part of a group of 32 of the countries top Juniors invited to take part in a skill assessment run by the ESMBA in conjunction with the English Bowls Youth Development Scheme. They travelled down to the Caroline Chisholm School (Northants) where their drawing skills were assessed by taking part in a series of tests. After this they then had to play 3 short singles games against others in their group (randomly picked). At the end of the day their cumulative score resulted in a relative ranking out of 32 in which David was placed 10th, Gareth 19th and Jacinta 24th. Well done once again!

WOODBRIDGE TROPHY - (Sunday 6th May 2007) - After their good run in 2006, the "famous four" (Gareth. Jacinta, David and Joseph) once again travelled down to Northampton to take part in the annual ESMBA Junior Fours competition where they played six games, each of 7 ends. Four of these were won.... 15-2 against Surrey; 8-3 against Kent; 13-6 against Somerset and 9-5 against Hampshire. However they had two defeats.... 4-6 against the eventual Runners-up from Devon and 2-5 against the eventual winners - a composite team made up of Andrew Beard (E. Sussex), Adam Freeman (Warwickshire), Jack Shepherd (Essex) and a.n.other (?) - all players in the current England Junior squad. This was another good run giving them joint 3rd place once again. Well done all!

Next year, should they choose to enter, it will be minus Joseph Newsome who is now getting a bit long in the tooth having celebrated his 18th birthday during the course of this season! Hopefully, he will now go on to bigger and better things.  

ENGLAND U18s versus SOUTH OF ENGLAND SELECT and HAMPSHIRE

A report by Joseph Newsome

Saturday 3rd March 2007 - The weekend got under way at 10:15 when all four of us arrived at the Bitterne Park Community School in Southampton for an initial roll-call. (David and I had travelled by car with Mum and Peter whilst the twins had flown down from Manchester). We then had a roll up ready to commence the match at 11am.  First we lined up opposite the South of England team who were our opponents for this day. The Hampshire Chairman and the ESMBA U18s manager John Jackson and his assistant Barry Hedges carried out the formal proceedings. The team of 30 consisted of 6 Triples and 6 Pairs playing alternately on 6 mats over 4 sessions.

The first session was Triples with Jacinta teamed up with Somerset's Kevin Pinkawa and Warwickshire hot shot Adam Freeman as skip. They played 11 ends and managed to force out a 10 - 9 victory. Unfortunately the other triple featuring Joseph playing with Lancashire's Joseph Higginbotham - Jones and Essex's Matt Sifford, were crushed by a 7-15 defeat. Session 2 was Pairs. Jacinta (doubling up due to some people not turning up) played with the U18 Captain Karen Watson (from Cornwall) and they streaked to a 14 - 11 win whilst Gareth, who was paired with Leah Wood from Hampshire, drew 11-11. David and Essex's Jack Shepherd won their game 12-10. In the third session, Joseph's triple drew 6-6 whilst Jacinta's drew 11 - 11. Session 4 was Pairs again with Gareth and David both managing impressive wins, the former by 17-11 and the latter by 15-8 - after picking up two maximum fours on the way.

The day closed with thanks being expressed and our Junior side registering an excellent victory  by 35-13 (302 shots to 137)

Sunday 4th March 2007 - On Sunday we returned, this time to have a crack at the Hampshire County side. After the same initial procedure of roll call, roll up and housekeeping the day was played to a slightly different format with teams of 26.  This was made up of 2 Pairs, 2 Triples and 4 Fours playing on 4 mats only over 4 sessions. 

Session 1 was for the Pairs and Triples. Jacinta playing in the Pairs with Chris Page from West Sussex just lost 11-12. In Session 2 the Fours took to the mats with our other three interests playing. David, playing as skip, joined the Hampshire triple of Ashley Merryweather, Paul England and David White and clocked up a good 13-5 win. Joseph was teamed with Gareth, Hampshire's Ben Puttock and Warwickshire's Adam Freeman and after working hard and picking up a three on the last end they gained victory by 8-6. The third session saw Jacinta and Chris in action again, this time winning 11-9. The fourth and final session of the day saw two tremendous wins. After Ashley Merryweather was moved from David's team to Gareth's team to replace Adam Freeman, Joseph was moved up to number three with startling results - a massive 24-0 victory! Davids team, now with West Sussex's Daniel Blackman, couldn't quite match the other teams brilliant performance and only managed to win 23-1!!

The day then closed with more thank-yous and an even more convincing win for the England Juniors, this time by 27-5 (208 shots to 120)

The weekend was a great success all round where alliances were formed, friendships strengthened and the great spirit within the England Junior Team matured a little more.  I was proud that all four of us made a significant contribution to these victories only losing 2 of the 15 games we were involved in. All I can say is bring on the Northern Championships (Barnard Castle), the Nationals (Kettering) and this years Woodbridge Trophy!!.

Finally I would also like to use this opportunity to thank all North Yorkshire players and the NYSMBA Committee for their continual support and faith in us all. We hope our performances over the last year have justified this.

ENGLAND U18s vs CAMBRIDGESHIRE - (February 3rd 2007) Although our foursome (Gareth, Jacinta, Joseph and David) were invited to play in this, the 3rd England U18 match of the season, they all declined in favour of representing the Northern Select team game against the full England squad (see England report on Inter-County page). 

2006

ENGLAND U18s vs NORFOLK - (Sunday 10th December 2006) This was the second match for the newly formed England Junior squad and once again the North Duffield foursome of Gareth and Jacinta Townend and David and Joseph Newsome had been selected as part of the U18 team. Norfolk proved to be a far tougher side than our own county team had been in October (see below), beating the Juniors by  23-9. However our four feel proud that they put up a good fight and after losing their first game 4-13 game back to win their second by 10-5, one of only 4 wins for the Junior side. Although all four were invited back to play in the next match against Cambridge in February, they have unanimously declined the invitation in favour of taking part in our own games against the England squad, an opportunity that may never happen again. They will however play against Hampshire in early March.    

ENGLAND U18s vs NORTH YORKSHIRE - (Sunday October 22nd 2006) (See separate report on Inter-County page).

  England U18 Select team - Gareth and Jacinta Townend from North Duffield impressed the ESMBA selectors enough in the two "trials" they attended (see below) for them both to be included in the England U18 Select squad for the coming year. Although David and Joseph Newsome also attended an England trial, they were not initially selected as part of the squad but we were told they were top of the reserve list of players. However they have since been "called up" and along with Gareth and Jacinta formed part of the team who played against our own County Team on October 22nd 2006.

WELL DONE AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL FOUR IN THEIR FUTURE GAMES FOR ENGLAND!

England under 18 Trial - "Probables" vs "Possibles" (Sunday September 3rd 2006) Held at the Stantonbury Campus in Milton Keynes, this was the final trial of a series that started last year. Twins Gareth and Jacinta Townend had been invited back to play for the "Probables" after their performance in Hampshire back in March (see below) and brothers Joseph and David Newsome were given their chance to shine in the "Possibles" team. A total of 48 took part playing in Fours, Threes and Pairs. The twins were selected to play in a triple and had a great 23-3 win in their first game but were defeated 10-14 in their second. The brothers were teamed up with West Sussex's Mat Allen (National U18 runner up) and a very young and shy young lady from the West Midlands for their first game which they narrowly lost 9-10. In their second game, Mat was replaced by Lancashire's Joshua Higginbotham (National U18 Q Finalist) and they won this 13-9.

At the end of the day, ESMBA U18 Co-Ordinator, John Jackson, announced that the "Possibles" had in fact beaten the "Probables" in a very close result in which the two teams were only separated by 3 points (and 6 shots). Our four hopefuls must now wait to see if they will be chosen for the final 32  which will form this years National U18 Team. Good Luck!

The WOODBRIDGE TROPHY (May 7th 2006) Gareth and Jacinta Townend and David and Joseph Newsome (all from North Duffield) travelled to Brackley Bowls Club, near Buckingham to take part in the annual ESMBA Woodbridge Trophy (U18) competition against players from all over the country. There were 22 teams (Fours) taking part with everyone getting 5 games of 7 ends.  Our team had a very good day starting off with a 10-4 win over Hampshire followed by victories over two East Sussex teams, 11-4 and 14-5. Their only defeat of the day came next when they conceded 2 shots on the last end to lose 12-14 to the eventual Trophy winners (a combined Warwickshire/East Sussex four). In their final game they found themselves 1-4 down against another combined team this time containing the U18 Select captain, Karen Watson from Cornwall and the 2005 U18 runner-up, Andrew Beard. However, they kept their cool to clinch an excellent 5-4 win. At the end of the day they were all well pleased to have ended up in joint 3rd place (tying on points but beaten by just 2 shots by a Lancashire team). They knew however that if only they had not conceded those 2 shots at the end of their 4th game, they would have been returning with the Trophy as the winners. This is the first time North Yorkshire have been represented in this competition and if they decide to enter again next year the outcome could be somewhat different!!

England under 18 Select versus Hampshire - (March 26th 2006) At the invitation of ESMBA U18 Co-Ordinator, John Jackson, twins Gareth and Jacinta Townend from North Duffield journeyed to Southampton to play for an National Under 18 side against the Hampshire County team. The game had been organised as part of ongoing trials taking place which will ultimately result in a final National Under 18 team. Playing in a Four, with Gareth as skip and Jacinta as lead, the twins had just two games of 9 ends to show what they were made of and impress the ESMBA officials who were present. Although they actually lost both their games, the Juniors side actually won the match by 25-11. The twins played well enough individually to be promised a further invitation to play in another game in September when John will be matching two U18 sides (Probables vs Possibles) against one another. After this he expects to name a final squad of 32. Well done to both of them and good luck in September.    

2005 - Nothing to report

2004

Children in Need 2004

Congratulations to two of our U18 members, Joseph and David Newsome from the North Duffield club. The two brothers organised a "bowlathon" during which they both played continuously for five hours delivering over 800 woods each against various bowlers from local clubs. As a result of pledges, donations, a raffle and the sale of home made "goodies", they raised the sum of £560 for this years Children In Need Appeal - a tremendous effort for a very worthwhile cause. Well done lads!

2003

1st Junior Championships - The first Junior Championships ever to be run by the NYSMBA attracted 15 young bowlers from six clubs across the county. The only qualification for entry was that they should be aged under 18 and be registered ESMBA bowlers. At 9 years old, the youngest player was James Clark whilst the oldest was Francis Boatman, a lad of 16, both of whom had only started bowling during the current season. All contestants had four 35 minute games during the day in the main Championship as well a two sessions in a subsidiary "Target Bowls" contest.

In the four Championship games, the usual scoring method was used so the maximum possible score over the day was 8 points. Richard Powell (Great Ouseburn), Alex Robinson (Cayton) and Jacinta Townend (North Duffield) all ended the day on 6 points having won three of their four games, whilst Martin Cook (Bilsdale) added a draw to his three wins to go one better with 7 points to take overall 3rd place. The top two players however were Francis Boatman (East Cottingwith) and Tom Rex (Kirkbymoorside) who both won all four of their games to finish on the maximum 8 points. Not only that, but both had also tied on 'total shots' (74) and only a single shot separated them on 'shot difference'. In the Final, both these two continued to keep the crowd of over 40 spectators guessing, with Tom just a single shot up with two ends remaining. However, Francis could not find an answer to Toms strong 3, 4 finish but can be justly proud of taking the Runner-Up Cup after only taking up the game earlier this season.

Tom Rex therefore takes home the very fine Champions Cup as North Yorkshires very first Junior Champion.

For a photo of the winner and runner-up go to the Photo Gallery

In the two Target competitions, all players in turn bowled 12 woods into a set of concentric circles placed at the opposite end scoring 10 for a "bulls eye" and progressively less for the outer rings. The morning winner was Gareth Townend  (42 points) with Tom Rex as runner up (37 points) whilst Gareths twin sister Jacintha came third (36 points). The afternoon contest was won by David Jackson (50 points) followed by Jacintha Townend (45 points) with Francis Boatman third (38 points).

Well done to all 15 young players in this first year - hope to see you all in 2004?