Adwick final joy after 90-year wait for cup

In the first game on the green, Armthorpe captain June Booth struggled to get to grips with the running, and soon found herself 8-0 down to Roy Green. Green extended his lead to 15-6 and 19-10 before Booth rallied slightly, and she scored what might have been a valuable few points at the end of the game to lose 18-21.

Game two saw Armthorpe's guest player Keith Smith set off well against Tom Wheeldon, leading 8-1, before his opponent woke up and levelled at 8-8, and briefly led 11-10. Smith then moved up a gear and ran out for a 21-11 win.

In the third game Adwick's John Baldwin found himself 4-0 down against Bill McMahon. But he slowly took command, overtaking his opponent at 9-8 and extending his lead to 16-8. A brief rally from McMahon saw him win three ends before Baldwin reached 20. McMahon then scored two pairs, but Baldwin got the last point for a 21-15 win.

In the last game of the first half Jean Winchcombe quickly went 5-0 up against Adwick's Brian Nock, who then responded with a run that saw him lead 8-7. The match see-sawed, with Winchcombe then going 11-8 up, and then it was 13-11 to Nock.

At 17-14 Nock looked to have done enough to give Adwick their third win of the night, but Winchcombe had other ideas and ran out for a 21-17 win. With two wins each and the individual handicaps applied to the four games, Armthorpe were 99-93 ahead.

Game number five saw Doncaster Association president Ray Hall struggle for Adwick against unfancied Shirley Keeton. But he always did enough to keep in touch, going from 6-4 down to 9-6 up, then 13-9 and 14-11.

Keeton then made a six break to lead 17-14 and an upset looked on the cards, but Hall kept his nerve and finished a 21-17 winner.

In the sixth game Adwick started to take control of the match, as Geoff Bratton quickly went 11-1 up against Brian Webb before the Armthorpe man hit back to close to 14-10. Bratton remained cool, though, and six ends later he finished the game at 21-11. The scores were now Adwick 143 Armthorpe 140, and things looked bleak for Armthorpe as they were behind in the other two games.

Brian Coates had gone 11-6 up against Neil Garrett in game seven, and then went further ahead at 16-7, but the Armthorpe man slowly clawed his way back, only allowing his opponent two more points as he clinched a 21-18 win.

Unfortunately it was too late for Armthorpe, as in the final game of the night Steve Crookes went 6-0 up against Ray Cibor, and although Cibor went 7-6 up it was his last throw of the dice as Crookes bowled the corners well to score fifteen points without reply, winning 21-7, and giving Adwick victory by 11 points.

Results: (Adwick names first, handicap in brackets) Roy Green (5) 21 June Booth (9) 18,Tom Wheeldon (6) 11 Keith Smith (3) 21, John Baldwin (6) 21 William McMahon (6) 15, Brian Nock(6) 17 Jean Winchcombe (6) 21, Ray Hall (4) 21 Shirley Keeton (8) 17, Geoff Bratton (4) 21 Brian Webb (5) 11, Brian Coates (6) 18, Neil Garrett (8) 21, Steve Crookes (5) 21 Ray Cibor (6) 7.