Reuben Cook of Gateshead indoor bowls club is the new seniors singles champion for Durham County. He beat Dave Roberts from Great Aycliffe by 21-7 in the final at Hartlepool this week.

Darlington bowlers Ken Lamb and Brian Metcalf after another very good season represented the Morrison bowls club and were beaten on the last end in the pairs championships final.

They lost to Ray Wilby and Ray Newton by 20-18. The Darlington bowlers trailed narrowly throughout the game and looked set to level the scores while searching for three shots at the last end, but could only collected a single in a very close contest and finished two shots behind.

The Brian Robson triples team from Durham had six shots to spare against Reg Heath of Ferryhill in this fours championship.

Neil Hind and his Gateshead team proved to be too good for Billy Bell of Stanley eventually beating them to the gold medal presentation by 24-16.

The Darlington ladies six-rink side collecting eight and a half valuable points against Hartlepool in the Durham County inter-club championship match played out on a home and away basis with three rinks at each venue chasing 11 points overall.

Peggy Clark, Dorothy Donald, Marjorie Nelson, Doris Rewcastle turned in an outstanding performance helping Darlington to secure a victory.

Full details of all the rinks next week.

The Durham County eight-rink team were disappointed to go down by just nine shots to Derbyshire at Church Gresley.

Darlington were well represented by Alan Stephenson, Graham Peacock, Ken Lamb and Eric Ramsdale and needed to win this match to secure the inter-county championship. Yorkshire are favourites to clinch the honours unless Durham can have a clear cut victory in their next and last game by winning on all rinks.

Durham had four winning rinks while the other four were defeated. Ken Lamb (plus 1), Billy Bell (plus 2), Alan Stephenson (plus 1) and Ray Newton (plus 9) successfully skipped their rinks to clinch some important team points, while Graham Peacock, Eric Ramsdale, Brian Robson and Vince Robson suffered narrow defeats.

Scores were: Tom Jobling, Tom Smith, Tom Harper, Ken Lamb won 22-21; Dan Callaghan, Tom Duffy, Wilf Shield, Billy Bell won 25-23; Alan Lowes, Pete Hartley, Ken Hurst and Alan Stephenson won 23-22; Bill Kirk, Ray Bell, Matt Armstrong, Ray Newton won 28-19; Alan Taylor, Alan Corner, Dan McIver, Eric Ramsdale lost 12-24; Bob Rollason, Reg Heath, Dave Roberts, Brian Robson lost 13-20; Eric Weightman, Tom Shaw, Keith Dunning, Vince Robson lost 20-21; Terry Benn, Ted Beadle, Cecil Maxcamley, Graham Peacock lost 16-18.

Lady bowlers representing Darlington in the league championship include Alison Joyce, Edith Dunn, Mary Armstrong, Marjorie Bousfield (captain), Peggy Clark, Dorothy Donald, Joyce Weston, Doris Rewcastle, Citty Robinson, Val Johnson, Maureen Whitton, Ann Simpson, Jean Peacock, Audrey Cairns, Olive Harris, Joyce Stephenson, Eileen Mitchell, Joan Hamer, Margaret White, Ann Anderson, Tracey Fairless, Marjorie Nelson, Rene Gordon, Dulcie Harbin, Phyllis Harper, Gladys Auton, Barbara Watson.

A good result in the next game should stand them well for championship honours.