Durham League: There were some excellent bowling at the League Finals Day, held at Vane Tempest Bowling Club, Durham but nothing matched the excitement of the finish to the Rinks, where Witton Gilbert took on four County players from Leeholme.

The Witton team did not get away to a good start as the experience of the Leeholme players showed to take them to a 7-2 lead after three ends. However the Witton team began to find their length and clawed their way back into the match so that they were just one down going into the last end.

Leeholme managed to get a wood right on the jack and held it to the very last wood. John Hewitt drove and knocked the jack back but it bounced forward from another wood to give the Witton Gilbert team two shots and victory.

Results: Singles Final: George Williams (Ever Ready/Craghead 21 Alan Brown (Ever Ready/Craghead) 16. Pairs Final: George Williams & Roy Ledger (Ever Ready/Craghead) 18 David Jones & Bill Maddison (Mainsforth) 23. Mixed Pairs Final: Billy Miller & Enid Charlton (Brandon) 19 Bob Forster & Phyllis Cummings (Sherburn Village) 14.

Triples Final: Ian Hudson, Ray Hindson and Brian Slinm (Nevilles Cross) 16 Bob Forster, Roly Flowers and Phyllis Cummings (Sherburn Village) 14. Rinks Final: Barry Attwood, Keith Stamp, Neil Roberts and Dave Quickmire (Leeholme) 16 Wilf Sedman, John Doney, Donald Parkin and John Hewitt (Witton Gilbert) 17.

Durham County Hospital Cup Final: Tommy Leathers, Vic Simpson and John Layfield (Sherburn Village) 19 Billy Hughes, Reg Presho and Alan Healer (Wingate) 17.

The League Presentation Evening will be held at Kelloe Workingmen's Club on Friday, October 3.

Darlington Veterans League

Thanks go to the members of the North Park BC who had the responsibility for staging this year's finals. Peter Frith, the league secretary, organised the events to his usual high standard and with two glorious days of sunshine, the proceedings went very well indeed.

John Braithwaite (MSG) had a surprisingly easy win of the champions match beating Ron Fort (EP) 21-4. Arthur Duff and John Green (SP) were looking for their third win in succession in the pairs event but after a close game lost to R Gent and E Mallam (RA) 12-18. the triples featured an all East Park match with G Lamb's rink of G Grindley and D Hodgson defeating the trio of F Forster, P O'Toole and C Pratt 21-10.

Having won the league, Brinkburn Dene bowled well to win the Harrison KO Cup thereby doing the double in successive seasons. Their opponents in the final were the Railway Athletic who battled hard but lost a close game by eight shots. In the absence of Mr A Wilson, the league president, the trophies were presented by Mr George Gent, the North Park Secretary, and in the league, RA took over second place from Woodland in the A Division. The final matches will decide who finishes as runners-up to the Dene, in the B Division, South Park B need all four points to pip Hundens for the championship.

South West Durham League

With Spennymoor A and Spennymoor Jubilee already installed as champions attention in the last week of the season turned to runners up positions. Mainsforth had been favourites to take second place in division one but a maximum win saw Shildon Railway overhaul them by a single point. At the bottom Shildon Town A and Langley Park are relegated.

A win would have ensured Cockton Hill ended runners up in division two. Unfortunately they lost and Spectrum took all ten points to clinch the second promotion place behind Jubilee.

Results: Division One: Leeholme 6 Addison Park 4; Mainsforth 6 Brandon 4; Shildon Town A 6 Glenholme 4; Langley Park 0 Shildon Railway 10; Cockton Hill 4 Spennymoor A 6.

Division Two: Spennymoor Jubilee 8 Cockton Hill 2; Spectrum 10 Fishburn 2; Bishop Auckland 8 Shildon Town B 2; Spennymoor Town 8 Wolsingham 2.

Final Tables: Division One: Spennymoor A 132; Shildon Railway 109; Mainsforth 108; Cockton Hill and Glenholme 99; Leeholme 96; Brandon 83; Addison Park 70; Shildon Town A 60; Langley Park 46.

Division Two: Spennymoor Jubilee 107; Spectrum 99; Cockton Hill 96; Wolsingham 84; Bishop Auckland 73; Shildon Town B 71; Spennymoor Town 65; Fishburn 63; Kelloe 62.

Central Ladies League

Pelton Fell gave themselves a chance of finishing the season in third place after they beat the visiting runners-up, Vane Tempest by the odd point. Durham City, who had already clinched the Championship, finished their season in style with an odd point win over Spennymoor, who could snatch the third place from Pelton Fell if they win their outstanding match against Bishop Auckland if they only drop one point.

Vane Tempest went down by 81 shots to 66 with the rink scores (Pelton Fell names first) Doreen Owers, June Rose and Ann Lobley 17, Thelma Gibson and Phyllis Cummings 18; Janice Reed, Heather Rippon and June Pigford 10, Brenda Bland, Marlene Colling and Howa Dunn 21; Rhoda Newton, Sheila Hunter and Heather Ferguson 31 Doreen Fenwick, Fay Slinn and Ellen Pope 7; Brenda Grainger, Doreen Gregory and Elsie Hood 23, Betty Prudhoe, Olive Walker and Dorothy Hudson 20.

Results: Bishop Auckland 3 Dean Bank 1; Brandon 4 Mainsforth 1; King George V 4 Cockton Hill 1; Spennymoor 2 Durham City 3; Pelton Fell 3 Vane Tempest 2. Re-arranged: Dean Bank 1 Mainsforth 3; King George V 4 Bishop Auckland 1.

Hartlepool District League finals

Sings: F Rippon (Horden) 21, A Ward (Owton Lodge) 10; Champion of champions singles R Carson (Norton) 21, G Risebury (Royal Naval Ass) 19. U25s singles, J Ridge (Guild) 21, M Higgins (Blackhall) 6. Secretaries singles, G Sanderson (United Services) 21, S Holroyd (Richardson Westgarth) 16.

Pairs: B Playfor/P Eglintine (Eldon Grove) 21, A Muir/D Andrews (SDSC) 23. Triples: E Collingwood/J Stonehouse/K Hind (Old Boys) 34, K Smurthwaite/R Burrell/J Robb (Hartlepool Moor) 8. Fours: A Mole/J Vaughan/A Hartley/P Hartley (Blackhall) 22, T Boagey/K Snurthwaite/F Stringer/J Robb (Hartlepool Moor) 13.

Cecil Forster Memorial Trophy

(four-rink inter club)

John Whitehead Park 80, Hartlepool Park 67.

Rink scores: JWP names first: W Shand 18, J Mansfield 18; J Fielding Jnr 18, A Macey 18; M Jones 23, J Wells 14; T Bowe 21, H Dougherty 17.

North Eastern Ladies League

Blackhall Ladies clinched the championship in spite of losing their last match 3-2 at the home of Hartlepool Park, champions in the last six years.

Shotton were 4-1 winners over Burn Valley, bottom-placed Horden finished on a high with a clean sweep against Staby House. Wingate beat Peterlee 4-1 and Grayfields won 5-0 at Hartlepool.

Final placings: Blackhall 72 points, Wingate 65, Owton Lodge 63, Park 62, Burn Valley 57, Peterlee 54, Grayfields 44, Hartlepool 36, Shotton 34, Staby House 31, Horden 30.