LEA emerged triumphant in the Bromyard Triples Challenge, the final competition of the short mat bowls county season.

Sixteen teams entered at the Larruperz Centre in Ross, and they were drawn into four groups for a round-robin event from which eight progressed to the knockout stages.

The final came down to a repeat of an earlier round-robin clash between Lea, comprising Gwyneth Jones, Merion Attwood and Colin Smith, and Fownhope, who were represented by Gillian and Brian Gange and Janet Cooper.

It proved a neck-and-neck affair and they were locked together at 8-8 so the tie entered a deciding 11th end, which Lea took by a single shot to lift the trophy for the second time in three years.

The county winter league has again been dominated by Woolhope, but this time it was the Woolhope B team (105 points from 16 matches) who broke their A team’s stranglehold by taking the Division One title. Woolhope A (100) had to settle for the runners-up spot, ending their 10-year domination of the title, with Lea (92) third.

The destination of the crown was only decided in the last couple of matches in a season that saw the lead change hands on numerous occasions. Seven teams harboured a realistic hope of a top-two finish until the final few weeks.

In Division Two Fownhope (129), who were relegated last season, bounced back by winning the title ahead of Gorsley Chapel (105), who took the race for runners-up down to their final match before edging out Dewchurch Warriors by a single point.