TEN pairs competed for the Herefordshire Short Mat Bowling Association Junior Pairs Trophy at Ross Bowling Club.

This tournament, aimed at encouraging younger participants in the sport, features under-18 players paired with an experienced partner and is now in its third year.

After round robin games in two groups, the group winners and runners-up advanced to the semi-finals of the Trophy competition while the third and fourth placed pairs in each group competed for the Plate.

In the Trophy competition last year’s Plate winners, Dominic and Anthony Rogers (Woolhope), met Aidan Wicks and Dane Rose (Westbury Blue Circle, Wiltshire) and, as in an earlier group game, the Wiltshire pair ran out winners, this time by a margin of 10-6.

In the Plate, the previous year’s Trophy winners, Luke Rawlings and Tony Vitale (Larruperz), defeated Matthew and Stephen Kite (Lea) in the final.

The presentation was made by Norman Allen, President of the HSMBA, who expressed particular thanks to Ann Watkins and Von Brock at Ross Club for organising superb refreshments throughout the day and also to Janet Cooper who had taken over the organisation of the competition when Brian Claessen, its instigator, moved away from the area.