Ladies Week
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
June 2000: Ladies Afternoon League Merit Final & BCGBA Ladies Merit Final
With the sun shining warmly from a blue sky and a gentle breeze blowing across the countryside setting Hemplow formed the perfect backdrop for Finals Day of the Huddersfield Afternoon League Merit. Not only a perfect backdrop but also a perfect day for Maureen Beaumont of Outlane BC as she defeated Mary Tipple 21-17 in the final. Seemingly cruising to the title after building up a 15-8 lead before Tipple came back with a strong run to draw level at 16-16 before the destiny of the title was confirmed with a final strong run-in.
That wasn't the first time that Beaumont had to draw on her strengths of reserves as she trailed 12-4 in her first round game with Dorothy Wheldon (Linthwaite Hall) who as a member of Hemplow had to concede a 3-point penalty. That scare was eventually overcome as she ran out a 21-18 winner.
Tomorrow another All Our Yesterdays flashback with a photograph of the 1999 Yorkshire Ladies team defending their British County Championship title.
Ladies Afternoon League Treasurer Edwina Tinsdeall shows the trophy off to the finalists.
1st Round:
Maureen Beaumont (Outlane) 21-18 D.Wheldon (Linthwaite Hall); M.Hughes (Ravensknowle Park) 21-8 M.Cawtheray (Cowcliffe Lib); B.Thewlis (Almondbury Con) 21-19 B.Buckley (Lockwood Con); F.Bleazard (Waterloo) 21-9 I.Cross (Marsh United); G.Firth (Kirkheaton C&BC) 21-15 J.Kaye (Golcar Lib); P.Hargreaves (Ravensknowle Park) 21-14 L.Gledhill (Netherton Con); P.Clark (Linthwaite Hall( 21-11) G.Iredale (Cowcliffe Lib); M.Tipple (Marsh United) 21-17 M.Raynor (Almondbury Con)
Quarter-Finals: Beaumont 21-15 Hughes; Thewlis 21-13 Bleazard; Firth 21-19 Hargreaves; Tipple 21-1 Clark
Semi-Finals: Beaumont 21-16 Thewlis; Tipple 21-6 Firth FINAL: Maureen Beaumont 21-17 Mary Tipple
In the same week the BCGBA Ladies Merit Finals Day was held at the Zeneca Recreation Club with three Huddersfield bowlers in the final 64 contesting the competition. One was a casualty before the day even started as Freda Beaumont (Greenhead Park) had to withdraw as she was still recuperating from a mid-week operation which ruled her out. Cowcliffe Liberal pair Christine Kaye and Marlene Hughes were both first-round losers in the £1,500 national competition.
Yorkshire did have a fourth qualifier in the line-up with Alice Pooley of Kippax BC being a 21-14 second-round loser which meant that Yorkshire still hadn't had a winner in this competition since it started in 1979. The 2000 title eventually going to Debbie Williams of Warwickshire who beat Sylvia Smith (Lancashire) 21-19 in a high-quality final.
Thank you to The Huddersfield Examiner for permission to reproduce the photograph.