Yorkshire 424-421 Shropshire

Bowling News

Yorkshire are through to the last four in the 2025 BCGBA Senior County Championship. It took an almoighty big finish to claim the point needed to beat Shropshire 424-421 to clinch the Section 4 qualifying place. They will meet South Yorkshire in the semi-finals on Sunday 3 August.

All the individual results for both the home and away teams are shown below with the final tables for each of the four sections. Potteries & District and Warwick & Worcestor will contest the other semi-finals. Scroll down further for Dave Parkin's Special Report.

David Parkin has his own interpretation on proceedings and he reports accordingly ....

On Sunday 6^th July 2025, two Goliaths of the County bowling world clashed again in a winner takes all tie. The only David in sight in this clash is the one writing this report the evening after.

30 years ago, it would have been back page news in Monday’s Daily Examiner and fish & chip paper by Friday but now bowling is not in the mainstream media.

After the 24^th match finished, the 48 players involved in this can be truly proud in the entertainment they put on for the watching crowds at the beautifully manicured Whitkirk BC & on the ironed baize at Allscott Heath.

After the 1^st 4 away finished, Shropshire had bagged a 28-point lead including a revenge 21-8 win for the game’s No 1 traveller playing at home, Callum Wraight who had lost to 4 to Pudsey’s Stuart King in the 2016 Crosfield Cup final.

Back in Yorkshire, the 1^st 4 games were shared but Yorkshire had clawed back 16 chalks thanks to a 21-10 debut win for Nathan Dobson & a best of the day 21-7 win for Scott Fisher.

After 1^st 4: Shropshire 143 Yorkshire 131

The home game was ahead in time & the next 4 at home did not bode well for a Yorkshire victory. The evergreen, Chris Mordue the only winner to 9 beating Nick Wyer and Shropshire’s 3 winners had reduced the lead at home to 8.

The next 4 away was where the match could have got away from Yorkshire. After 11 ends in these 4 matches, the scores were:

James Hanson 12-4

Craig Gant 2-13

Josh Brown 4-13

Jack Dyson 6-8

Another 14 chalks lost but all the 3 lads losing dug deep & with Hanson & Dyson winning, Gant getting it to 20 across from all but 14 down plus Brown getting to 18. This meant a net gain of 4 for Yorkshire away.

After 1^st 8: Shropshire 291 Yorkshire 275

With a draw good enough to progress for Yorkshire, they needed to win the last 4 combined by 16.

By now it became clear that the home leg would finish 1^st and a live stream from Shropshire to Whitkirk was established to cheer on the final 4 away.

A strong final 4 at home saw a recent Yorkshire merit winner in Coates, the 2014 All Britain winner, Daykin, Tattersley & the unbeaten from debut, Wood overturn the 16-chalk deficit to a 4-chalk lead with some strong bowling. Wood is now 19 wins from 19 appearances.

The final 4 away took a similar pattern to the middile 4. After 8 ends, the score in each match was:

Mordue 3-8

Fallas 8-3

Booth 0-10

Hopwood 7-6

Shropshire +9 (+5 overall)

Yorkshire needed to dig deep, and they did as after 16 ends, the scores were:

Mordue 11-12

Fallas 13-7

Booth 10-10

Hopwood 12-11

Yorkshire +6  (+10 overall)

A narrow lead as with all 4 matches reaching their conclusion. Liam Fallas wrapped his match up in 6 more ends conceding only a single for a best of the day win, 21-8. Gaut got hold of the jack and only allowed Hopwood one more chalk to wrap up a 21-13 win.

Overall: Yorkshire +9

The Mordue v Stevens match was nip & tuck at 16 across, Mordue lost the next 2 ends and at 19-16 down, Josh replied with a 2 and a 1 to go 19-19 across but then Stevens picked up 2 singles to win 21-19.

At this stage, 50^th cap winner, Ian Booth was last man standing & people had the calculators out. At 14-10 down, Ian needed to get to 14 to secure the draw, 3 ends later & leading 15-14, the tie was won. Millward won 21-17 but Yorkshire took the spoils.

Speaking to one of the players tonight, this needed putting to text as it was Yorkshire’s Great Escape and all 24 players played their part.

I’m sure you’re all whistling that tune

The final 4 away didn’t all finish together but the ups & downs existed, I’ve just standardised them for this report with not being there.

I do remember an 8-point deficit in the final 4 at one stage with live scores being added on bowlsresults.

Result: Shropshire 421 Yorkshire 424

Thanks to 3-time Yorkshire merit winner, James Hanson for sharing the away cards with me to recreate this report.

PS: Wanted for home leg of Semi-final: Scores inputter so author doesn’t have to have palpitations