The Wetherspoon Spring Doubles at Sutton Park on Sunday, were held up for a few minutes as a very heavy downpour stopped the first four games after just two ends.

The Sutton Park green is in excellent order, though flooded for a while, the water soon cleared allowing play to continue uninterrupted for the rest of the competition.

The pairing of Matt Simpson (Gargrave) and Ian Bernard (Silsden), who are both in good form, took on John Parkin and Graham Reay in the quarter-finals.

Bernard and Simpson won a good match 15-14 to secure a semi-final against the 2012 winners Nigel Breadley and Paul Kay where they breezed to a 15-3 win in nine ends.

The other semi-final put Settle pair of David Leeming and Derek Seed against Daryl Gore and Jim Akrigg from Broughton Road,.

Gore and Akrigg got a cracking start to lead 7-0 but the Settle pair came back and levelled.

Two more ends saw the roaders take a 12-7 lead, Seed and Leeming then put in four good ends to lead 14-12.

The last end saw a good lead from Seed which Gore just beat, then two top draw bowls from Akrigg saw them through to the final 15-14.

Simpson and Bernard had been waiting for quite awhile before the final and they looked out of touch as Gore and Akrigg opened up a six-point lead after four ends.

Once they got the jack it looked a lot better and they came back to lead 9-8.

A poor end from Simpson and Bernard saw the roaders pick up three chalks.

When another three followed it presented Gore and Akrigg with the chance to clinch the title.

A single to the Broughton Road pair saw them take the Spring Pairs with a 15-9 win.

League president Warren Burnett presented the cash prizes.

Friday night's Yorkshire Merit qualifying round saw a good entry of 17 split between Broughton Road and Devon.

What a night it proved to be as both greens were submerged by rain.

Play continued, at Broughton Road where Phil Dowgill out threw Peter Haworth 21-6 in the semi, while Robbie Ellis did the same to Chris Wilson 21-8. The final play-off place saw Dowgill prove too strong for Ellis.

Dowgill overcame his young opponent 21-9.

At Devon play was further behind although the rain did ease during the semi-finals allowing the water to subside.

Nigel Breadley just getting the better of Peter Hepworth 21-20, while Richard Hargreaves beat Steve Longley 21-9.

The final was quite a close match till Breadley just found a mark to get enough clear of Hargreaves to win 21-13.

The Yorkshire Merit Final iwas held at Elland Cricket and Bowling Club on Monday.

The first round saw Dowgill beating Danny Towning 21-20.

It was a very tough first round draw for Breadley as he went out 21-6 against Liam Griffin from Pudsey. The second round saw Phil Dowgill once again in a tough match against Brian Walker which he won 21-19.

The quarter-final was a far as Dowgill got this year with defeat against a very experienced Ashley Daykin 21-12. The final was won by Breadley’s conqueror Liam Griffin against Graham Wilson 21-18.

Dowgill’s quarter-final appearance has earned him a place in the British Crown Green Senior Merit, which this year is being held at Cleckheaton Sports on Saturday, July 26.

This Sunday Dowgill has been selected to play for Yorkshire in their away match against Lancashire. He is the first Skipton & District bowler to have been picked by the county for a number of years.

Cath Rushton who plays for Gargrave got through to the Yorkshire Ladies Hyman Morris Merit semi-final at Harrogate on Sunday.

The Worth Valley Bowling Association lost one of its life members, last week, with the passing of Keith Harrison, who lost his battle against cancer.

Keith started playing bowls late in life, but thoroughly enjoyed it and soon became involved in the running of the Worth Valley League. Keith was competition secretary for 12 years, running the dozen competitions a year, in his own inimitable manner, and during that time entries to these competitions grew to unprecedented levels.

Keith also started the Worth Valley Over 60s team in the Federation of Crown Green Bowls and one of his proudest moments was in 2010 when he captained the team that not only won the Yorkshire League, but also went on to win the Federation Supreme Championship, the only Yorkshire team to achieve that accolade to date.

Keith successfully organised the Arthur Bairstow Memorial Trophy at Keighley for several years, a competition that brought some of the top bowlers to the area and he also ran and sponsored several junior events to encourage younger bowlers into the game.

Keith retired from his Worth Valley position in 2012 and, with his wife Carol, was made a Life Member of the League.

Keith was never short of a few words, or averse to offering his opinion, both on and off the green and his presence will be sorely missed by all who knew him.