YORKSHIRE Ladies started their Northern Counties Indoor Bowls League season in fine form when they beat Northumberland Ladies 160-92 to pick up ten points.

Melanie Brooke, Pam Bayes, Mary Riseam and Margaret Roberts had a good start scoring a five on the first end and following with another five on the 19th end as they trounced their opponents 36-12.

Carol Instone, Gill Clark, Judith Hill and Joan Jackson also had a convincing win aided by a seven on the seventh end as they ran away as 34-14 victors.

Yorkshire president Helen Walker, Sheila Turpin, Sue Kirkpatrick and Eirlys Davies always had the upper hand in a 21-16 victory, despite a comeback by the visitors who won four out of the last five ends.

Amy Monkhouse, Judy Frosdick, Millie Walmsley and Michelle Mooring found themselves 7-3 down after seven ends before stepping up a gear to score a four, five then a three, on successive ends to put them 15-7 in front on their way to a 29-13 win.

Linda Harrison, Margaret Moss, Betty Richardson and Trish Stevens were involved in a close contest which saw the game standing 14-13 in their favour with 14 ends. However, a two followed by a four took the pressure off as they went on to win 22-17.

Yorkshire's only defeat came from the rink of Beryl Alderson, Joan Mason, Betty Nicholson and Joyce Chelin who lost 20-18.

York went out of the EIBA Under-25s Double Rinks championships at the first hurdle to Cumbria when they lost 49-35 on aggregate.

At home, England internationals Amy Monkhouse and Michelle Mooring, together with Josh Cahill and Philip Scott, were surprisingly beaten 23-21.

They scored a six on the 14th end to put them 18-14 ahead, a lead which they still held at 21-16 with four ends to play, but they lost all four ends.

In Cumbria, John Walker, Chris Lea, Paul Humphries and Phil Herridge had trouble finding the pace of the green and were 17-1 down after only ten ends. They still trailed five ends later at 25-6 but came back in to the game winning the remaining ends 8-1 only to lose the game 26-14.

York's juniors got off to a good start in their first game of the Yorkshire Under-18s League division one season, beating last year's winners Scarborough 33-27 on aggregate.

Phil Herridge, Adam Liddell and Zoe Eagles were comfortable 19-13 winners even though they dropped a four in the last end.

Josh Cahill, Adam Tattersall and Jamie Lee were in a good position leading 11-2 after seven ends, before the visitors made an excellent comeback to lead 14-11 going into the last end. But the York trio picked up three shots to level the scores and gain a valuable point.

Updated: 11:16 Thursday, October 16, 2003