HARROGATE'S Maureen Stakes and Sue Nightingale won a dramatic Anne Patrick Two-Wood pairs final played at the Bert Keech Club.

They headed the contingent of eight winning pairs, who arrived at the club for the quarter-finals, semis and final of the competition.

Beryl Alderson and Margaret Hockney (Borough Park) had qualified to play from the north and Shirley Sharket and Sue Cotton from the south.

Alderson and Hockney were drawn to play Glenda Snowdon and Doreen Hobson from Wheldrake.

The latter duo struggled to find a line and length and the experienced pair from Borough Park won easily.

Their next duel was entirely different against Stakes and Nightingale, who had beaten Ivanka Zlatick and Sheila Pickering from Scarborough in the first game.

The Harrogate duo again played extremely well to prevail 26-6 and take their place in the final.

Shirley Sharket and Sue Cotton played Anita Haw and Doreen McCowna in the first game, which was a close encounter until the 18th end when Sharket and Cotton scored a three to put them in the driving seat.

In the semi-finals, they then played Copmanthorpe's Cath Blease and Norma Reed, narrow quarter-final conquerors at an extra end of the Dunnington duo of Carol Instone and Mandy Leeman.

However, Blease and Reed could not reproduce the same incisive form against Sharket and Cotton, who won 24-14 to set up the final.

The final was an extremely tight game with the scores 19-19 after 19 ends.

Sharket and Cotton took one on the 20th but Stakes and Nightingale came back with a two on the 21st end to take the final 21-20.

The winners received a crystal vase each and the Britannia Silver Caudle Cup, which was donated by Miss Shirley Patrick. Joe Cooper, president of the Bert Keech Bowls Club, presented the prizes and trophy to the winners.

Updated: 09:30 Thursday, July 17, 2003