Excitement swept through the national competitions with most disciplines reaching their area final stages after clashes where opponents were more evenly matched.

In the gents' fours two strong York teams faced each other when Charlie Bateman, Paul Mooring, Gordon Smith and Graham Instone took on Tex Stevens, Mal and Mark Harrison and Graham Brooke.

Bateman's team were leading 12-1 after seven ends and maintained their lead up to the 19th end when their opponents gained a three to level the game at 18-18 with two ends to play.

Stevens' rink maintained their comeback to win the remaining ends and the game 20-18.

Stevens, Brooke and Mal Harrison had another good win in the over-50s triples against Ian Paddy's team from Hornsea

Losing 13-12 with four ends to go the York trio won three of those to gain an 18-14 victory.

In the gents' triples Ray Calpin, Malcolm Thompson and Eric Hodgson had a tough game against Selby's J Phillips, G Wilson and W Watson.

Trailing 11-5 after seven ends they started a slow comeback and eventually took the lead in the 15th end at 15-14 only to drop a two to the Selby team on the following end.

In the 17th end the York team got a three to take a two-shot lead which the Selby trio pulled back to level the scores at 18-18 on the last.

Ray Calpin's team then won a nailbiting extra end by one shot.

Calpin and Thompson had another close victory in the gents' pairs when they played Huddersfield's Hirst and Hughes. They wered down 14-13 with two ends to go the York pair got a two in each to win 17-14.

Another good win was recorded by the York team of Trevor Johnson, John Taylor and Trevor Pearson the gents' triples against Hull's Bird, Winter and Clark.

Behind 16-14 with two ends to go they also scored a two in each of the remaining ends to win by the narrowest of margins 17-16.

In the ladies' pairs York's Mary Wreglesworth and Doreen Ferguson were leading 19-5 after 11 ends against Ryedale's Betty Stubbins and Linda Metcalfe who made a great comeback to level at 20-20 with two ends to play, but they couldn't maintain their run and lost 24-20.

During the last ten years two of York's leading players, Jeanette Coulson and Dot Kennelly have shared the Club singles title, winning five each.

This time they were drawn together in the National ladies' singles.

Dot took an 11-1 lead only for Jeanette to pull it back to 11-7, but then Dot ran away with the game allowing Jeanette to score only one more shot and win 21-8.