A new bowls competition open to clubs from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, called the 'Top Ten Tournament', is under way.

Organised by a committee based at Darlington Indoor Bowls Club, who will host the finals next April, the total prize fund to be awarded amounts to £10,500.

The draw has been made on a regional basis with eight teams from Yorkshire who will play against each other in singles, pairs, triples and fours.

The first round saw York take on Selby with the singles and fours being played at York, with the other two sections played at Selby.

A late change saw John Emmerson playing in the singles against Eddie Howcroft, who is both a member at York and Selby, and used his knowledge of the York green to gain a 22-13 victory.

In the fours, Milnes, Wright, Hodgkinson and Longfield, from Selby, looked as though they were going to have a resounding victory.

They took a 13-4 lead after 11 ends, but the York quartet of Russ Barton, Graham Brooke, Stuart Bryan and Gordon Smith made a fine comeback.

They scored eight in the next five ends to trial by one shot going into the last.

But Selby won it to take the two points at stake and an aggregate of six from their away games.

At Selby, the York pair of Graham Instone and Paul Mooring, and the triples team of Mal Harrison, Dave Hewick and Iain Boyle had resounding victories.

Instone and Mooring beat M Patrick and Ray Gilyeat 31-9, while the trio defeated A Sharp, B Holliday and R Wood 27-12.

York's maximum points haul from their away games them the overall match aggregate by three points.

York's next game in this competition is on Sunday, November 12, against Featherstone, with Selby playing Hull on the same day.

The first round of the county competitions were hosted by New Earswick IBC; in the triples there were four very close matches.

Metrodome beat Scarborough 18-15, Thornaby defeated Redcar 16-14, Selby saw off Hornsea 24-22, but the closest match Huddersfield against Harrogate with the West Yorkshire side winning through 12-11.

In the fours there were easy wins for North Cave, against Metrodome 25-7, and Hull, against Saltburn 33-8, but an exciting encounter took place in the game between New Earswick and Featherstone.

New Earswick, represented by Anthony Scruton, A Hughes, R Walker and M Beavers, conceded the visiting quartet, Lockwood, Webster, Whiteley and Whitelam, an early lead of five shots.

However, they hit back scoring a four on the fifth end and a further five shots on the next three ends to take a 10-5 lead.

Featherstone countered to score on four of the next five ends to tie the scores at 11-11 after 13 ends.

New Earswick went into the last end leading 17-16 only to lose two shots and the match.