Selby'S Michael Mansell missed a great chance to lift the Yorkshire Area Under-25s singles title at York IBC's Thanet Road base.

The 22-year-old was beaten by Huddersfield's Michael Hick, who went through to the national finals in Nottingham.

The final was split into three sets of seven ends each and Hick had little trouble taking the first 7-2.

Mansell hit back in the second set and was 5-1 up after four ends. But the Selby man, who used to be a member of the York club, could not sustain the momentum. He dropped a three on the fifth end and though he led 6-4 going into the last, he could not keep Hick out and had to settle for a 6-6 draw.

It was a similar story in the third leg. Yorkshire U25 player Mansell went 4-1 up after three ends but Hick hit back to level at 7-7 and clinch his place in the final.

Couple cut foes down at double

YORK Indoor Bowls Club's New Year pairs competition proved to be a huge success for Colin and Ann Sharpley.

The husband and wife duo won the pairs and plate finals respectively in an event where entries were up on the previous year.

Colin Sharpley was paired with Tony Thornton. Though they got off to a poor start, losing their first game 6-4, they won their remaining two group games before then beating group winners Irene Paylor and Terry Marshall 13-3.

Dennis Haw and Ernie Elvidge, also losers of just one game, provided the opposition in the final. The duel was evenly poised at 4-4 with one end to go before a two gave the title to Thornton and Sharpley.

In the plate, Ann Sharpley was paired with Harley Wenham. A victory was followed by a loss before the duo beat Stuart Smith and David Robinson 10-2 in the semi-final.

Fellow finalists Adam Liddell and Yan Goracynki trailed 6-1 after three ends. They then pulled back a three then a single to reduce the arrears going into the last end, but Sharpley and Wenham took the title when they scored a two to triumph 8-5.

York's Christmas mixed pairs final was a one-sided affair as last year's winners Maureen and Brian Thomas lost to first-time finalists Brenda Love and Frank Turner.

Under the weather, Maureen struggled after scoring singles on the first ends. The Thomas's then lost the next seven ends conceding 16 shots, including a six on the sixth. There was a brief respite as they scored a three and a two, but then the onslaught resumed before they called a halt to give the title to Love and Turner, who won 35-10.

The Final of the Tom Forbes Pairs - open to players aged over 60 - proved to be an exciting game as singles on the first four ends kept the scores level before Ray Calpin and George Elliott, who was a substitute for Malcolm Thompson, scored a four followed by another single to open up a five-shot gap.

Opponents Frank Turner and Graham Brooke responded brightly to lead 11-0 with nine ends to play. Calpin and Elliott struck back with a single and a four before conceding a four themselves and after 18 ends the scores were level at 16-16.

Turner and Brooke won the last three ends scoring five shots to take the game 21-16 and lift the title they last won two years ago.

Updated: 10:42 Thursday, January 05, 2006