By Terry Shepherdson

NEW Earswick’s 2021 Yorkshire Over-55s Bowls League season got underway with the Ospreys edging out Hornsea Hawks 79-74.

At home, Dave Booth, Pete Davison, Bruce Dobson and Alan Shearer won the first four ends to lead Mike Ginnerlly’s rink 9-0, and from that point were always in front.

With a six at the 12th end they were 19-7 up on the way to a 28-11 victory.

After winning the first end, Andy Humpreys, Rodger Cann, John Harrison and Bill Waldie lost the next five ends to trail T. Newbon’s rink 8-2.

But they then won the next four ends to regain the lead at 10-8.

The lead changed hands another couple of times before being all square at 13-13 with five ends to play.

And the Ospreys won three of those to the Hawks’ two for a 21-18 win.

At Hornsea, Gordon Johnson, Barrie Shipley, Doug Carr and John Snowden had a very tight match with N. Gabriel’s rink, the scores being tied at 3-3, 6-6 and 12-12 at various intervals.

It looked as if the Ospreys had won it with a five at the 19th end to lead 17-13 but the Hawks scored twos at the last two ends for a 17-17 tie.

From being 5-4 up after seven ends, Dave Counter, Dave Sykes, Dave Hutchinson and Vic Thompson only won four of the last 13 ends, including dropping a five at the last to go down 28-13.

New Earswick Falcons took on Harrogate in O55s League division one, winning 92-77.

Dave Furness, Bob Elliot, Brian Birch and Gary Jones slipped from 8-0 up after five ends to 11-8 down after dropping a six at the 10th end against D. Spilsbury, P. McIntyre, P. Darbyshire and S. Webster.

The two sides matched each other over the next six ends but, from being only two behind at 15-13 with five ends to play, Earswick only scored one more single against Harrogate’s eight shots to go down 23-14.

Dave Clayden, David Crane, Barry Johnson and Kevin Liddell only scored a two at the second end to trail J. Jennison, N. Carey, A. Goddard and S. Webster 12-2 after seven ends.

But from this point, the home side took control of the match, winning 10 of the next 12 ends, including a five and four at the 18th and 19th ends to go on to win 26-20.

At Harrogate, John Harrison, Vic Thompson, Bill Waldie and Colin Pickup dominated their match from the start against M. Steel, J. Baston, D. Chapman and R. Legate.

They scored a four and a five in the first 13 ends to lead 22-11 and repeated the feat in the last five ends to win 35-13.

Dave Imeson, Alan Shearer, Paul Murray and Dick Osguthorpe only score a four, a two and three singles in the first 18 ends as they trailed B. Sugden, J. Russell, A. Whittaker and M. Hemmingway 21-9.

The Earswick rink scored two twos and a four to make the score a respectable 21-17.