FOR the second time this season New Earswick Indoor Bowls Club encountered a strong Featherstone side - and again painfully discovered they were not quite in the same class.

In the home rinks, Dave Imeson, Pat Inwood, Kevin Potter and skip Barry Johnson got off to a good start and were 8-1 up after five ends.

However, after eight ends they trailed 9-8.

New Earswick only gathered another five shots to finish beaten 25-13 by the visiting Featherstone ranks.

In the other home rink, New Earswick pulled off the surprise of the day with Bill Waldie’s rink of Paul Murray, Vic Thompson and Graham Lockwood beating Tony Horobin’s rink. Waldie’s crew started superbly by winning seven of the first eight ends to lead 12-1.

Despite dropping two fours and a three, they prevailed in 13 of the 21 ends to triumph 24-17.

Both rinks, however, were soon in big trouble at Featherstone.

Dave Sykes, Eric Cookson, Dave Elcock and Mick Head, who were up against the rink led by Joe Wade, dropped a seven at the 13th end to trail 26-5 after 15 ends.

Although they countered to pick up eight shots in the last six ends, they still lost 30-13.

In the other away rink, Bob Elliot, Gordon Fratson, Bob Barrett and Ralph Tiplady were only 11-6 down to the rink of John Whiteley after ten ends.

But they then dropped 20 shots in the next seven ends, including an all eight at the 15th, en route to an emphatic 34-10 reverse.

The sum total plunder for New Earswick was a paltry two in contrast to the 16-point haul for Featherstone.