BOWLS: Wonderful Warboys White Hart experience Durham Centenary Shield delight as they capture national crown

The local stars emerged victorious in the showpiece clash by a 102-73 scoreline against Northern section top dogs Simonside, who represented Durham.

Southern section champions Warboys triumphed on three of the four rinks with the trios skipped by Rob Elmore and Lewis Baker (who teamed up with Steve Farrant and Tom Swannell) both prevailing by 15 shots.

Elmore was joined by Ross Martin and Simon Leader for a 34-19 success, while Baker teamed up with Steve Farrant and Tom Swannell to record a 22-7 victory.

The trio skipped by former world indoor singles champion Nick Brett, which included Harry Ward and Richard Stevens, were 21-18 victors. Neil Swannell, Ian McWhinney and Ed Elmore were pipped 19-16, but it did little to affect the overall scoreline.

“It’s a terrific achievement to win a national title,” said delighted White Hart chairman Richard Stevens. “It shows the strength and depth of talent that we have.”

Warboys White Hart beat Norfolk side RG Carters 88-87 after an extra end in the opening round of the competition.

They then triumphed 101-73 at North Essex representatives Boxford in round two before accounting for Northamptonshire outfit Blackstones 109-59 in the Southern section final.

And they saved another top display for the big stage to beat Simonside and ensure they went one better than when beaten national finalists in 2015.

Captain Tom Swannell said: “I couldn’t be more proud of the fighting spirit we showed as a team throughout the whole competition.”

And the White Hart aces are already plotting a successful defence of their crown after winning the Hunts club competition to represent the county again in the national rounds in 2018.

The English Bowling Federation finals are running throughout the week at Skegness with Hunts being represented by their many county champions.

Several members of the title-winning Warboys White Hart squad feature in other competitions.