DARTFORD Stone Lodge Indoor Bowling Club’s ladies won the final of the Vivienne Trophy at the English indoor national championships in Northampton on Saturday.

This is the first time Dartford Stone Lodge ladies have won the competition, although they were losing finalists in 1998.

Stone Lodge beat previous winners Egham IBC (Surrey) in the quarter-finals by one shot, picking up five shots on the last end before going on to master Arun IBC (Bognor Regis) in the semi-finals.

The Lodge ladies travelled to Northampton on Saturday morning for the national final against last year’s winners Lincoln IBC.

Stone Lodge got off to a good start opening up a seven shot advantage by five ends and increasing this to 15 shots by 10 ends. Lincoln did not give up, reducing the deficit to only nine shots by the 15th end.

They kept up the pressure and with three of the four matches completed.

In the only game outstanding with two ends to play, Lodge led by 16 shots.

All that was left was for Margaret Oram and her rink to defend the position.

This they did by dropping only one shot on the 20th end to prompt Lincoln to concede and shake hands with the score at 86-71.

Captain Jenny Brain said: “I was proud and honoured to lead the ladies out onto the green to receive the trophy and to collect the badges.”

Rink one – Pat Louch, Trish Daisley, Doreen Towner, Margaret Oram (skip).

Rink two - Anita Audette, Sharon Letchford, Maureen Steele, Dot Lissenden (skip).

Rink three – Sylvia Pateman, Pat Fuller, Janet Tester, Glenda Langford (skip).

Rink four – Joan Thompson, Eileen McKinnon, Denise Firth, Yvonne Clark (skip).

Reserves – Sylvia Bradley, Dot Gee.

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