Junior Sport: Young Furness bowlers give glimpse of future at Leyland

The youth team had tough matches against the league’s big two teams in Leeds and Heavy Woollen.

They played the latter first and made a great start by winning three of the opening four games, but unfortunately the reverse happened in the final four and losing the aggregate by nine chalks resulted in a 6-4 defeat.

Despite losing three games 19-21, Furness had a great 6-4 win against eventual champions Leeds.

Furness lost both four-man matches 4-1 to their Yorkshire opponents, but the young Cumbrians proved that they can hold their own against older opponents.

Youth merit winner Ethan Lowden, Ryan Smith and Fraser Rigg all won twice with Sam Naylor, Jack Last, Michael Wilson and Callum Sharples all winning once.

The Furness Junior team lost their opening match 4-6 to East Lancashire, before convincingly beating Ormskirk A 9-1.

They then had 4-1 successes against both opponents in the four-man matches to finish level on 21 points with East Lancashire.

Jack Preston, Daniel Thompson and debutant Jack Park won all three games, while junior merit winner Reuben MacPake, Josh Smith, Ben Thompson and Harry Preston all had two wins each.

Youth Results

Furness 4 Heavy Woollen 6

R Smith 11 B Rice 21, S Naylor 21 M Hyde 13, E Lowden 21 J Green 17, J Last 21 C Fennell 20, S Fisher 16 S Beresford 21, M Wilson 19 S Shaw 21, F Rigg 21 L Weatherill 18, C Sharples 13 D Teale 21.

Furness 6 Leeds 4

R Smith 21 L Cooper 14, S Naylor 19 B Falkingham 21, E Lowden 21 K Hainsworth 8, J Last 19 S Worrall 21, S Fisher 19 S Farmer 21, F Rigg 8 M Hill 21, C Sharples 21 T Johnson 17.

Furness 1 Heavy Woollen 4

R Smith 21 B Rice 10, E Lowden 16 S Beresford 21, J Last 13 S Shaw 21, S Naylor 14 D Teale 21.

Furness 1 Leeds 4

C Sharples 16 S Farmer 21, M Wilson 7 W Bedford 21, S Fisher 12 M Hill 21, F Rigg 21 T Johnson 14.

Youths final placing

Leeds 45 points, Heavy Woollen 43, Furness 37, Cheshire County 16, Heavy Woollen A 9.