SKIPTON played host to the Yorkshire Veterans Association's Hickson Trophy in glorious weather.

Sadly the final stages did not feature the local team, who made an early exit against Sheffield at Gargrave, where they could only manage five winners, led by Barry Turnbull, Trevor Hargreaves, Arnie Ripley Kevin Burnett and Mick Duke.

In truth it was another dismal performance brightened only by a late comeback but in truth the team never looked like winning against a side whose players had never seen the green before.

More shocks followed in other games and the final at Crosshills featured old rivals Sheffield and Barnsley and Doncaster and Rotherham, who won an entertaining game by five points.

League secretary Peter Haworth presented the prizes to both teams from the People’s Republic of South Yorkshire, who must have gone home laughing.

There was not much joy either for local hopes in the Yorkshire Parks Brotherton Cup event held in the Bradford area on Sunday.

In the first game at Brighouse, Cross Roads ‘A’ beat their own ‘B’ team by about 40 points in a one-sided game, although the losers managed two winners in Neil Madden and Martin Benson.

Against the eventual winners, Pudsey ‘A’, on the adjoining green, Cross Roads could only manage two winners in the semi-final and were beaten comfortably. Only Neil Hargreaves and Karl Lockwood won both games on a bad day for the locals.

At the same time, the finals of the Summer Doubles were completed at Keighley BC and saw odds-on favourites Graeme Reay and Ian Dewhurst of Cononley demolish all the opposition to win the event in fine style. They beat the Craven pairing of Mick Bastow and Viv Abell 15-3 in the final.

Losing in the semis were Barry Turnbull and Alan Thornber of Silsden and Richard Perry and Jon Barrett of Devon.

Action this weekend begins on Friday, when the Worth Valley Veterans team returns to East End Park for another game in the Over-60s League, where they will face Doncaster ‘B’ at 1.15pm.

The Yorkshire ABA team events continue on Saturday with local hopes resting on Cononley and Oxenhope.

Cononley meet Crosland Moor from Huddersfield in the Henry Taylor Cup at Rufford Park and Oxenhope continue in the mixed team event for the Hutchinson Trophy and face a tricky tie against Hove Edge WMC at Ossett.

The Keighley Merit is to be held at Crosshills on Sunday, starting at 10.30am.

Draw: 10.30 D Seed v J Hamer, C Wilson v R Hargreaves, P Walsh v S Longley, A Peel v M Claxton; 11.15 P Dowgill v P McHale, T Hargreaves v Mick Cox, J Calvert v M Bastow, P Price v G Perry; 11.45. V Abell v B Humphreys, M Demain v S Lloyd, J Taylor.

The Hebden Bridge Crabtree Handicap Finals are also on Sunday while Rob Scarr of Cononley is partnering John Whittaker in the Phillip Wright Memorial Doubles Finals at Colne CC at 5pm.