THE short mat bowls season came to an end in Cornwall last week with the final competition, the Bebbington Cup being played. The competition brings together the four area league winners to compete for the title of Cornwall League Champions.

Withiel Oaks, representing the Central Area, went on to win this competition with East Area winners Liskeard taking the runners up spot. Third place went to the North Area representatives Camelford A. Penzance Comets won the Western Area league but unfortunately failed to take their place in the Bebbington cup.

The season has been a highly competitive one, at both county and inter county level. At county level Peter Hore (Perranporth) was top of the male points scorers with 27 points with Caroline Moore (Lostwithiel) topping the females with 20. Peter also tops the overall points list for the first time, with 70 points accumulated over three years.

The county competitions were played with a highly competitive, yet friendly atmosphere. Dave Studden (Troon) took the county singles championship with Nigel Nicholls (Newlyn Trinity) winning the two-wood singles, both beating Peter Hore (Perranporth) in the finals.

The four-wood pairs was won by Alan Trubshaw and Thomas Rigler (Duloe) and the county pairs was won by Peter Spargo and Tony Baldwin (Liskeard) with Nigel Nicholls and Margaret Jenkin (Newlyn Trinity) losing out in the final.

The Perranporth triple of Karen Watson, Nick Truscott and Peter Hore won the county triples, beating Peter and Pam Hamley (Lostwithiel) and Gillian Cawrse (Luxulyan) in a closely fought final. The county fours winners were the Dobwalls team of Robert Rawlings, Bill Sharp, Brenda Sleep and Jean Roper and the mixed fours was won by Jim Watson (St Stephen), Caroline Moore (Lostwithiel), Sheila Hodge and Peter Spargo (Liskeard). The only disappointment of the season was the cancellation of both the Champion of Champions competition and the under 25's competition through lack of entries.

In the Home & Away competitions Roger Edwards (Withiel) & Caroline Moore (Lostwithiel) won the Mixed Pairs, beating the Liskeard pairing of Peter Spargo and Sheila Hodge in the final. Some of the county's top ranked players met in the Team of Three final with Roy Christophers, Ken Banfield & Percy Trip of Helston beating Luxulyan's Chris & Camilla Cawrse and Phil Hicks up in the final of the season long competition. The only competition not to involve county points, the Rae Francis Competition, which sees teams of 10 players from each club battling over 4 home and 4 away games was won by Liskeard.

In the National Championships Cornwall were not represented in the triples and fours due to lack of entries. Perranporth's Peter Hore won the local singles qualifier and travelled to Kettering for the championships. Peter lost his first two games before winning his third game convincingly but this was not enough for him to progress into the knockout stages. In the pairs, however, Roger Edwards (Withiel) and Caroline Moore (Lostwithiel) were much more impressive, winning their group undefeated before winning their next game in the knockout rounds. They were eventually defeated in the last 16 by Kevin Goodman and former national champion Steve McAllister of Buckinghamshire 9-5.

In the inter county competitions, Cornwall's Premier team had a disappointing season, finishing bottom of their group. The A team's season started off in much the same way, finishing third in their group. However, once out of the group stage and into the knockout stages of the A team Consolation Shield, they were unbeaten and lifted only the second ever winners' trophy in the county's history.

The 2007/2008 season starts at the end of September with the County Team trials.