Mark Royal won the blue riband event of the Great Yarmouth Festival of Bowls when he beat Norfolk’s Peter Wilkinson 21-15 in the men’s singles final.

Wilkinson (R G Carter) got off to a slow start in last Friday’s final, sponsored by Gt Yarmouth Palace Casino. He struggled to find a good length, which allowed Royal (Stowmarket Rookery) to move into a 7-3 lead at five ends before stretching his advantage to first 15-3 and then 19-9.

Wilkinson later found his form and gained six shots without reply but Royal steadied the ship to gain the two shots required to become the 2010 champion.

In the semi-finals Wilkinson had a comfortable win against Robert Duff (Desborough) who only scored on two ends as the home player won 21-3. In his semi-final Royal played Richard Summers (Honingham) and found his form straight away, racing into a 12-0 lead. He moved 17-2 ahead before Summers picked two threes but but the England international went on to win 21-9.

In his quarter-final Royal played Ian Brewster (Notts) and in wet conditions found it difficult to find his weight but scored eight shots to Ian’s one at a crucial stage to win 21-18.

Wilkinson played Andrew Wilkinson in his quarter-final and in a close game lasting 22 ends he got home by the smallest of margins, 21-20. Other quarter-final results: R-Summers beat M Turner 21-13, R Duff beat R Eglington 21-20.

The Eastern Daily Press ladies’ triples final was between the mixed rink of Mary Baird, Lillian Smith and Liz Shorter and the County Arts rink of Yvonne Gant, Brenda Venn and Kathy Woolston.

The Shorter rink got off to flying start, gaining a six on the very first end. Another six on the seventh end saw them lead 17-5 and their opponents never recovered from this, losing 25-10 after 16 ends.

In the semi-finals Liz Shorter’s triple beat Janet Lockwood, Pat Groom and Enid Adams while Kathy Woolston’s triple beat Pat Clarke, Rita Basted and Pat Hatch 20-5.

Monday

The mixed pairs competition, sponsored by the The Courtyard, reached the quarter-final stage.

Wayne Willgress and Marion Himpleman had wins over R Summers and L Knights (12-4), J Carr and B Forder (10-5) and E Adams-G Roe (10-8).

E Macdonald and J Fagan beat J Church and S Simpson (11-5), C Betts and C Wadlow (9-5) and T Cox and C Neave (10-8).

County Arts pair Mark Turner and Doreen Moates beat A and K Adey (10-9), D Purnell and D Pratt (20-5) and D Bryant-G McMillan (16-4). Peter and Helen Wilkinson beat B Field and Marc Flatman (18-6) and S Daniels and M Sayer (13-4) and lost against S Crysel and R Hart (11-6).

Roy Nichols and Nancy Benns beat J Fish and P Segolo (13-7), J Shepard and A Byford (14-9) and L and D Shorter (8-7). J Tufts and Lucy Tufts, in winning two of their games to qualify on shot difference, beat last year’s winners G Reeve and A Dunton 16-5 and J and M Davey (14-6).

Last year’s runners-up Shelia and George Hardingham won their three games against J and T White (15-8), J Roylance and C Ward (7-4) and S and J Allen (21-7). Paul and Michael Clutterbuck won two of their three games to win on shot difference by one shot. Their wins were against J and R Stokes (11-5) and C and A Loweridge (14-6) while they lost against L Neave-V Smith (12-8).

Tuesday

The final of the mixed pairs was won by R G Carter’s Helen and Peter Wilkinson who beat Roy Nichols and Nancy Benns from Burlingham.

The match, sponsored by The Courtyard (Great Yarmouth), was close in the early stages with the score 6-5 after six ends.

But a run of seven shots without reply saw the RG Carter pair establish a 13-5 advantage after 10 ends of the 14-end final.

This was followed by a single shot for Nichols and Benns, and a count of four shots on the next end, but a two for Peter Wilkinson steadied the ship and he and Helen deservedly won 15-11.

In the semi-final they played Wayne Willgress – back from Ireland after representing England at under-25 level – and his partner Marion Himpleman.

The game turned out to be one sided with Willgress and Himpleman only winning three out of 12 ends, with the Wilkinsons winning 13-4.

Nichols and Benns played last year’s runners-up George Gibson and Shelia Hardingham (Dilham). The Burlingham pair led 8-0 after five ends and 11-5 after 10, before winning 12-6.

Quarter-final losers were Doreen Moats and Mark Turner (County Arts), J Fagon and Eddie McDonald (Bradwell), Lucy and John Tufts (Hingham) and Paul and Michelle Clutterbuck (Ormesby).

Wednesday

In the first group stages of the mixed triples, sponsored by Potters Leisure, the winners for the last four years – E Cole, D Cole and skipper P Webb – opened their campaign by winning two close games, and the other bringing a convincing win, with scores of 8-7, 11-10 and 17-3.

Tournament veteran Mark Turner, partnered by D Moates and fours winner Tony Seabourne, won their three games to proceed to the next stage.

Ladies’ singles winner M Haylett, with husband George and T Armes, won three games to also qualify.

They will be followed by the Tufts family from Bradenham, who picked a full house of nine in one of their games as they qualified from the same group, as one of the best runners-up.

Wayne Willgress and his partners won two and drew one to play tomorrow, as did G Reeve, R Church and A Dunton.

P Clutterbuck and partners from Ormesby had three wins to qualify, as did C and S Neal with Chris Ward.

Singles runner-up Peter Wilkinson, playing with his mixed pairs winning partner Helen and Marc Wilkinson, had two good wins and a loss by one shot.

But they still went through as runners-up in their opening fixture, which was won by S and J Dunne, plus F Howard by six points.

The festival continues until next Friday.