A TRIO of women from the Bradford area impressed at the national finals in Selsey earlier this month, helping West Yorkshire Blackball County Pool's ladies A team to a semi-final appearance at their first attempt.

Michelle Brown and Emma Senior, both from Bradford, as well as Mandy Booth of Brighouse, were three of the team's star performers as they battled through to the last four, before being halted by eventual winners West Berkshire.

The ladies had stormed through the qualifying competition, winning all ten of their fixtures and went into the finals as the pre-tournament favourites, a remarkable achievement for a team of first-time qualifiers.

Manager Darren Brown expressed his immense pride at how far the ladies have progressed in such a short space of time.

Furthermore, a Keighley trio helped to lay the groundwork for the men's A team to record a fine victory in the final.

Chris Melling, Stefan Risidi and Arfan Dad were unable to attend the finals tournament on the south coast but had been contributors to the team's run in the competition.

County Pool performed well in all five of the tournaments that they had qualified for. Along with the ladies team, the men's B team and the youth side all progressed as far as the last four.

Meanwhile, the Men's A and C teams reached the final of their respective competitions. Both sides played opponents from Essex but with differing fortunes.

The C team fell behind early on and could never quite bridge that gap. Although they fought admirably, they eventually succumbed 14-10 to the Southerners.

The A team were struggling badly at 4-1 and 8-5 down in their final, but a storming run of five wins in six frames saw them edge 10-9 in front.

They secured a 14-11 victory, with the cool and experienced Steve Webster earning the final point that they needed. Their triumph made history, as it was the first time a team had ever won the A section while fielding a youth player.

The team are due to start the new county season on April 22, playing from the White Rose in Ossett. They have Men’s A, B and C teams, as well as Ladies, Youths and Seniors sides

They are looking to strengthen their squads, especially the youth team (U18s).

Anybody interested in sponsoring the county should contact Darren Brown, whose email address is dazbrown23@icloud.com.