Holders Eagles are well beaten at first hurdle

Liam Burnham led the way, whitewashing both Ian Donaldson and Mark Stockley before dropping one end to Chris Warliker for an 11-1 return.

Last season’s runners-up Westfield A kept their hopes alive of going one better when defeating their C team 21-15.

Roumen Stefanov and Steve Silk quickly established a 7-1 lead with 4-0 and 3-1 wins over Matt Rushton and Sam Wildman.

Seven games were then halved for Westfield A to maintain this six-point advantage.

Higham scored twelve points by default after Corby Rothbury played a man short and expected an easy victory.

Excellent performances by Lee O’Boyle and Aiden Smith, taking eight and nine points from their six single matches, reduced the deficit to 19-17.

After three ends of doubles the score was 20-19 and a major shock looked possible.

Andy Harrison and Richard Bashford took the deciding end 16-14 to prevent an embarrassing defeat.

Corby Halesowen also had only two players and again, after nine singles, John Hunt and Anne Woolston had reduced Rothborough Buccaneers’ 12-0 lead to 19-17.

Ivor Jones and Luke Saywood levelled the scores, taking only one end in the doubles.

Hunt beat Jones 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-3 in the play-off to secure the extra point for an amazing victory rarely achieved with two players in this cup format.

The all-Premier division clash between Corby Lyveden Fields and Kettering Town produced a close match that could have gone either way.

Henry Arthur’s 4-0 and 3-1 wins over Mike Hawes and Nigel Metcalfe gave the Corby side an early 11-5 advantage.

Town fought back and reduced the lead to 19-17 after nine singles.

But Arthur and Chris Haynes shaded the doubles 2-1 for a hard fought 21-18 victory.

Burton Baptist E’s Dave Marks took full advantage of his handicap to score 10 points against Corby Smash C.

His efforts were still not enough as the Hillery brothers only conceded six points to Jim Chatburn and John Sanders, leaving only one point required from the doubles.

Peter and Tyler Hillery took the doubles 12-10, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9 to see Smash home 23-17.

Burton Baptist A recorded a similar result in their win over Westfield D.

After nine singles the score was 20-16 and Alex Aston and Dariusz Gulbicki eased home 11-9, 11-7, 4-11, 11-9 in the doubles against Paul Malpass and Travis Holly.

Sidney Wright, Evie Elliott and Bronwen Grigg ensured the Westfield club had three teams in the next round draw with an emphatic 28-12 drubbing of Corby Lakeview.

Wright, with 11 points and Elliott nine, starred for Westfield E with Stephen Woolston replying with seven for Lakeview.

Old Village wrapped up their tie against Harborough C in game eight and ran out easy 29-11 victors.

Burton Baptist Team Jim father and son combination Bryan and Harry Lade made short work in defeating their C team 27-13 with Harry scoring 10 points and Bryan nine.

Thrapston Falcons and Rothborough Arrows appeared to be heading for a close finish with the score 13-11 in Arrows favour after six games.

The remaining four games proved disastrous for Falcons, gaining only two more points and a resounding 27-13 defeat.

Rothborough Comets veteran trio of David Steele, Lee Mordecai and Ray Harrison entertained Harborough E’s experienced team of John McGowan, Mick Radford, and Ron Palfrey, producing an entertaining and exciting encounter.

After seven matches Comets led 15-13, when McGowan and Radford transformed the match into a 23-17 win with McGowan beating Harrison 4-0 and Radford beating Steele 3-1 and combining in the doubles for another 3-1 win.

Results: Higham 21 (Harrison (+3) 8/4, Bashford (+1) 5/7, Bannister (+1) 6/6 Harrison/Bashford (+2) 2/2) Corby Rothbury 19 (O’Boyle (SCR) 8/4, Smith (+1) 9/3, Smith/O’Boyle (SCR) 2/2), Westfield A 21 (Stefanov (SCR) 7/5, Silk (SCR) 6/6, Wooding (+1) 8/4) Westfield C 15 (Rushton (+3) 4/8, Wildman (+3) 4/8, Hobbs (+4) 7/5), Westfield D 17 (Malpass (+4) 4/8, Holly (+5) 6/6, Alder (+5) 6/6, Malpass/Holly (+4) 1/3) Burton Baptist A 23 (Aston (+1) 7/5, Gulbicki (+1) 5/7, Koltuniuk (+2) 8/4, Aston/Gulbicki (+1) 3/1), Westfield E 28 (Wright (+5) 11/1, Elliott (+6) 9/3, Grigg (+7) 5/7, Wright/Grigg (+6) 3/1) Corby Lakeview 12 (Woolston (SCR) 7/5, Knott (+3) 3/9, Stamper (+2) 1/1, Knott/Stamper (+2) 1/3), Corby Smash C 23 (Peter Hillery (+1) 5/7, Tyler Hillery (+4) 9/3, Lewis Hillery (+4) 6/6, Peter Hillery/Tyler Hillery (+2) 3/1) Burton Baptist E 17 (Chatburn (SCR) 2/10, Sanders (+2) 4/8, Marks (+7) 10/2 Sanders/Chatburn (+1) 1/3), Corby Lyveden Fields 21 (Murie (+4) 3/9, Arthur (+3) 9/3, Haynes (+7) 7/5, Haynes/Arthur (+5) 2/1) Kettering Town 18 (Metcalfe (+3) 7/5, Hawes (+4) 4/8, Fuller (SCR) 6/6 Metcalfe/Fuller (+1) 1/2), Harborough B 27 (Burnham (+1) 11/1, Brocklebank (+2) 8/4, Crook (+3) 8/4) Thrapston Eagles 9 (Donaldson (+3) 4/8, Warliker (+1) 1/11, Stockley (SCR) 4/8), Thrapston Falcons 13 (Baldock (+2) 4/8, Marray (+4) 3/9, Tyler (+5) 6/6) Rothborough Arrows 23 (Marlow (+1) 7/5, Smith (+4) 9/3, H Watts (SCR) 7/5), Burton Baptist B 16 (Smith (+6) 6/6, Crasto (+5) 4/8, Hooda (+5) 5/7, Smith/Hooda (+5) 1/3) Westfield B 24 (Smalley (SCR) 8/4, Capusa (+1) 8/4, Bird (+1) 5/7 Bird/Smalley (SCR) 3/1), Old Village 29 (Burrows (+3) 8/4, Tyler (+3) 8/4, Bryant (+5) 9/3, Burrows/Tyler (+3) 4/0) Harborough C 11 (Burgess (SCR) 3/9, Coombs (+1) 2/10, Dixon (SCR) 6/6), Burton Baptist Team Jim 27 (H Lade (+2) 10/2, Freeman (+4) 6/6, B Lade (+6) 9/3, H Lade/Freeman (+3) 2/2) Burton Baptist C 13 (Marshall (SCR) 3/9, Muggleton (SCR) 5/7, Mills (+8) 3/9, Muggleton/Mills (+4) 2/2), Rothborough Comets 17 (Steele (+1) 7/5, Mordecai (+1) 5/7, Harrison (SCR) 4/8, Mordecai/Harrison (SCR) 1/3) Harborough E 23 (McGowan (SCR) 5/7, Radford (+4) 9/3, Palfrey (+3) 6/6 McGowan/Radford (+2) 3/1), Corby Halesowen 21 (Hunt (+4) 11/2, A Woolston (+5) 7/5, Hunt/Woolston (+4) 3/1) Rothborough Buccaneers 20 (Ainsworth (+1) 5/7, Jones (+1) 7/6, Saywood (SCR) 7/5, Jones/Saywood (SCR) 1/3).