It has been an amazing few days for top county bowler Jamie Walker.
The West End BC star claimed the National Under-25 Singles title at Beach House Park in Worthing on Sunday.
And that was followed by him being selected by England for two prestigious international events.
Abington-based Walker is one of six men to be selected for the Eight Nations Commonwealth Invitation England team.
The event is being held in Glasgow between Monday, August 26 and Saturday, August 31.
And Walker has also been selected for the two-man team to represent England at the European Championships in Alicante, Spain from September 29.
He will be partnered by Devon’s Robert Paxton.
Walker was in incredible form in the Under-25 Singles at Worthing as he stormed into the final with relative ease.
He beat Philip Gregory (Princes Risborough) 21-11 in the first round before earning a quarter-final spot with respective 21-10 and 21-13 victories over Russell Harmour (Halstead) and Marcus Street (Knaphill).
Walker was always in charge in his last-eight encounter with Martin Heitzman (White Rock) as he ran out a 21-11 winner and it proved to be even more straightforward in the semi-final as Luke Lane (Redditch) was beaten 21-6.
That secured a place in the final for the third successive year and Walker was up against Liam Pearcey (Rugby) as he aimed for a second title having won it in 2011.
Walker gradually built a good lead and was 16-6 up after 11 ends before Pearcey matched the Northants player over the next few ends to keep his hopes alive.
However, Walker stayed focused and delighted his supporters by securing a 21-15 success to win back the title he won two years ago.
David Walker (Kingsthorpe) saw his hopes ended in the first round on his first visit to the Championships as an individual player. He was beaten 21-16 by Matt Coppen (Royston).
Fuller and Haines go close
Bob Fuller (Wellingborough) and John Haines (Desborough) so nearly made it two titles for Northants as they were beaten in the final of the Over 55 Pairs.
They saw off Anthony Elley and Thomas Winsborough 26-15 in the first round before securing a place in the semi-finals with a 22-19 success over Buckinghamshire pair Derek Plater and Colin Perrottet.
The last-four clash saw them up against Welwyn & District pair Michael Poole and Chris Sherriff and the Northants duo were 12-2 up after nine ends.
They held an 11-shot lead with four ends to play but it proved to be a tense finish as the Welwyn team battled back. However, the County duo held on to secure a 19-17 success.
That set up a final meeting with Wiltshire’s Paul Sloman and Mel Biggs, where they were eventually edged out 20-18.
County trio’s hopes ended in last eight
There were more Northamptonshire bowlers in action as the Women’s National Championships were completed in Leamington.
The Desborough Town trio of Margaret Watts, Rebecca Wigfield and Sharon Hall reached the quarter-finals of the Triples but their run was ended at that point when they were edged out 17-15 by a team from Bramford.
The Northampton Whyte Melville team of Victoria Stevenson, Sandra Mawson and Pat Bodily won their first-round match before losing out to a trip from Shepshed in the second round.
Wigfield, who had already one the Two-Wood National title, went on to reach the semi-finals of the Under-25 Singles.
Having started in the preliminary round, the Desborough bowler eased her way into the quarter-finals where she beat Becky Maynard (Welwyn Garden City) 21-17.
But she was beaten in the last four as Hannah Overton (Parkway) claimed a 21-12 success.
Kislingbury’s Nicola Franklin was unable to get past the preliminary round as she lost 21-6 to Caroline Davis (Long Bennington).
Watts also enjoyed a good run in the Over 55 Singles as respective 21-14 and 21-18 victories over Sandra Parker (Silloth) and Kath Patrick (Milton Park Ladies) earned her a place in the quarter-finals.
But the Desborough player was beaten 21-14 by Moira Self (Felixstowe), who went on to win the competition.
In the Singles event, Higham Ferrers Town’s Viv Gaudyn lost 21-14 to Alton’s Margaret Holden in the preliminary round while Janet Ashby (Northampton West End) was beaten 21-9 by Didcot’s Jane Porter at the first stage.
There was also a first-round exit for Chloe Wordingham (Higham Ferrers Town) and Jasmin Spear (Kingsthorpe) in the Under-25 Pairs.
The Northamptonshire duo went down 22-10 to Cassidy Lenton and Sophie Tolchard.