Second world pairs title for Mark Dawes following closure of Blackpool Newton Hall Indoor Bowling Club

Mark Dawes regained the world pairs title he first won in 2018 with Jamie Chestney

Fylde coast's only indoor bowling club will not reopen after lockdown

Dawes, 37, and partner Jamie Chestney from King’s Lynn repeated their 2018 triumph as they won a thrilling final on a tie-break at the Potters Resort in Norfolk.

Radcliffe-based Dawes has represented the Blackpool club for the past 15 years.

Newton Hall is still listed as Dawes’ club on the tournament website, even though the owners of the Staining Road venue announced last summer that it would not be reopening after the pandemic.

Dawes and Chestney lost the first set of yesterday’s epic final 7-6 to Greg Harlow and Ellen Falkner, the event’s first female finalist.

The 2018 winners, beaten quarter-finalists in the next two years, hit back to take the second set 9-2 and edge the tie-break 2-1.

They had previously dropped only one set in the competition, defeating Scotland’s Jason Banks and Connor Milne 2-0 in the first round, Mark Royal and Robert Paxton 2-1 in the quarter-finals, and Jack Bird and Stuart Irwin 2-0 in the semi-finals.

Dawes said: “It’s fantastic to win it again. It’s why we play the sport and it’s just a shame there was no crowd.

“I’d struggled in the early round but today I felt I gave Jamie some good positions.”

The runners-up agreed that Dawes was the most consistent player in the competition.

Mark now hopes history continues to repeat itself as in 2018 he went on to be crowned double world champion, also winning the open singles.

Having defeated Darren Weir 1.5-0.5 in the first round, eighth-ranked Dawes faces Mervyn King in his second match today.

The closure of Newton Hall has been felt by Dawes and many other indoor specialists – the nearest such centre is in Carlisle.

Janice Gower, who has also done the Blackpool club proud in the world championships over many years and reached the ladies’ final 12 months ago, has not entered this year’s event.

Owners Partington’s Holiday Parks confirmed last July that Newton Hall was not viable and would not be reopening.

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