THE third day of the Grimsby Open Bowls Tournament produced some of the most closely-contested games of the week in the quarter-final stages of the Rinks of Three competition.

As the last eight triples battled it out on the green, it looked possible that a repeat of last year's final might be on the cards.

Defending champion Caroline Cullum (Kingsway Printers BC), this year partnered by father Gordon Peck and Terry Wood (Carr Lane BC), had a comfortable 11-3 lead at the halfway stage of the game against Harold Dixon, Tony Hebblewhite and Tony Gaytor (Goxhill BC).

The second half of the game, however, turned into a nail-biting affair as the Goxhill triple fought back to trail 15-14 on the last end which dramatically turned in their favour to secure them a place in Friday's semi-finals by a 16-15 margin – and they are the only local representatives left in the competition.

Hebblewhite is already through to Friday's Singles semi-final and currently leads in the Player of the Tournament competition.

In the semi-final, they will face Robin Wallwin, John Wood and Colin Fry (Newark – Farndon BC), who defeated the 2009 Cleethorpes Open runners-up and semi-finalists at this year's Clee Open, Martin and Kay Steer and Roy Buckingham (Sussex BC).

On the next rink, last year's runners-up, Ted and Iris Coulson and Kevin Lewis (Lincoln – Eagle BC) had a close game against Ray Maskell, Darrell Eames and Bob Stevens (Warsop – South Forest BC) narrowly securing a place in the semi by 18-13.

Ted and Iris have also made it through to a second semi, having booked a place in the Open Pairs semi-final.

Friday will see them face Ernie Elkington, Neil Salmon and Len Rice (Hucknall – Friskney BC) who had to battle hard to overcome a strong challenge from the triple of Victor Blake, Peter Cullum & Derek Burgess.

Rinks of Three

ROUND ONE: M. & P. Anderson & J. Duncan Waltham Park BC 12 v M. & S. Leggett & J. Sanders Waltham Park BC 22 J. Hopkinson, A. Trown & J. Brown Doncaster Haxey BC 16 v V. Blake, P. Cullum & D. Burgess Grimsby BC 19 T. Green, B. Hutcheson & E. Bills Immingham Blossom Way BC 15 v J. Brown, D. Jerrison & B. Thompson Scotter Blossom Way BC 19 P. Clarke, B. Cammell & J. Rock Sussex BC 17 v B. Tutty, V. Grundy & S. Swan Laceby BC 15 T. Marshall, P. Pulfrey & P. Wright Keelby Grant Thorold BC 9 v J. Jordan, B. Wright & I. Morris Hucknall Skegness Foreshore BC 14 G. Hilton, P. Noble & T. Marsh Retford Ordsall BC 21 v A. (Snr.) T. & M. Dent Immingham Louth IBC 17 J. & P. Belton & D. Nicholl Waltham BC 12 v B. Bateman, D. Wright & G. Langley Alford BC 22 P. & H. Lewis & J. Simons Grant Thorold BC 18 v P. Turton, B. Broughton & A. Holland Shirebrook BC 15 J. Reynolds, K. Perkins & J. Swaby Laceby BC 11 v D. Duffield, B. Beel & J. Solley Waltham Park BC 21 J. Miskelly, B. Altoft & J. Sheppard Haverstoe BC 12 v T. & I. Coulson & K. Lewis Eagle BC 23 S. Moore, P. Cowling & J. Mountain Alford Humberston CC BC 12 v R. Maskell, D. Eames & B. Stevens Warsop South Forest BC 18 E. Cuthbert, T. Scrimshaw & G. Hall Goxhill Blossom Way BC 9 v B. Elford, R. Scales & J. Walsh Blossom Way BC 24 P. Bown, J. McLachlan & B. Howson Kingsway Printers BC 22 v D. & J. Cole & I. Jackson Scartho Clee BC 13 B. Johnson, B. Land & S. Cox Waltham BC 10 v M. & K. Steer & R. Buckingham Immingham Sussex BC 21 R. Watts, C. Birkitt & B. Graves Barrow on Humber Goxhill BC 7 v A. Shepherd, R. Storey & B. Heavy Skegness Suncastle BC 20 C. Gore, M. Toyne & J. Martin Grimsby BC 8 v T. Smalley, T. Jeffers & A. Alder Brigg BC 23 G. Coxon, C. Hayes & J. Oxley Worksop CSC BC 24 v A. Johnson, G. Allis & M. Humberstone Habrough BC 18 A. & J. King & R. Lockwood Humberston Grimsby BC 19 v G. Milborn, J. Weeden & J. Goodwin Sussex BC 15 A. Marshall, D. Rook & E. White Stallingborough Habrough BC 16 v N. Dodsworth, E. Edwards & J. Smith Sussex BC 24 S. Priestley, G.Martinson & K. Robinson Worlaby Brigg BC 4 v C. Cullum, G. Peck & T. Wood Waltham Kingsway Printers BC 24 D. & G. Jarrett & V. Mackie Vikings BC 17 v A. Beavis, W. Ryan & I. Major Grant Thorold BC 14 G. Harris & J. & D. Sorley Waltham BC 12 v A. & S. Brown & R. Wilkinson Vikings BC 20 H. Dixon, T. Hebblewhite & T. Gaytor Goxhill BC 25 v M. Upton, D. Weeden & P. McKeon Sussex BC 8 M. Bush, K. Reid & M. Nurse Healing BC 7 v J. & B. Darley & B. Gowshall Clee BC 33 A. Parrott, B. Eekhout & J. Higgins Vikings BC 16 v J. Allender, S. Dent & M. Barratt Waltham BC 13

ROUND TWO: M. & S. Leggett & J. Sanders Waltham Park BC 17 v V. Blake, P. Cullum & D. Burgess Grimsby BC 21 J. Brown, D. Jerrison & B. Thompson Scotter Blossom Way BC 12 v P. Clarke, B. Cammell & J. Rock Sussex BC 15 J. Jordan, B. Wright & I. Morris Hucknall Skegness Foreshore BC 14 v G. Hilton, P. Noble & T. Marsh Retford Ordsall BC 15 E. Elkington, N. Salmon & L. Rice Hucknall Friskney BC 16 v B. Bateman, D. Wright & G. Langley Alford BC 2 P. & H. Lewis & J. Simons Grant Thorold BC 13 v D. Duffield, B. Beel & J. Solley Waltham Park BC 19 A. Arundel, L-.J.Duncan & D. Langley Waltham Park BC 12 v T. & I. Coulson & K. Lewis Eagle BC 22 R. Maskell, D. Eames & B. Stevens Warsop South Forest BC 27 v F. Eames, E. Cockerill & J. Burt Laceby BC 6 B. Elford, R. Scales & J. Walsh Blossom Way BC 13 v P. Bown, J. McLachlan & B. Howson Kingsway Printers BC 9 J. & C. Bedford & B. Kilby Market Deeping Market Deeping BC 8 v M. & K. Steer & R. Buckingham Immingham Sussex BC 22 A. Shepherd, R. Storey & B. Heavy Skegness Suncastle BC 13 v T. Smalley, T. Jeffers & A. Alder Brigg BC 18 G. Coxon, C. Hayes & J. Oxley Worksop CSC BC 18 v A. & J. King & R. Lockwood Humberston Grimsby BC 13 A. & C. Barks & M. Green Eagle BC 17 v R. Wallwin, J. Wood & C. Fry Newark Farndon BC 21 N. Dodsworth, E. Edwards & J. Smith Sussex BC 9 v C. Cullum, G. Peck & T. Wood Waltham Kingsway Printers BC 21 D. & G. Jarrett & V. Mackie Vikings BC 10 v A. & S. Brown & R. Wilkinson Vikings BC 20 H. Dixon, T. Hebblewhite & T. Gaytor Goxhill BC 14 v D. Remington, J. Talbot & B. True Ulceby Healing BC 10 J. & B. Darley & B. Gowshall Clee BC 25 v A. Parrott, B. Eekhout & J. Higgins Vikings BC 11.

ROUND THREE: V. Blake, P. Cullum & D. Burgess Grimsby BC 24 v P. Clarke, B. Cammell & J. Rock Sussex BC 10 G. Hilton, P. Noble & T. Marsh Retford Ordsall BC 7 v E. Elkington, N. Salmon & L. Rice Hucknall Friskney BC 20 D. Duffield, B. Beel & J. Solley Waltham Park BC 13 v T. & I. Coulson & K. Lewis Eagle BC 21 R. Maskell, D. Eames & B. Stevens Warsop South Forest BC 25 v B. Elford, R. Scales & J. Walsh Blossom Way BC 13 M. & K. Steer & R. Buckingham Immingham Sussex BC 14 v T. Smalley, T. Jeffers & A. Alder Brigg BC 11 G. Coxon, C. Hayes & J. Oxley Worksop CSC BC 11 v R. Wallwin, J. Wood & C. Fry Newark Farndon BC 22 C. Cullum, G. Peck & T. Wood Waltham Kingsway Printers BC 25 v A. & S. Brown & R. Wilkinson Vikings BC 13 H. Dixon, T. Hebblewhite & T. Gaytor Goxhill BC 19 v J. & B. Darley & B. Gowshall Clee BC 9.

QUARTER-FINALS: V. Blake, P. Cullum & D. Burgess Grimsby BC 13 v E. Elkington, N. Salmon & L. Rice Hucknall Friskney BC 17 T. & I. Coulson & K. Lewis Eagle BC 18 v R. Maskell, D. Eames & B. Stevens Warsop South Forest BC 13 M. & K. Steer & R. Buckingham Immingham Sussex BC 14 v R. Wallwin, J. Wood & C. Fry Newark Farndon BC 17 C. Cullum, G. Peck & T. Wood Waltham Kingsway Printers BC 15 v H. Dixon, T. Hebblewhite & T. Gaytor Goxhill BC 16.

SEMI-FINALS: To be played Friday morning): E. Elkington, N. Salmon & L. Rice (Hucknall – Friskney BC) v T. & I. Coulson & K. Lewis (Lincoln – Eagle BC); R. Wallwin, J. Wood & C. Fry (Newark – Farndon BC) v H. Dixon, T. Hebblewhite & T. Gaytor (Goxhill BC).