KIDDERMINSTER'S England star Grant Burgess and youngster Marc Stones were toppled by Buckinghamshire veterans Peter Picknell and Keith Hawes in the final of the Yoplait men's all England's Bowls pairs at Worthing last night.
Picknell, aged 65, and Hawes, 54, from Iver Heath, swept into a 6-2 lead over the first five ends.
Stones, a 22-year-old England junior trialist and Burgess, seeking his third national title after successes in the singles and triples, battled back, scoring on six of the next eight ends to inch ahead 9-8.
However, the opposition clawed their way back with four shots in three ends, moving ahead 12-9. Then came the killer blow for the Gilt Edge duo when they dropped four shots at the 18th end and trail 16-11.
A fighting finish by Stones and Burgess yielded singles at two of the last three ends, but the Bucks pair hung on to win 17-13, to secure the conveted title.
Earlier, Stones and Burgess had beaten Durham's Alan Theobald and England international Chris Palmer 26-16 in the semi-finals.
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