Awesome Emma wins national title

Emma Cooper was victorious at the Bowls England National Championships in Royal Leamington Spa last weekend.
Emma Cooper (right) and Morgan Merryweather with their prize for winning the Women's National Under-25 Pairs title.Emma Cooper (right) and Morgan Merryweather with their prize for winning the Women's National Under-25 Pairs title.
Emma Cooper (right) and Morgan Merryweather with their prize for winning the Women's National Under-25 Pairs title.

The Staplecross-based player won the Women’s National Under 25 Pairs Championship alongside Morgan Merryweather.

Cooper, representing the Royal County of Berkshire while at university, and Merryweather clinched the title by defeating Kay Sabin and senior international Kirsty Richards, from Warwickshire, 24-11 in the final.

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Junior international Cooper and Merryweather began their path to glory with a very convincing 24-7 first round win over Kent pair Leah Bamford and Anna Hall.

Emma Cooper delivers a wood at the Bowls England National Championships.Emma Cooper delivers a wood at the Bowls England National Championships.
Emma Cooper delivers a wood at the Bowls England National Championships.

They then achieved a similarly emphatic 28-7 success in the quarter-finals against a Huntingdonshire pair which had beaten the Suffolk team of Amy Rowe and three-time world indoor champion Katherine Rednall in the previous round.

The semi-final against junior internationals Devon Cooper and Rachel Tremlett, from Hertfordshire, was a far closer affair.

With the scores tied at 13-13 going into the final end, Cooper and Merryweather scored a single shot to edge through to the final.

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In six years, Cooper has now won the Women’s Under-25 Pairs title on all four occasions that she has reached the final, including three titles while representing Sussex with Lorraine Kuhler - an outstanding achievement as no-one else has ever won the title more than once.

Earlier this month, Cooper also represented Berkshire in the Women’s National Under-25 Singles Championship at Leamington and won the Berkshire County Under-25 Singles title, defeating team-mate Merryweather 21-9 in the final.

As a result of their victory, Cooper and Merryweather will represent England at the British Isles Championships next year.