IT was double delight for John Hooper in the South Dorset BA finals at Dorchester.

The Bridport maestro beat Wellworthy's Roy Burnett to win a thrilling Champion of Champions singles and also scooped the pairs with Chris Thorne.

After a shaky start Burnett led 8-3 but Hooper recovered to level on 10-10.

Burnett again forged ahead at 16-11 and later opened up a 19-13 gap. However, Hooper cut the margin to 20-18 with some excellent deliveries before snatching the title 21-20 with a double and a single.

The ladies' Champion of Champions went to Dorset singles queen, and current county president, Sue Jennings. All square on 11 apiece after 14 ends the Dorchester bowler slipped one shot behind but fought back in a five-end sequence to defeat June Searle (Greenhill) 21-15.

Though runner-up in that final Greenhill made no mistake in the singles championships with Bridget Hodder overcoming club colleague Shirley Bowley 21-10 to take the ladies' honours and John Crabb landing the men's crown 23-14 against Bridport's Bill Payne.

Hodder looked like winning comfortably at 11-4 but her advantage was cut to two shots before she eased clear again with nine shots from the next three ends.

Crabb stamped his authority on the game when moving from 9-9 to 15-9. Although Payne trimmed the deficit to two shots Crabb stood at 19-13 until sealing matters with a full house.

The result meant the hapless Payne completed a treble of the wrong kind: he was runner-up in all three finals he contested.

In the mixed fours he joined forces with Pamela Daters and the husband and wife team of Barbara and Brian Iversen but they were always fighting a losing battle against the Wellies' rink of Pam Skinner, Sheena Willis, Tony Sargent and Mick Willis.

Even though Bridport reduced their deficit to 10-8 after 10 ends Wellies strode 16-9 away at 15 ends and with skip Mick Willis displaying his best form of the summer they triumphed 21-14.

Brian Iversen and Brian Conisbee were Payne's accomplices for the men's triples against the Greenhill Middleton Cup threesome of Harry Hovenden, Kevin Hodder and Mike Chislett.

After 10 ends both sides had won five ends but Greenhill were 10-6 in front and they continued to have the edge eventually winning 17-10.

Although Freddie Potter and Roger Dunn held an early lead Colin Poulter and Marion Clements hit back to go 16-9 up and land the mixed pairs for Greenhill 19-15.

Greenhill also captured the ladies' pairs through Bridget Hodder and Anne Chislett who swept 10-2 ahead at eight ends and went on to triumph 19-13 despite a mid-match revival by Joan Burns and Sheena Willis who crept back to trail only 14-11 on 16 ends after shortening the mat.

Portland Borstal Officers carried off the Les Dare singles through David Prowse whose 21-16 victory condemned Peter Stevenson (Dorchester) to be runner-up for the third consecutive year.