Huntingdonshire are through to the Bowls England Middleton Cup semi-finals following a stunning 118-116 comeback victory against Essex.

The squad of 24 players defied the freezing cold and rainy conditions on July 22 to squeeze past a much fancied Essex side and book themselves a spot in the National Finals for the first time since 2010.

The team manager, Bob Morton, said: "The amount of work and effort you need to put into it to get to that stage is tremendous.

"Just to get to the quarter-final is an achievement for a county as small as we are."

Huntingdonshire found themselves 26 points down at one point, but the side, littered with youngsters, rallied to pick up 17 points and instil panic into their opposition.

Glyn Milbourne of Brampton Bowls Club played in the last end and scored what turned out to be the decisive blow after an Essex miss, sparking jubilant scenes from the sidelines.

The whole side played their part on a special day for the county side, with players as young as 13 and as old as 60 all chipping in.

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Huntingdonshire beat Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in the group stages to qualify for the quarter-finals, and Bob is confident that his side has what it takes to win a first-ever Middleton Cup.

Huntingdonshire will face Lincolnshire in the semi-finals at Leamington Spa on August 27, with the winner progressing to play the final on the same day.