Bowling News
Dave Parkin provides the May update on the BCGBA Champion-of-Champions qualifiers or as he calls it the 'Race to Owley Wood' where the competition will be played on Saturday 28 September.
Main Qualifiers:
The 1st to guarantee his place was TOMMY JOHNSTONE who rolled back the years to take his 3rd SPRING WATERLOO title and cement his place in bowls history. Tommy won the CHAMPION of CHAMPIONS in 1989 and in 2002 became only the 2nd man to win the Big 4 in bowls when he won the ALL ENGLAND adding that to the SPRING WATERLOO & AUTUMN WATERLOO title. Three others have since equalled that feat.
The next 3 qualifiers were all County merit winners.
ALAN MANUEL beat DAVID MOLYNEUX in the final on the 19th at Grappenhall Ex-Servicemens Club with KEVAN SHAW taking the 3rd spot from LANCASHIRE at the ALL ENGLAND.
Next up was LEE LONGLAND who beat MATT NELSON 21-11 in the NORTH LANCS & FYLDE merit final at Fleetwood Cricket Club, the other ALL ENGLAND qualifier was LYNDON CARR.
On Spring Bank Holiday Monday, GARETH COATES beat CHRIS KELLY 21-19 at the Harold Club in Bradford. With over 200 entrants, they will be joined in the ALL ENGLAND by losing semi-finalists, CHRIS MORDUE & JACK BOWES plus the 4 quarter finalists, STEPHEN WALKER, JAMES SENIOR, HARRY SEEHRA & JON EDMNDSON.
The other 2 qualifiers were added to the reserve list
At No.4, DAVE McDERMOTT from the Wirral beat GAZ LALLY from Leeds in the RIBBLESDALE CLASSIC which is possibly the best promoted event around and run by JOSH MORDUE who took the 10th spot on the reserve list by beating GARETH COATES in the LAYTON CLASSIC final on the 4th May in Blackpool.
We now know 7/32 of the players with 14 more to be decided in June.
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