Fryer, Wardle in good nick

BOWLING buddies Nigel Fryer and Darren Wardle teamed up to win the £500 top prize in the Monton pairs competition in Eccles.

Fryer (Springbank) and Wardle (North Chadderton), who also represent Hopwood in the Chadderton League, were only playing in their second open pairs event and they delivered a winning display with a 21-17 final verdict over Gary Barnett (Monton) and Mark Worrall (Manchester).

In the quarter-finals, they overcame J Armstrong and A Weekes 21-11, and they booked their ticket to the final with a 21-11 defeat of Cheetham Hill's Mark Gibbons and Alan Derench.

n TONGE strengthened their grip at the top of the Manchester Premier League with a 8-4.5 (155-147) home victory over fellow title hopefuls Sale XL.

In a top-quality match, Tonge had five winners.

Results (Tonge names first) -

Matt Gillies 11, Andrew Cairns 21; Nigel Greenhalgh 19, Noel Burrows 21; Jimmy Derby 21, John Quinn 15; Gary Ellis 21, Paul Dudley 15; Nicky Brooks 21, Neil Grant 16; Andrew Murray 21, Steve Wooding 19; Steve Leach 21, Neil Jenkinson 19; Darren Griffiths 20, Chris Morrison 21.

Tonge have another big fixture tomorrow (7.30pm) when they are away to Wigan outfit Garswood Hall, who hold title aspirations of their own.

n IT may not have been his best season so far, but Nimble Nook and Tonge star Gary Ellis is still enjoying a campaign other bowlers can only dream about.

Winner of the Greater Manchester Merit and Metro Classic at Stretford, Ellis added to those titles when he won the Pudsey Classic in Yorkshire for the third time.

After opening finals night with a 21-17 defeat of Dave Cooper (Netherton), he saw off Wayne Moseley (Crossland Moor) 21-9 and Jason Wilcox (Leeds) 21-14 to set up a final against Preston's Lee Heaton.

And Ellis was dominant in his pursuit of the £1,000 top prize, dispatching Heaton 21-6 with an awesome display.

Ellis was chasing a double in the Moorlands Sports and Social Club 128 Singles for the Len Peacock Trophy.

After beating Springbank's Martin Hodson 21-13 in the last 16 of the event at Salford, he defeated rising Yorkshire star Josh Mordue 21-9 in the quarter-finals.

But that was as good as it got for Ellis, who went down 21-11 to Leighton Roberts (Wales) in the semi-finals.

The competition was won by Radcliffe's Paul Dudley - a former Tonge player - who beat Roberts 21-20 in a thrilling final.

North Chadderton's Darren Wardle lost 21-13 to Dudley in the last 16.