Inbev Bowls League

NIMBLE Nook missed their last chance to end Tonge’s unbeaten record in the ‘B’ Division of the Inbev Winter Bowling League when they went down 7-4 to the champions-elect.

Tonge have won all 15 of their matches on Chadderton Cot’s artificial surface and are 18 points clear of Nook with only three fixtures remaining.

Vixens bounced back from their whitewash by Tonge to register an impressive 7-4 win against Lower Failsworth.

They lost two games by a single chalk and came close to a substantial win which would have moved them off the bottom spot.

North Chadderton snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Prestwich.

They had five of the eight winners, but lost the aggregate by four chalks.

S Mellor (Nimble Nook) leads the ‘B’ Division individual merit with 13 wins, followed by A Gardner (Tonge) and D Mountford (North Chadderton) on 12. There are four other players with 11 wins apiece.

‘A’ Division leaders Royle made up for the previous week’s blip by beating third-placed Waterloo and Taunton 8-3.

Radcliffe had a 7-4 victory over Lees/Springhead to pull further clear of the bottom two, while basement team Springbank put up a good fight before going down 8-3 to title-chasing Hopwood.

‘A’ DIVISION

Waterloo and Taunton (147) 3 Royle (156) 8: C Roberts 15 P Fielding 21, D Hibbert 15 M Clough 21, L Lawton 21 T Hedderman 18, A Critchlow 16 J Wade 21, G I Wilson 19 M Gillies 21, P Leah 21 D Murray 16, A Walker 19 M Connolly 21, C Heyes 21 G Coverdale 17.

Lees/Springhead (125) 4 Radcliffe (146) 7: A Tupman 21 J Carr 16, A Cooke 7 I Turrell 21, M McClean 11 P Atherden 21, B Reddyoff 21 T Taylor 12, S Wild 21 C Weekes 19, J Ashton 17 T Lytham 21, T Rogers 21 L Toth 15, W Roberts 6 K Newbury 21.

Springbank (120) 3 Hopwood (154) 8: D Crabtree 10 K McHugh 21, C Lane N Greenhalgh 21, Martin Hodson 21 C Chapman 15, A Hodson 21 P Wakeling 16, B Stapleton 10 A Mellor 21, P Heap 5 R Goodman 21, G Smedley 14 S McHugh 21, J Hynes 21 M Heselwood 18.

‘B’ DIVISION

Nimble Nook (129) 4 Tonge (136) 7: B Seville 21 P G Brooks 17, J Apps 7 G Gardner 21, F Cassidy 21 P Byrom 17, R Ankers 16 P Butler 21, M Fisher 5 A Jackson 21, R Price 21 G Tompkinson 6, E Worthington 17 A Gardner 21, S Mellor 21 M Hargreaves 12.

Lower Failsworth (120) 4 Vixens (146) 7: B Yates 21 D Fish 20, M Burgess 10 B Cooper 21, P Gleaves 21 J Wild 16, G Goldrick 21 S Winterburn 20, J Melia 21 A Woolley 6, K Cromwell 9 J Rayner 21, A Farrer 8 M Harrington 21, J Fox 9 A Burgess 21.

North Chadderton (126) 5 Prestwich (130) 6: J Irons Jnr 21 S Blaymire 17, J Irons Snr 12 S Morley 21, D Mountford 21 J Davies 7, J Rudkin 21 M Davenport 18, J Mountford 1 S Dixon 21, G Flint 8 A Davenport 21, W Holland 21 A Conchie 8, R Jones 21 S Cameron 17.