Royle secure title

ROYLE came back from their week off and grasped the Division A title with both hands.
They beat New Street 9-2 and, with one week of the season left, established an unassailable lead at the top of the InBev Winter Bowls League at Chadderton CBC.

Waterloo & Taunton beat Hopwood 7-4 and put paid to any dreams Hopwood had of denying Royle a second successive title.

Springbank beat Radcliffe 8–3 to register their third win in four matches, their best run of the season, though they will still have to fight to stay in the division.

The individual merit competition has one week left to run. R Goodman (Hopwood), I Turrell (Radcliffe), G Coverdale (Royle) and P Fielding (Royle) all have 12 wins; though Coverdale and Fielding have played all their matches.

Tonge, who clinched the B Division title two weeks ago, finished in style with a 9-2 victory over Dogwood to complete a 100-per-cent winning record for the season.

Although Nimble Nook could not overtake Tonge, their 9-2 win over Failsworth secured them second place.

The Vixens went down 9-2 to Prestwich and are holding up the league.

In the Individual Merit competition, S Mellor (Nimble Nook) leads with 15 wins and one match left to play. D Mountford (North Chadderton) with 14 wins is the only player who could tie with him .

DIVISION A: New Street (119) 2 Royle (162) 9: M Prosser 13 A Rushton 21, D Moulton 15 J Wade 21, A Cairns 21 M Clough 16, R J Lorimer 21 T Hedderman 2, A R Collinge 13 P Fielding 21, M Bellenger 17 M Gillies 21, M Holden 12 G Coverdale 21, M Suthers 7 M Connolly 21.

Waterloo & Taunton (137) 7 Hopwood Rec (133) 4: G I Wilson 21 B Cosgrave 0, L Turner 20 P Wakeling 21, P Leah 21 N Greenhalgh 2, A Critchlow 14 C Chapman 21, L Lawton 21 S Bolton 12, C Heyes 12 R Goodman 21, C Roberts 21 D Gwillam 17, A Walker 7 G Gwillam 21.

Springbank (148) 8 Radcliffe (125) 3: B Stapleton 21 K Newbury 4, L Roberts 21 A Weekes 17, A Hodson 21 M O’Neil 10, Martin Hodson 21 M Middleton 13, W McDermott 21 T Taylor 13, G Smedley 16 I Turrell 21, J Hynes 18 L Toth 21, Michael Hodson 9 T Lytham 21.




DIVISION B: Dogwood (130) 2 Tonge (153) 9: R Crossley 12 A Jackson 21, J Lewis 16 G Gardner 21, A Simpson 21 G Tompkinson 11, G Hallsor 11 P G Brooks 21, C Breakell 14 P Byrom 21, F Shaw 19 A Gardner 21, P Heighway 21 C Bennett 16, D Brierley 16 P Butler 21.



Vixens (121) 2 Prestwich (160) 9: D Fish 16 J Davies 21, J Rayner 18 G Martin 21, B Flanagan 8 S Dixon 21, A Burgess 21 I Luckett 17, A Woolley 9 S Cameron 21, B Cooper 15 A Davenport 21, M Harrington 13 S Morley 21, S Winterburn 21 S Blaymire 17.

Lwr Failsworth (128) 2 Nimble Nook (149) 9: P Gleaves 16 S Mellor 21, J Halliwell R Price 8, B Yates 14 F Cassidy 21, M Burgess 21 C Seville 15, J Melia 14 R Nisbet 21, B Corr 13 E Worthington 21, G Goldrick 9 R Ankers 9, K Cromwell 20 J Apps 21.