Copeland following father’s footsteps

JONATHON Copeland sets out on his bid to emulate his father David, the 1995 champion, when he plays in the heats of the Oldham Evening Chronicle Bowling Handicap tonight.

The Nimble Nook teenager, already a Greater Manchester senior player, faces a tough first-round game against another young county player, Nicky Brooks, at Crompton.

There should also be some top matches at the night’s other’s venue, Delph.

Practice is from 6pm, with play getting under way at 6.30.

CROMPTON

J Cunningham (Wrigley Mill) 3 v P Guilfoyle (Delph) 3; J Copeland (Nimble Nook) 2 v N Brooks (Tonge) 2; I Gorbutt (Royton) 3 v M Fisher (Nimble Nook) 5; M Allingan (Springhead) 4 v P Kostyk (unatt) 4; B Seville (Nimble Nook) 3 v P Biram (Milnrow Memorial) 3; P Clough (Dunwood Park) 4 v P Craig (Syke) 1; D Crabtree (Tonge) 2 v S Mellor (Nimble Nook) 3; M Percival (Dunwood Park) 4 v Martin Hodson (Springbank) 2.

DELPH

C Brooks (Royton) 3 v D Rae (Uppermill) 2; A Holden (Wrigley Mill) 3 v P Heap (Springbank) 2; N Armstrong (St Pauls) 4 v P G Brooks (Milnrow Memorial) 3; M Gillies (Nimble Nook) 2 v Paul Wakeling (Hopwood) 2; D Griffiths (Nimble Nook) 2 v S Crabtree (Crompton) 4; B Raynor (Chadderton Cot) 4 v M Hargreaves (Buersil Park) 3; C Lane (Tonge) 2 v B Sowerby (Church) 2; A Rowbottom (North Chadderton) 3 v C Bradbury (Springhead) 3.


TONGE suffered a major - and somewhat unexpected - blow to their Manchester Premier League title hopes when they lost 10-4.5 at the Nursery Inn on Wednesday.

The local side’s only winners at the tricky Stockport green were Gary Ellis (21-9), Mark Dwayre (21-14) and Colin Lane (21-17).

Ellis is in action, along with his Tonge team-mate Thomas Dobson, in the £1,550 J W Lees Hopwood Unionist Classic tonight (6.30).

Ellis plays Keith Hatzer of Halifax, while Dobson opens against Neil Kirkman (Westhoughton).

Rest of the draw: C Morrison v R Fitzpatrick; J Wade v R Crowther; M Gee v G Chadwick; G Hickey v J Fitzpatrick; M Prosser v J Pearson; P Fielding v J Hatzer.