Griffiths in major success

DARREN GRIFFITHS

DARREN GRIFFITHS picked up a cool £1,000 and secured a place in the Champion Of Champions’ event in Blackpool when he won Sunday’s John Smiths South Leeds Classic.

The Nimble Nook and Tonge player was in top form all day, beating a series of leading players, including a 21–12 semi-final dismissal of Andy Spragg (Derbyshire) and 21-14 final victory over Andy Cairns (Rawtensall) .

In winning his first major title of the season, Griffiths moved to 22 in the national players’ ranking list.

He will line up alongside other leading competition winners in the Champions’ event at the Waterloo Hotel, Blackpool, on Saturday, September 26 (10am).

Cairns may have missed out on Sunday’s big pot, but at least he had the consolation of banking the £1,000 top prize in the Freeport Fleetwood Festival.

He defeated Singleton’s Darren Edmondson 21-19 in a classic final.


SHROPSHIRE’S Callum Wraight (22) won the BCGBA Merit at the Northern Club, Crosby, on Saturday, beating Glynn Cookson 21-19 in the final.

Victory in this prestigious event earned Wraight £1,000 and a place in the Champion of Champions’ event.


RESULTS in the first heats of the £3,000 Moorside Classic:
First round: Callum Wraight 21, Phil Boydell 20; Greg Ellis 17, Dave Jackson 21; Dave Carter 13, Lee Lawton 21; Anthony Aldridge 21, Matt Beever 17; Graham Davies 19, Andy Mailer 21; Paul Latham 5, Gary Ellis 21; Martin Lloyd 21, Paul Bailey 19; Gareth Gwilliam 14, Terry Glover 21; Ian Nicholson 21, Rich Atkin 10; Danny Beeby 17, Malcolm Middleton 21; Mark Sykes 21, Thomas Hanson 18; Neil Kirkman 13, Roy Nicholson 21; George Chadwick 12, Gareth Nicholson 21; Dave Clarkson 14, James Hanson 21; Martin Gilpin 20, Paul Sigsworth 21.

Second round: Wraight 5, Jackson 21; Lawton 15, Aldridge 21; Mailer 6, Ellis 21; Lloyd 16, Glover 21; Nicholson 19, Middleton 21; Sykes 12, R Nicholson 21; G Nicholson 12, J Hanson 21; Andy Whitaker 9, Paul Sigsworth 21.

Third round: Jackson 11, Aldridge 21; Ellis 7, Glover 21; Middleton 9, R Nicholson 21; J Hanson 19, Sigsworth 21.

Heats continue on Thursday (6.30pm) when the draw is:

John Bennett v Glynn Storer; Colin Leishman v Chris Firth; Matt Gilmore v Paul Dudley; Mark Ferris v Glynn Picknell; Tom Langford v Danny Sillitoe; Lee Cavill v John Hambleton; Anthony Thompson v Phil Hill; John Pearson v Dean Ferris.