Buckley bags top spot in Bury Open

Jack Fitton Pairs winners Jim Foster (left) and John Whitmore (Delph) with Veterans League chairman Bryan O’Neill (centre).

NIMBLE Nook’s Andrew Buckley is £500 better off after winning the Huntley Unionist Open in Bury.

Buckley beat Middleport’s Nick Tideswell 21-18 in the final, having earlier defeated Mark Armson (Rochdale) 21-12, Steve Baskerville (Altrincham) 21-14, and Jason Cornes (Northwich) 21-6.

Buckley also has his sights set on the top prize in the £3,000 Moorside Classic after qualifying in convincing style with victories over Carl Lancaster, David Jarrett and Colin Brooks.

And he was joined in the last 16 by his pairs partner and Nook team-mate Darren Griffiths, who overcame Chris Hughes, Mike Gratton and Kevin Wainwright, conceding only 15 chalks in three games.

Graeme Wilson (Audenshaw) and Kevan Shaw (Wigan) were last week’s other qualifiers.

First round: Buckley 21, Lancaster 15; Bill Burlinson 18, Jarrett 21; Colin Brooks w/o; John Jones 21, Darren Smith 3; Mark Foster 21, Glen Moore 11; Dave Carter 13, Wainwright 21; Mike Gratton w/o; Hughes 6, Griffiths 21; Robert Hitchen 21, Robbie Fitzpatrick 13; Clive Chapman 20, Tony Roberts 21; Roy Moxham 9, Wilson 21; Darren Plenderleith 21, Chris Kelly 12; Gary Wallis 21, Gerwyn Davies 10; Johnathan Sneddon 19, Shaw 21; Ryan Clark 9, Steve Gaynor 21; Brian Sowerby 21, Andrew Walker 17.

Second-round: Buckley 21, Jarrett 10; Brooks 21, Jones 13; Foster 12, Wainwright 21; Gratton 6, Griffiths 21; Hitchen 21, Roberts 9; Wilson 21, Plenderleith 17; Wallis 3, Shaw 21; Gaynor 21, Sowerby 9.

Third round: Buckley 21, Brooks 12; Wainwright 3, Griffiths 21; Hitchen 19, Wilson 21; Shaw 21, Gaynor 6.


JIM Foster and John Whitmore (Delph) won the Oldham Veterans’ League’s Jack Fitton pairs competition with a 21-20 defeat of Wilf McDermott and Keith Prince (Springbank) at Moorside.

Quarter-finals: B Hart and A Ashton (Nimble Nook) 21, K Platt and P Aspinall (Chadderton Hall Park) 17; McDermott and Prince (Springbank) 21, D Carrington and B Yates (Crompton) 12; Foster and Whitmore 21, B Clark and B Biggins (Springbank) 8; F Royle and W Connolly (North Chadderton) 14, B Astley and G Creighton (Royton) 21.

Semi-finals: Hart and Ashton 8, McDermott and Prince 21; Foster and Whitmore 21, Astley and Creighton 11.


SPRINGBANK ‘A’ lifted the Chadderton League’s Swallow Cup thanks to a 43-points defeat of Westwood in the final at North Chadderton Social and Bowling Club.

Springbank overcame Royton ‘A’ in the semi-finals, while Westwood defeated Uppermill.

Semi-finals:

Royton (12) 178, Springbank (10) 209: J Patterson 13, G Shaw 21; M Dwayre 21, W McDermott 15; B Kitson 14, D Buckley 21; D Kirkham 11, A Hodson 21; G Stanley 21, M Garbett 20; S Bolton 15, G Smedley 21; A Taylor 21, G Woolley 20; C Brooks 18, M O’Neill 21; J Ramsbottom 21, P Heap 18; I Gorbutt 11, S Copeland 21.

Uppermill (51) 219, Westwood (37) 231: K Sharpe 18, A Gregson 21; M Naughton 21, F Backhouse 12; D Sykes 21, R Colley 20; C Muller 21, G Goldrick 19; M Tomlinson 0, B Corr 21; P Crabtree 20, W Townsend 21; N Hampson 21, V Greenhalgh 18; L Butterworth 8, J Knott 21; D Rae 21, R Bartram 20; B Green 17, J Halliwell 21.

Final:

Springbank (10) 212, Westwood (37) 169: G Shaw 14, A Gregson 21; W McDermott 21, F Backhouse 10; D Buckley 20, R Colley 21; A Hodson 21, G Goldrick 15; D O’Brien 21, B Corr 10; M Garbett 21, W Townsend 13; G Smedley 21, V Greenhalgh 5; G Woolley 21, J Knott 13; P Heap 21, R Bartram 7; S Copeland 21, J Halliwell 17.