Ellis is king of the Waterloo

MASTER OF HIS CRAFT . . . Crown green bowls expert Gary Ellis raises the Spring Waterloo Handicap trophy, which he won at Blackpool on Sunday, and the Waterloo autumn cup.

Gary holds his nerve to complete major double

BOWLS: ANY lingering doubts about the identity of the number one player in crown green bowls has surely been removed following the Waterloo Spring Handicap success of Gary Ellis.

The Nimble Nook and Tonge star, three times the autumn Waterloo champion, holds both titles following his amazing success in Blackpool on Sunday.

Ellis and Graeme Wilson have long been considered the top two in the game and opinion has been split down the middle about who is the better.

But Wilson has yet to win a Waterloo autumn title and his record at the home of bowls is some way behind that of Ellis despite Champion of Champions’ victories in the last two years.

Ellis’s ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is unmatched and this quality was never more in evidence than on Sunday.

Successive 21-20 victories over Anthony Aldridge, Darren Smith and Chris Ward set up a final showdown with Darren Edmondsen.

And, in yet another tight finish, Ellis showed he has the ultimate nerve by grinding it out 21-19.

Victory, which followed his previous weekend’s success in the Sowerby Bridge Super 32, earned Ellis an £800 pay-out.

It also clinched him a place in the Champion Of Champions’ tournament in the autumn.

Oldham’s other two representatives in the Waterloo finals, Colin Lane and Jonathan Copeland, performed with credit.

Lane (Nimble Nook, Tonge), back to his best form after an indifferent spell, reached the quarter-finals with victories over Geoff Telford (21-20), Albert Prescott (21-18) and Mark Holmes (21-20)

But Ward proved too strong in the last eight, recording a 21-15 verdict.

Copeland (Springbank, Tonge), at 18 the youngster player on finals day, kicked off with a 21-19 verdict over Jamie Dunn (Coventry), but found eventual semi-finalist James Grimstone (St Annes) too strong in the last 32, losing 21-15.


SPRINGBANK’S Paul Heap and Alan Bidwell, and Nimble Nook’s Matt Gillies were among the qualifiers for the finals of the Greater Manchester Merit at North Chadderton Social and Bowling Club on Friday.

Others to go through were Dave Gwilliam, Peter Fielding and Keith McHugh.

The next heats will be held at Ellesmere BC tomorrow night, followed by the Grapes Hotel, Hyde, on Friday.


ANDREW Buckley (Nimble Nook) reached the finals of the J W Lees Classic at Hopwood when he defeated Martin Hodson (Springbank) 21-6 in the second round on Friday.

But his pal and pairs partner Darren Griffiths suffered a surprise 21-20 defeat at the hands of Sheffield’s Andy Whittaker.

Other qualifiers were Roger Crowther and Mark Foster.