Moor of the same from Griffiths

FINALS-DAY line up at Moorside, from left to right, back row: Ian Howarth, Ged Smedley, Lee Lawton, Chris Brown, Darren Griffiths, Paul Leah, Dave Gwilliam, Keith McHugh, Colin Lane. Front: Glynn Storer, Mark Ferris, Mike Sweeney, David Waters, John Metters, Graeme Wilson, Roy Nicholson,

BOWLS: DARREN Griffiths produced a superb display of consistency to win the Moorside Classic for the second successive year.

The Nimble Nook and Tonge star pocketed the £700 top prize with a 21-14 final defeat of Failsworth’s Lee Lawton.

Griffiths was rarely troubled throughout finals day, although he did have to survive an unexpected scare against Sheffield’s Chris Brown in the semi-finals.

Everything looked to be going to plan when Griffiths led 17-6, but a succession of twos from Brown got him back in the game and he led the jack at 19-20.

Brown lay two for game, but Griffiths produced a dazzling last bowl to book his place in the final.

The early stages of the final saw Lawton nudge ahead, but a succession of top-drawer bowls in the corners from Griffiths clinched victory.

Oldham’s other representatives had mixed fortunes.

Colin Lane (Nimble Nook, Tonge) and Ged Smedley (Springbank) were first-round casualties at the hands of Ian Howarth (Delph) and Griffiths.

And Howarth went on to make Brown pull out all the stops before clinching a 21-19 quarter-final verdict.

Paul Leah (Waterloo and Taunton) beat Roy Nicholson (Halifax) to reach the last eight, at which stage he lost to Lawton.