Coverdale on road to Royton

REPEAT BID... reigning champion Gary Coverdale heads to Royton for the heats of the Oldham Evening Chronicle Handicap.

BOWLS:

GARY Coverdale will begin the defence of his Oldham Evening Chronicle Bowling Handicap title at Royton on Friday, June 10.

Coverdale (North Chadderton), who beat Lee Schofield (Friezland) in last year’s final, is one of nine players at that venue.

Schofield has been drawn at Delph on the first qualifying night, June 3.

Most of the four venues, which will be hosting heats on successive Fridays, have eight entrants.

For the first time, contestants will draw their own number to decide whom they play.

There will be one qualifier at each venue, where practice is from 6.30pm and play starts at the new, later time of 7pm.

The eight qualifiers will play off on finals night, Saturday July 9, at North Chadderton Social and Bowling Club, where, for the first time, a players’ dress code will be strictly enforced.

Next year’s final has already been allocated to Royton.




DARREN Griffiths’ 21-9 victory over Keith McHugh salvaged a share of the aggregate points for Tonge in their Manchester Premier League match at the Nursery Inn, Stockport.



It was the first time this season that reigning champions Tonge had failed to win outright, but they still retained the lead in the table with a game in hand.

Other Tonge winners were Jimmy Derby (21-15), Andy Cairns (21-13), Gary Ellis (21-20) and Simon Coupe (21-13).




STEVE Mellor and M Fisher will fly the flag for Oldham in the finals of the Brennan Paving mixed pairs at Norden BC on Sunday (4pm).



Favourites to win the £300 top prize are four-times Evening Chronicle Handicap winner Peter Craig and Karen Galvin, one of the top female players in the game.