Opening heats on the horizon

LEE Schofield, beaten finalist in last year’s Oldham Chronicle Bowling Handicap, starts out on the long road in his bid to go one better when he plays in Friday’s heats at Delph.

BOWLS:

THE first heats in this year’s Oldham Evening Chronicle Bowling Handicap will be held on Friday, when there will be play at four venues.

Play starts at 7pm, with practice from 6.30pm.

For the first time, each player will select a number to dictate his place in the draw.

The venues and players, with handicaps, for the opening night are:


CROMPTON

P Guilfoyle 3 (Delph); R Kelly 3 (Hollinwood Cricket); D Griffiths 2, E Worthington 2 (Nimble Nook); J Ashton 3 (North Chadderton); I Gorbutt 2 (Royton Cricket); G Shaw 2 (Springbank); M Holden 2 (Syke).



DELPH

B Sowerby 3 (Church Inn); A Buckley 2, R Nisbet 2, A Smallwood 4 (Nimble Nook); L Schofield 1 (Friezland); D Aspin 4, C Brooks 2 (Royton Cricket); T Gowers 4 (Springbank).



NIMBLE NOOK

R Gaskell 3 (Hollinwood Cricket); P Biram 3 (Milnrow MP); J Mountford 3 (North Chadderton); S Bolton 2, B Cooper 5 (Royton Cricket); N Armstrong 4 (St Paul’s); A Bidwell 4 (Springbank); C Bradbury 3 (Springhead Libs); J Lord 2 (Syke).



ROYTON

D Rae 4 (Delph); P Heap 2 (Friezland); J Rudkin 3 (North Chadderton); C Kewley 5, S Schofield 2, B Seville 2 (Nimble Nook); L Kewley 4 (Springbank); R Carr 3 (Springhead Libs).



GARY Ellis’s bid to retain his Waterloo Spring title ended in gallant failure. The Nimble Nook and Tonge ace lost 21-19 in the semi-finals to Shrewsbury’s Colin Beaman, who went on to win the top prize with a 21-8 defeat of John Bailey (North Wales).

There were last-64 exits for Nook’s Andy Buckley and Jimmy Derby, and Tonge’s Simon Coupe.

Buckley lost 21-15 to Rochdale’s Barclay Warrington, while Derby went down 21-19 to Beaman and Coupe was beaten 21-18 by Normanton’s Nathan Webster.



THE second round of the Chadderton League’s Swallow Cup will be held on Thursday week (6.45pm).