Classic display from Griffiths

BOWLS:

DARREN Griffiths produced a superb display of precision bowls – along with powers of concentration and stamina – to lift the £500 top prize in the Hopwood Unionist Classic in Heywood.

Having already successfully negotiated three rounds in the Walmersley BC Classic in the morning, the Nimble Nook and Tonge star travelled to Hopwood knowing a top-class field was ranged against him.

But he came through his first two rounds with the minimum of fuss, beating Dave Scott 21-8 and Ian Booth 21-10.

That set up a semi-final showdown with Graeme Wilson, one of the game’s top players.

Griffiths led 18-10, but a break of 10 in the corners seemed to have swung the game decisively in Wilson’s favour.

However, a double and a single clinched it for Griffiths, who played Sheffield’s Chris Brown in the final.

Brown, who had beaten Griffiths’ team-mate Gary Ellis 21-12 in the last 16, played superbly all day, but Griffiths would not be denied and registered a 21-16 verdict.

Most local representatives bowed out in the last 16.

Springbank’s Matt O’Neill (14-21) and Jimmy Hynes (20-21) lost to Booth and Jack Hargreaves respectively, while Nook’s Colin Lane (12-21), Jonathan Copeland (18-21) and Andrew Buckley (20-21)

succumbed against Stuart Mort, Chris Hill and Mike Leach.

O’Neill fought his way to the final of the Greater Manchester Merit at Middleton Conservative Club on Saturday, but was no match for Gareth Gwilliam, who retained the trophy with a 21-5 verdict.

Gwilliam was simply unstoppable throughout finals day, but even he must have been surprised in beating the game’s number one player, Gary Ellis, 21-2.

Apart from a place in the All-England Merit, Gwilliam has clinched invitations to the Oceanico Masters in Portugal and Champion Of Champions event at the Waterloo Hotel, Blackpool.

Hynes was a third-round casualty in the Royle Classic on Saturday night, going down 21-13 to last year’s beaten finalist, John Wade, who had earlier seen off Nook’s Jonathan Copeland, 21-16.

First round: Paul Heap 18, Hynes 21; Anthony Brierley 12, Phil Biram 21; Keith McHugh 21, Allan Rushton 16; Wade 21, Jonathan Copeland 16.

Second round: Hynes 20, Biram 21; McHugh 11, Wade 21.