Ellis just champion as rivals slug it out

Photo: Picture courtesy 21up bowls website.

GARY ELLIS celebrates his Blackpool success.

BOWLS: 

GARY Ellis and Graeme Wilson, crown green bowling’s top two players, gave the sport’s followers a weekend to savour.

The pair reached two important finals, sharing the honours with one competition victory each.

But it was Ellis, the Nimble Nook and Tonge star, who won the tournament which really mattered in Blackpool on Saturday.

Victory in the Champion of Champions event earned him the top prize of £1,000 and gave him the perfect send-off to the Algarve where he will be defending his Portugal Masters title next week, having won the first two runnings of the event.

Ellis, who beat Wayne Ditchfield of St Joseph’s 21-15 to reach the final in Blackpool, made a flying start against former Oldhamer Wilson, who now lives in Audenshaw.

Three successive twos gave him a 6-0 lead and, valiantly as Wilson tried with some stunning bowls, Ellis repelled him with some equally-impressive woods of his own.

After his 21-15 triumph, Ellis said: “It was a great final and, after I had made a good start down an edge, Graeme played a lot of close bowls.

“But I managed to find about four crunch bowls, either taking him out or striking him off at vital stages.”

Ellis, winning his second Champion of Champions title after beating Kendal’s Ian Nicholson in the 2004 final, was unable to stave off the brilliant Wilson 24 hours later in the Whaley Bridge Open.

The pair locked horns again and it was Wilson who claimed a 21-13 verdict to beat the five-times event winner Ellis.

“Graeme played as well as I did on Saturday. He was on another level to me,” admitted Ellis, who then reflected on an incredible season.

“It has been my best ever,” he said. “My previous best was 10 handicap wins, but I have 13 now and the reason is that I have hardly had a drop in form all year.

“Whenever I have been struggling a bit I have managed to win one to get me back.

“I had been having a dodgy month going into the Champion Of Champions, so it was great to win it.

“I am looking forward to playing well again in Portugal and the green obviously suits me.”




NIMBLE Nook team-mates Andrew Buckley and Darren Griffiths ended a long wait to win the prestigious Autumn Doubles at Mirfield Old Bank, Yorkshire.



Beaten finalists way back in 1994 and losing semi-finalists last year, they finally landed the big prize of £1,300 when defeating Huddersfield’s Ashley Daykin and Steven Hirst by a single chalk in last night’s final.

Griffiths lost 31-25 to Daykin, but Buckley – who had led 13-0 – repelled a late challenge from Hirst to win 31-24.

The Chadderton lads booked their place in the final with a comfortable semi-final defeat of Yorkshire brothers Scott and Dave Fisher.

Buckley beat Scott 31-24, while Griffiths led Dave 29-26 at which stage they walked off with the result academic.