Merit spots up for grabs

BOWLS:
THREE places in the All-England Merit and one in the Champion of Champions tournament in Blackpool will be up for grabs when North Chadderton Social and Bowling Club stages the last 16 of the Greater Manchester Merit tomorrow.

From a healthly entry, the event has been whittled down to 16 finalists, who include Nimble Nook’s Matt Gillies, Gary Ellis, Roger Crowther and Colin Lane, and Waterloo and Taunton’s Lee Turner.

A bookmaker will be in attendance and he has made Ellis the 5-2 favourite.



REIGNING champions Tonge are back in the Manchester Premier League title race after a superb 12-4 (187-180) victory at Lloyds Hotel, Chorlton. Tonge’s winners were Nicky Brooks (21-14), Jimmy Derby (21-20), Gary Smith (21-15), Graham Hickey (21-18), Gary Ellis (21-13) and Thomas Dobson (21-16).

Tonge are at home to Liverpool outfit Richmond next Wednesday (7.30pm).

THE Oldham Veterans’ League’s President’s Cup final will be played at Royton Cricket Club on Sunday (noon start and strike-out, no practice).



GREATER Manchester’s women overwhelmed Wirral in Sunday’s county match, the home leg for which was held at Springbank, where the hosts won by 132.

The away side lost by just six chalks.



JASON Fereday and Simon Cawley (Chadderton) lost 21-20 to R Newton and C Lord (Stalybridge) in the second round of the Thwaites men’s pairs at Norden BC. Heats in the competition and the AC Ventilation women’s pairs continue at the Rochdale green on Sunday (5.30pm).