Ellis produces Waterloo spirit

THERE are many qualities which go into making sporting champions and, in winning the Waterloo Bowling Handicap for the second time, Gary Ellis displayed a never-say-die attitude to go alongside his undoubted class and ability.

Faced with the deficits Ellis had to cope with in all three games on finals day in Blackpool, many players would have folded under the pressure.

But surrender is not in the nature of the Nimble Nook and Tonge star, rated by many as crown green bowling’s number one player.

Ellis, who started the day as the 11-8 favourite to win the title, trailed Birmingham’s Carl Fielding 16-7 in the quarter-finals, but somehow fought back to win 21-19.

Again he looked down and out in his semi-final against Lancaster’s Dave Clarkson, who appeared to be coasting at 16-8 in front before Ellis roared back to win 21-17.

Then, after leading Simon Coupe 17-12 in the final, Ellis seemed to run out of gas as his day’s exertions started to take their toll.

Coupe scored seven unanswered points to lead 19-17, but Ellis dug in again for the final and decisive time and rattled off the four chalks he needed to win 21-19 and supplement his 2003 triumph in the game’s most prestigious tournament.

Explaining his amazing powers of recovery, Ellis said: “I didn’t feel I was playing that badly. I was putting my bowls where I wanted to, but my opponents were playing so well.

“When you are playing like that you always have a chance, whereas if you are spraying them all over it’s so hard.

“You just have to hang in there. I did that and have fallen over the line. I have done it before to other people and have also had it done to me. You just never know. If you are playing well, you are capable of getting out of jail.”

The final showdown was against Preston’s Coupe, who had suffered the heartbreak of a 21-20 defeat at the hands of Heywood’s John Eccles in the 1991 final.

Ellis led 11-8 and 17-12, but Coupe stood on the brink of a famous victory at 19-17 before Ellis steeled himself and landed the bookies with some hefty pay-outs.

Quarter-finals: Steve Pratt (Coventry) 16, Coupe 21; Tommy Johnstone (Warrington) 21, Grant Soller (Macclesfield) 18; Ellis 21, Fielding 19; Clarkson 21, Kerry Morris (Stoke) 15.

Semi-finals: Coupe 21, Johnstone 15; Ellis 21, Clarkson 17.

Final: Ellis 21, Coupe 19.