Bowls round-up: Father and son claim county crown
The leading lights at Shrewsbury bowls club Oxon can now boast a Shropshire title, writes Malcolm Fletcher.
Martin and Emmet McKinley are the new County Father & Son champions after triumphing at Prees on Saturday.
They sentenced Adderley’s Gary and Connor Whitehall to a second visit to the runners-up enclosure in the annual competition by beating them 21-18 in the final.
“Martin & Emmett McKinley played themselves into a strong 15-5 lead in the final before the Whitehalls found a good patch of ground and pulled themselves up to within a chalk at 18-19 down,” said county comps chief Mike Potter.
“But Martin & Emmett resumed control and took the next two ends to complete their victory, 21-18 in 26 ends, and receive the trophy from County President Simon Fullard after seven hours to top class action.”
Entries for the one-dayer were down from 34 to 26, probably due to a poor weather forecast, but that did not bother the two bowlers who topped the Oxon averages in division two of the Tanners Shropshire League last year.
Emmet, who has really caught the eye in the last 18 months, and his dad beat Phil Bryan & Myles Fisher (Wem USC) 21-20 in their semi-final while the Whitehalls were having a slightly easier time in defeating Glyn & Ash Wellings 21-16.
First Oswestry title for Bond
It’s not the first Oswestry Bowling League title that Dave Bond has won – and, the way he’s playing, it won’t be the last.
The Llangollen star produced a string of fine performances that led to more silverware in the form of the The Tote singles cup.
Bond enjoyed two single-figure wins before scoring a 21-15 victory over Elliott Mochan – the Ellesmere bowler who had not lost in the league this season before Sunday – in the final at Llanymynech.
Gary Wilkie was Bond’s 21-4 scalp in the semi-finals as Mochan got the better of Megis Phillips of current league leaders Ceiriog Valley 21-14.
Sinclair's super season
A super season for Sinclair is gathering momentum at an astonishing rate.
Red-hot favourites to win the Mid Shropshire Bowling League, the Telford club stormed through to the quarter-finals of the KGJ Insurance Shropshire Cup and followed up by reaching the last 16 of the British Super Cup.
Staffs side Woodman were beaten by 14 shots overall in the 31-up British Knockout with John Potter’s 31-13 win the best of a clean sweep of the four games on the Ketley green in a vital home win by 43 chalks.
Sinclair overpowered Wem USC by 83 at Greenfields in the 10-a-side Shropshire Cup, new Mid Shropshire Merit champion Harry Church their 21-4 best, on a night when holders Hadley USC bowed out.
They lost by 31 to Wrockwardine Wood at Maddocks as Tony Garmson won 21-7 for the Wrockites, while Woore won a tight battle of the North Shropshire big guns by 22 against Bridgewater at Prees.
Also through to the last eight are Prince of Wale Hotel, Battlefield, Castlefields, Newport and Hodnet.
