Bowls round-up: Women and juniors chasing success

The mood at two fixtures in the British Ladies County Championship could not be more different, with Shropshire firmly on course for three crowns in a row while North Shropshire spy a rare win to avoid another wooden spoon.

Shropshire take on Burton in a clash which will decide who finishes top of qualifying section three and heads to next month’s semi-finals.

Sinclair and Tutbury BC in Burton host the 12-a-side legs with Horsehay’s Beth Reeves set to make her country debut away while a mighty powerful line-up awaits the 2pm start at the Telford venue.

North Shropshire and tomorrow’s rivals South Shropshire are both without a victory in section two this season so the aim is to avoid finishing bottom at all costs.

There’s a debut for Shirley Lytham (District) at home at Hodnet while the away 12 come up against former top Shropshire junior Emma Massey-Jones at Willenhall Nordley.

The county’s ambitious under-18s will be in action at Bicton from 10am with the main Shropshire Junior Merit title and a consolation crown up for grabs.

Highley is the venue for the Highley League’s singles finals - the Mark Bennett Memorial for top-flight bowlers starting at 2pm and the quarter-finals of that and the division two knockout at 3pm – while the Oswestry League’s Ladies and Youth Singles are at Ponciau Park (10am).

Meanwhile, Lilleshall Hall’s flat green bowlers head to Stourport for their semi-final in the prestigious team knockout for the Vernon Turner Trophy run by the Worcestershire Bowling Association, their opponents being Vines Park.

County Cup thrillers

Two cracking semi-finals played just yards apart made for a thrilling County Cup night.

Sir John Bayley, holders of the 12-a-side KGJ Insurance-backed bowls prize, battled back from behind to beat Wrockwardine Wood in front of a packed bottom green at St Georges.

And just up the slope on Saturday evening, Highley were hanging on to pip Hanwood by a mere seven shots in an even closer showdown, thanks to Bruno Heath scrambling 20 from well down to Mark Shore in the last game.

When the in-form Tom Killen won 21-8 at No.7 the Wrockites were 20 chalks to the good in their tension-filled semi.

But Stuart Rutter’s 21-8 card lifted the Bayley Boys and they won the last five games for seven winners all told to clinch eventual victory by 18 and another final appearance..

Danny Statham (21-3) and Dave East (21-8) had put Highley in total command on the top green before Shaun Bould (21-7), Mark Parsons and Phil Lyttle gave Hanwood hope as the noise levels rose.

Another title for Callum

Another title triumph and a near-miss was the story for Callum Wraight from his big money double header last weekend.

The Shrewsbury bowls king kept up his stellar form of late by winning the £700 top prize in the Metro Sports Open Classic in Manchester on Saturday.

But his big Midland rival, Greg Smith – who plays for Wrockwardine Wood in the Premier League – edged him out in the final of the £5,150 Sandal Classic next day in Wakefield.

Two comfortable early wins took Wraight to a semi-final showdown with fellow British Senior Merit winner Matt Gilmore in the semi-finals at Metro Sports.

He won that 21-11 and then beat Ryan Walters 21-14 in the final, promoter Ray Tully declaring: “Multiple winner Callum Wraight won it and it was well deserved - he struck once in the final and I was stood behind, but not brave enough to stop it!”

The 38-year-old Castlefields man and Smith featured in another epic battle in the Sandal Classic on Sunday.

Smith landed the £1,000 jackpot with a Sandal spokesman saying:  “It was a brilliant final with an amazing final end, Greg winning 21-19.”

Wraight will lick his wounds and go again, this coming Sunday heading up to Blackburn to try and qualify in the 31-up £1,000 Alexandra Classic that he has already won seven times.