Bowls round-up: Wraight on a winning streak ahead of British Senior Merit finals
Being on a winning streak is the perfect way to prepare for tomorrow’s British Senior Merit finals in Barnsley, writes Malcolm Fletcher.
And that’s exactly the case for one of Shropshire’s three qualifiers heading to Dodworth Miners Welfare – the bowls king of the county, Callum Wraight.
The Castlefields star’s latest success came on Wednesday when he won the evening competition that is part of the Fleetwood Festival, pocketing a £500 first prize after a 21-10 final victory over Matt Hill.
Wraight, who qualified for the finals of the Gresford Colliery Open and 31-up £1,000 Alexandra Classic in Blackburn at the weekend, also beat Paul Dudley (21-9), Kev Shaw (21-19) and Dave Worthington (21-18) on finals night.
Winner of the British Merit crown in 2009 and 2022, Wraight opens at Dodworth with a first round tie against fellow Premier League man Dave East (Highley and Staffs).
County Merit winner Chris Stretch (Adderley) has been drawn against Dave Lunn of the Potteries when the 64-string field goes into battle at the two green venue while Emmet McKinley takes on Jack Brookes (Derbyshire).
Bridgewater Open 64
Welsh star John Bailey won the £2,000 Bridgewater Open 64 on a bitter-sweet day for the Whitchurch club’s promoter Richard Proudlove.
Bailey took the £750 first prize and ticket to the expanded Champion of Champions by beating Shrewsbury’s Keith Wall 21-19 in a cracking final.
Wall, now bowling for Monkmoor in the Tanners Shropshire League and the Welsh county team, defeated last year’s winner Callum Wraight in the last 16 and Josh Cotton (Wrockwardine Wood) 21-15 in Saturday’s semi-finals.
Llanrwst-based Bailey had Joe Killen (St Georges) as his 21-14 semi-final scalp in a one-day competition which Proudlove was relieved to see played with a full house field of 64.
“I had 10 to 20 people drop out over the last couple of weeks - it was full again but it takes a lot of time to replace drop outs,” he said.
Wraight recovered later in the day to qualify for the finals of the Tom Roberts Memorial at Gresford Collier alongside Castlefields and county team-mate Ash Wellings.
Bridgewater Open quarter-final scores – Cotton 21 Gary Beff 11; Wall 21 Gary Owen 12; Bailey 21 Lee Brown 6; Killen 21 Rich Goddard 18.
