Callum Wraight has winning run halted by Rogers
British No.1 Callum Wraight enjoyed an excellent Easter – until he lost to fellow Shropshire star Wayne Rogers in the final of his last appointment.
Castlefields king Wraight had won the Coors-backed £1,670 invitation 32 at Houldsworth WMC in Stockport on Good Friday and then qualified for the finals of the Rudheath Spring Open 24 hours later.
And he looked odds-on to triumph in the Les & Mel Evans Invitation Classic for a fourth time at Chadsmoor on Monday – until he came up against Burway big gun Wayne Rogers in the final.
The county senior team-mates are both past winners of the Meole Brace Open and County Merit and produced a final that delighted Lynn Pritchatt, long time partner of Mel Evans and one of the organising team at the Cannock club.
“Wayne was first out of the starting blocks in the final, raced into a 13-4 lead and extended this to 16-6 with some good bowling,” she said.
“By his own admission, Callum was found scratching his head wondering why his tremendous form since the start of the season had suddenly left him for this one game.
“We should have known that three 21-20 wins often means a player’s name is on the trophy and it was Wayne Rogers’ day, securing a 21-12 victory to claim the 2019 Les/Mel Evans MBE Invitation Classic title.”
Those nail-biting wins for Rogers had come against Greg Smith, Mark Picknell (21-17), Damien Morrison – from 13-20 adrift – and Mike Beer (Castlefields) in a Shropshire dominated semi-finals.
“Wayne has been knocking on the door at Chadsmoor, narrowly losing out to Callum in the semi-finals last year,” added Pritchatt as she reflected on an emotional sunshine day.
The impressive Wraight’s early victims were first time visitor Jonathon Sneddon 21-4, Ben Dixon 21-16, late substitue Darrell Handley (Highley) 21-4 and North Midlands ace Darren Plenderleith 21-13.
Recent winner of the Meole title for a third time, Wraight had continued his blistering start to the season at Houldsworth by beating Jack Dyson 21-16 in the final to pocket the £400 top prize, having come through an epic battle with Gareth Herbert in the semi-final, winning 21-20.
Fellow Fields man Beer also reached the quarter-finals after fine wins against Phil Lee 21-15 and reigning champion Gary Ellis 21-19, but then lost out 21-17 to Herbert.
