Hotchkiss tastes Tanners League glory for first time

The Crescent bowler went into the Handicap on Bank Holiday Monday on the back of two good league wins – and five more wins later he was lifting the trophy at Meole Brace.

Hotchkiss finished tops from a field of 32 entries by beating Unison’s Matt Parry 21-20 in what organiser Rich Jones described as “an excellent close final”.

On his way to the crunch clash he beat his clubmate Lee Walmsley 21-16, then Castlefields’ Anthony Gray 21-9 and Tony Hotchkiss (Prince of Wales Hotel) 21-16 before defeating Hadnall’s Steve Dance 21-10 in the semi-finals.

Parry’s route to the final began with a 21-8 win over Owen Hanmer (Prince Hotel), then 21-14 over fellow Unison bowler Rowan Barwick and Hanwood’s Emily Cunningham 21-12 before a last four 21-14 success over Prince Hotel’s Danny Wornell 21-14.

“First round losers took part in a consolation competition with Castlefields’ Keith Wall beating Hanwood’s Tony Cunningham in the final 21-7,” added Jones.

The losing semi-finalists were Nigel Ferrington (Prince Hotel) and Pontesbury’s Charlie Hotchkiss.

Next up for the league is the Terry & June Sambrook Doubles on Monday at the Prince of Wales Hotel, with an 11am start.

Entry is £10 per pair, names taken on the day with home bowlers over-18 handicapped, and prize money will depend on numbers.

Husband-and-wife Jamie and Sally King are fast emerging as the mixed doubles pairing that all bowlers in Shropshire need to fear.

The Wrockwardine Wood duo added to their title collection by successfully retaining the Dave Card Memorial Rosebowl as winners of the Shropshire association’s mixed pairs at Bridgnorth.

They ended up as kings that ruled on Sunday by beating Sarah Weaver & Dave Hanson of Wem USC 21-6 – after surviving a huge scare in the semi-finals.

That came against Wrockites clubmates, mother and son Louise & Josh Cotton, who they beat 21-20 with Sally resting out a six inch bowl to finally get them over the line to ensure leads of 10-0, 14-6 and 17-11 did not go to waste.

Weaver & Hanson scored two full house fours as they won their last four tie 21-12 against Natalia Connor & Scott Moseley (Wrockwardine Wood) – but the final was much tougher.

“After their semi-final scare, Sally & Jamie King burst out of the blocks in the final and, helped by two full house fours and a triple, forged a 14-3 lead,” said county competition secretary Mike Potter. “And they relentlessly piled the pressure on by restricting Sarah Weaver & Dave Hanson to only three single chalk winning ends out of the last eight to complete the successful defence of their title in 15 ends.”

Potter thanked Roger Cotton for measuring on the day and host club Bridgnorth and it members before presenting cash prizes to the pairings that reached the last four.

Quarter–final scores: Sally & Jamie King 21-14 Dawn & Mark Gray; Sarah Weaver & Dave Hanson 21-5 Shavorne Osborne & Darren Lord; Louise & Josh Cotton 21-15 Lucy Evans & Tony Garmson; Natalia Connor & Scott Moseley 21-17 Lisa Pessall & Peter Millington.

There were mixed fortunes for Shropshire’s competition bowlers over the bank holiday weekend.

It started well for county and British No.1 Callum Wraight on Friday night as he swept through to the finals of the Penwortham Sports Floodlit in Preston with 21-3 and 21-4 victories.

But he suffered a first-round defeat next day in the £2,600 Spring Open at Owley Wood as a high-class field of 64 took part in the one-day comp.

New Adderley signing Matty Worden performed the best, winning four games to reach the semi-finals, while Ifton’s Leighton Roberts made the last eight as Matt Gilmore triumphed.

Closer to home, Sir John Bayley man Paul Evans warmed up for Shropshire’s county championship opener against North Midlands by qualifying for the finals of the Woodfield Open in Wolverhampton.

Meanwhile, bowlers dismayed by the Conwy Festival being cancelled are celebrating the news that the Colwyn Bay Legion and Rhos Park clubs will be running competitions on the festival dates from July 31 to August 4.

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Darrell Handley hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to the Shropshire Premier Bowling League season, but he was in the money on finals day in the Spring Waterloo.

The Highley man has lost his first two league games, but his competition form this year has been good – and so it was again on Monday at Fleetwood as he made the last eight.

He beat Martin Gaut (St Georges ) 21-17 and Kevan Shaw of Bolton 21-10 before losing 21-15 to eventual runner-up Gareth Jones of Cumbria, who lost to Paul Dudley in the final.

Three-time Spring Waterloo winner Greg Smith, who has now signed for Wrockwardine Wood, beat British No.1 Callum Wraight 21-13 in round two but, like Handley, was a quarter-final loser.