Youngsters cash in on Shropshire bowls scene

All the latest action from across the county’s bowling greens.

Young Telford bowler Logan Church has not only broken into Sinclair’s first team in recent weeks, he’s also won two junior opens and lost in the final of another.

Cashing in at Bowring – two-person junior team title winners Ellis Grifiths and Logan Church | Contributed

placeholder image — Cashing in at Bowring – two-person junior team title winners Ellis Grifiths and Logan Church | Contributed

Church and the prince of county under-18 scene, Ellis Griffiths (Prince of Wales Hotel) won the first ever junior two-person team competition at the Bowring.

“Logan defeated Harry Grimston in the final 15-11 from just 11-9 up, and with Ellis having got 13 (against Salvatori Farruggio) they had won the £30 prize money,” said organiser Rob Burroughs after Saturday's event.

Just 24 hours later Church, who had won the first ever Sir John Bayley Winter League Junior Merit earlier in the month after beating Luca Moseley 21-15, reached the final of the Wrockwardine Wood Junior Open.

But this time he lost 21-19 to Harris Needham (SJ Bayley) while Holly Hotckhiss (Crescent) beat Edgmond’s Ben Cutler 21-14 in the consolation final.

Griffiths and fellow young Shrewsbury bowler Jack Peach were today playing in the Pusdey Junior Classic before heading for Fleetwood and tomorrow’s Junior Waterloo and then the Junior World Cup on Sunday at Belmont BC.

Open competitions

The two Shropshire stars who contested the final of the Sinclair Open the previous weekend have kept their fine runs on the open circuit going.

Scott Harries, who won the Sinclair title, beat his county senior team-mate Joe Killen (Wrockwardine Wood) to qualify in the £4,400 Rudheath Summer Open on Saturday night.

The Sir John Bayley bowler won the key game 21-19 and will target a £1,200 first prize on finals night at the Northwich club on September 5.

Meanwhile Callum Wraight – who lost to Harries at Sinclair – was also successful on Saturday, only this time in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire

The Castlefields man won three games in his £5,200 Spen Masters qualifier, including 21-11 win over Ian Booth – who has been playing for Woore this season - and will back for the finals on September 5.

But county No.1 Wraight made a late change of plan and opted not to travel to this week’s Eastfield Festival in Scarborough as he prepares for another assault on the Isle of Man September bonanza.