County crown for bowls duo

Mixed doubles winners

The mixed doubles pair of Jordan Picken and Steve Davis of M&B Cheslyn Hay successfully lifted the MV Dams Trophy last weekend to become the new county mixed doubles champions.

The winning pair overcame the challenge of previous winners, Vikki Wilson and Darrell Handley in the final that was held at Essington bowling club.

Evans and Skidmore aim for junior national glory

Tom Skidmore (Cradley Sports) and Owen Evans (Willenhall Nordley) will fly the flag for Staffordshire on Saturday as they represent the county at the BCGBA Junior Individual Merit.

The tournament – which is being held at Netherfield Bowling Club in Kendal, Cumbria – will see 32 of the top junior competitors from across the country compete to become the All-Britain junior champion.

Action gets under way at 10am and admission is free for spectators.

Cup semi-final action

The semi-finals of the Staffordshire Challenge Cup take place on Sunday, with the promise of some top bowling contests in both matches.

Current cup holders M&B Cheslyn Hay take on Willenhall Nordley at Sedgley WMC, while in the other semi-final Penn face the challenge posed by Windmill at Hawkins.

Elsewhere, the Consolation Cup semi-finals also take place on Sunday, with Penkridge taking on Penn B at Short Heath, while Nordley ‘B’ meet Rugeley Progessive at Harrisons.

They are 2pm starts in each of the above contests.

Nordley open up gap

Willenhall Nordley now have a 13-point gap at the top of the Premier Division of the Wolverhampton & South Staffs League as they recorded a convincing 11-3 home win last weekend against Windmill, with Chris Worthington (21-3) in top form for the home side.

Nordley enjoy a free week this coming weekend as their game at M&B is postponed due to the involvement of junior star Owen Evans in the BCGBA merit.

This will provide second-placed Dudley Dell with an opportunity to close the gap at the summit.

Dell also posted a strong home win last weekend, with Perry Gordon taking the coppers, and they will look for another strong return from their trip to struggling Short Heath on Saturday.

Short Heath are in desperate need of points to avoid relegation and after being 5-1 up at one stage last week at Glasscutters, they will have been disappointed to have come away with an 8-6 reverse.

The reliable Kevin Bibb saw the Cutters home with a typical no-nonsense performance. Glasscutters make the long trip to Victoria Park on Saturday.

Stile were impressive last week as they registered a rare away win at Bylet, with Darren Gittings (21-9) leading the way and they will look to kick-on as they welcome Woodfield for their next challenge.

The remaining game on Saturday sees Windmill entertain Cradley.