Field of 32 are ready to battle in Hadley Open

The field of 32 who have qualified in the £3,200 NJ Installations Hadley Open for a 10.30am start is packed with quality from far and wide.

But it is the multi-titled Midland star Greg Smith who is a clear 7-2 favourite with bookie Kevin Price to land the £700 first prize, with Castlefields star Mike Beer and Yorkshire’s James Davison next best at 5-1.

“Greg will rightly start as favourite but there are a few that will be challenging him for the title,” said promoter Rob Burroughs, who has had assistance running the comp from fellow club officials Callan Rhodes and Adrian Smith.

“It’s great to see such a quality line-up at finals day with top class competition bowlers from across many counties as well as some local bowlers.

“We have a few qualifying for their first big finals day (including the reigning British Parks Junior Merit champion Tom Killen from Shifnal) and they will be hungry to make the mark on the open scene.”

Smith faces a first round tie against Scott Moseley of reigning Premier League champions Wrockwardine Wood while Beer takes on his namesake Paul of St Georges for starters.

David Lloyd and former homester Ayden Smith meet in all Bayley opener while clubmates Tom Roden and Scott Simpson, St Georges duo Sonya Lucas and Phil Jones and Castlefields quartet Paul Williams, Mark Taylor, Keith Wall and Jon Palmer all add local flavour.

Former British Merit champions Matt Gilmore and Ryan Prosser will take some beating while Highley’s Danny Statham showed good early season form in reaching the finals of a high class open singles at Stockingford in Nuneaton just last weekend.

Also tomorrow the SPS Whitchurch League have their traditional curtain raiser, the Norman Ford Invitation Classic at Prees, while a fist prize of £300 is up for grabs at an open mixed pairs at Wrexham club Gresford Colliery.

Bowls diary

Bridgewater Open 64 – one-day comp on Saturday, July 22, with 64 places using both greens at the Whitchurch club. Entry fee £15, first prize £500 and nearly full, vacancy details from Richard Proudlove on 07725-131713.

£1,280 Gresford Open – singles comp with qualifying on Saturday-Sunday, 19-20 & 26-27 August (all 5.30 practise, 6pm start). Final 16 on Saturday, September 2 (4.30 practise, 5pm start) with £250 first prize. Entry £20, book with TN Lowndes via Facebook.