Tough for Thomas with a tight defeat at British Merit

Having won the Shrewsbury Senior Citizens League’s mixed singles on Monday, Thomas and fellow county qualifier Tony Roche headed for the North Shropshire village club full of hope.

But Thomas, who plays Premier bowls for Meole Brace, suffered an agonising 21-20 defeat against Derbyshire’s John Colebourne in round one of the Grocott Family Charitable Trust-sponsored event.

And Roche (Sir John Bayley) found 2019 title winner Paul Stretton (Derbyshire) too hot to handle and lost 21-11 in his first game as Martin Simcock of the Potteries ended up as champion .

Forty-eight hours earlier, Thomas – who plays seniors bowls for Castlefields – came out on top of 33 entries in the mixed singles at Meole.

“Winner of the main competition was Mark Thomas (Castlefields) who beat John Nash (Castlefields) 21-14, with the losing semi-finalists being Martin Blizard (Meole) and Dave Povey (Pontesbury),” said league chief Chris Kershaw.

“The consolation KO was won by Brian Richards (Crescent) who beat Dave Evans (Oswestry Church) 21-13, with the losing semi-finalists being Emrys Jones (Oswestry Church) and John Baxter (Hanwood).”

Victories aplenty but limited progress is the story for Lilleshall Hall’s men in this season’s Bowls England and Worcestershire Bowling Association competitions.

Still on course are Lilleshall’s flat green quartet of Rod Payne, Alan Harvey, Bill Greenway & Chris Sherriff in the WBA Senior Fours (men).

They won their home game against a Gilt Edge four 20-13 to earn the right to meet another entry from the same club led by Mark Sandoz.

In the BE Men’s Champion of Champions, Sherriff lost 13-21 away to Alan Griffiths (St Dunstan’s BC) and he bowed out of the BE Senior Singles (men) when beaten 7-21 by twice national over-55 champion Grant Burgess (Chester Road BC).

Mark Hussell had two fine wins in the WBA Men’s Singles before losing to seasoned Middleton Cup player Peter Hancox (Hewell BC), while Sherriff bowed out 8-21 against Richard Moule of Vines Park BC.

Peter Hancock & Hussell also enjoyed two victories to start in WBA Pairs (men) but unfortunately they then lost 21-14 to John Oliver & partner (Broadway BC) in another ‘home’ game played at Worcester BC.

Lilleshall’s Harvey, Hancock & Hussell won their first round match in the WBA Triples (men) only to lose in the next round 18-10 against Simon Jones, Dean Hemming & Rob Stanley (Worcester BC).

Likewise, in the WBA Fours (men), Payne, Hussell, Greenway & Sherriff won their first round match 20-14 - despite having been 6-12 down at one point – but then lost 21-11 to a Chester Road four.

The biggest title she can win – the British Ladies Merit – remains the ultimate goal for Shropshire star Sally King.

But the Wrockwardine Wood bowler gave it another good shot on Saturday as she reached the quarter-finals at Tarleton in Preston.

A past winner of the British Ladies’ Junior Merit and County Averages Winners Classic titles, King enjoyed three wins before bowing out 21-18 against Susan Pugh (Dudley).

Her first victim – on a day that ended with Yorkshire’s Andrea Buckley triumphing – was 2012 title winner Lorna Williams of Wales 21-14, before 21-12 and 21-13 wins.

Reigning champion Tracy Bound, a regular in Meole Brace’s Premier League side, was beaten 21-16 in round three by eventual runner-up Jordan Picken of Staffordshire.

North Shropshire qualifier Tin Ralph also had a decent run with two wins before losing in the last 16 against Emily Kernick (Warwick & Worcester) 21-18.

Prince of Wales Bowling Club’s No.2 green off the St Julian’s car park in Shrewsbury has been out of use since before the pandemic.

However, work has now started to return it to playing condition with the ground-keeping team at adjacent club Old Shrewsbury to the fore. A spokesperson for the project said after last week’s work; “Well done to Old Shrewsbury maintenance team. They have spent an afternoon doing the first cut on Prince of Wales’ No. 2 green.

“Two clubs working together and bringing a bowls green back to life.”