Jack Dyson won the Huddersfield Merit for the second time – but he had to beat his best friend in the final to do it.
The 27-year-old joiner from Meltham, who plays for Netherton Con, took the title with a 21-11 win over clubmate Craig Gant at Kirkheaton Cricket & Bowling Club.
Dyson explained: “Craig is my best mate and we’ve just been to the Isle of Man Bowls Festival and had a good holiday together.
“It was a miracle we got to the final because we were both worse for wear after coming back from what is a big drinking and social event, but I played pretty solid all day and Craig played well to beat Gary Siswick, who won it last year, in the semi-finals.”
Dyson – in the Yorkshire away team against Wales this coming Sunday – went into the event, sponsored by Total Food Service Solutions, having reached the last eight of the 350-strong Festival in the Isle of Man.
He played Netherton clubmate, left hander James Martin, in the first round and explained: “I won the toss and got on a bit of a mark, trying to use the green against his left hand.
“It was probably the best game I played all day and it was probably a lot closer than 21-8 suggests – that was a big of an injustice to James.”
Ross Ingham of Lower Hopton was his next opponent, who had beaten Ian Briggs (Longwood) in his opener.
“He’s from Dewsbury and plays a lot at Thornhill and I didn’t think he would know the green that well, but he must have played well to beat Ian,” said Dyson, who works for Croxfords joiners.
“I thought that if he doesn’t know the green, I would throw him in the corners and as it turned out, I played full corners and played quite tidily. Ross started well but I managed to get away and win to 10.”
Waterloo stalwart Rob Mudd was the opponent in the semi-finals, and Dyson decided to go for the corners again as rain started to fall.
“Rob has been around for donkey’s years and he beat Chris Ellis in the quarter-finals, who had done some damage himself by beating Ashley Daykin and Nicky White in qualifying.
“Rob likes to play minimum distances and he’s renowned for playing 19 yards and putting them close, so I decided to throw him in the corners as well.
“He kept getting in and shortening it and we were pretty much level to 10, but then I played him straight across the top of the crown to the club and back and managed to get away.”
So it came to the final and that meeting with his Yorkshire county colleague Gant.
“I noticed in the semi-finals that Craig played a round peg mark against Gary Siswick, so I decided to go for the corners again,” explained Dyson, who also reached the Huddersfield Open Billiards final, losing to Matthew Peaker.
“I didn’t quite lead and went across the middle a bit, but we both fiddled about and it just turned out to be my day with all the little knocks.
“Craig fired well, getting rid of a few good bowls I had, but I managed to finish it off and I was chuffed to bits, because the Merit is still a premier competition in Huddersfield.”
Dyson lost to Daykin in the 2007 Merit final at Rastrick but won the title in 2010 at Lindley BC.
So what does the rest of the summer hold in store?
“I’m playing well at the minute so I want to make the most of that – you never know when it’s going to desert you!”, he answered.
“I reached the Spring Waterloo final and I’ve qualified for the All England next month, having reached the last eight of the Yorkshire Merit.
“Myself and Ashley (Daykin) have qualified for the Nursery Classic at Stockport, too, and I’m entering all the local tournaments, having qualified for the Marsh United £1700.
“We’ve got the county against Wales this weekend – when I’m on the bus to Wrexham – and then it’s Rastrick, Brighouse and, come the winter, back to the Griffin.”
First round: Josh Brown (Kirkheaton Con) 21 Marcus Hill (Penistone) 14, Gary Siswick (Crosland Moor) 21 Craig Wood (Moldgreen) 6, Liam Sykes (Brockholes) 12 Craig Gant (Netherton) 21, Eddie Haigh (Lockwood Con) 20 Peter Kain (Lockwood Con) 21, James Martin (Netherton) 8 Jack Dyson (Netherton) 21, Ross Ingram (Lower Hopton) 21 Ian Briggs (Longwood) 17, Robert Mudd (Waterloo) 21 Steven Lunn (Waterloo) 16, Chris Ellis (Spen Vic) 21 John Webster (Crosland Moor) 15.
Quarter-finals: Brown 12 Siswick 21, Gant 21 Kain 12, Dyson 21 Ingham 10, Mudd 21 Ellis 15.
Semi-finals: Siswick 10 Gant 21, Dyson 21 Mudd 13.
Final: Gant 11 Dyson 21.
