HUDDERSFIELD becomes the centre of Yorkshire crown green bowling this weekend.
It’s the prestigious Yorkshire Merit, with qualifying throughout the district on Saturday followed by the high-profile final at Almondbury Liberal Club on Monday (starts 11.00).
Total prizemoney is £1,780 with £500 to the winner, who last year was Thongsbridge’s Nicky White at Elland C&BC.
He defends the crown this time – Huddersfield get 12 places in the final – although he appears to have a tough draw in the qualifying at Lindley Lib.
Two of his Yorkshire county colleagues, Scott Fisher and Paul Ingleby, are also there along with former county man Duncan Reeves and previous Yorkshire competition winner Darren Pitchforth (he won the Hills Supplies Handicap in 2005 at Brockholes BC).
Whoever comes through at that venue will truly have earned their place in the final!
This is the fifth time Almondbury Lib have hosted the showpiece, although the first since the last of a hat trick in 1999.
It was first held there way back in 1965, when M Murgatroyd (Luddendenfoot) beat N Wilkinson (Horsforth Con).
In 1997, David Blackburn of Slaithwaite CBC lost out to Ian Smith (Akroyd Park) in the showpiece, when the following year Netherton Con’s Steven Haigh beat Allan Thompson of Mirfield Old Bank.
In 1999 there was another Huddersfield winner, Steven Hirst of Thongsbridge CBC, who beat S Thompson (Green BC) to take the title.
Should he qualify this time, Graeme Wilson will be aiming to improve on his record of four Yorkshire Merit titles.
While the qualifiers should all prove fascinating, Almondbury Lib are hoping for a big attendance on Monday for the final at their Thorpe Lane green.
It’s accessible from Northgate (turn down by Nosh restaurant) and parking is available on the road side and on the football pitch at the top of Wormald Street, where attendants will be on hand to advise people on arrival.
Saturday’s qualifying (2.00) takes place on 12 greens and the draws are printed below:
WATERLOO
First round@ – M Fisher (Lockwood con) v M Richardson (Lockwood Con), M Armitage (Linthwaite CB) v I Ross (Thongsbridge), M Hirst (Golcar Lib) v J Mosley (Newsome), T Marren (Lockwood Con) v J Baillie (Slaithwaite).
Second round@ – B Morley (Lindley Lib) v R Dyson (Longwood), D Peacock (Milnsbridge BC) v R Hallas (Milnsbridge BC).
BROCKHOLES
First round@ – J Metcalfe (Moldgreen) v G Senior (Moldgreen), I Briggs (Longwood) v W Dews (Netherton), D Jones (Netherton) v T Giles (Crosland Moor), S Forster (Lindley Lib) v M Hinchliffe (Linthwaite CB), A Peacock (Milnsbridge BC) v F Greenwood (Golcar Lib).
Second round@ – C Austin (Lower Hopton) v R Dunford (Moldgreen).
COWCLIFFE
First round@ – J Webster (Springwood) v B Gibson (Meltham), S Tattersley (Moldgreen) v F Griffin (Waterloo), S Hirst (Netherton) v P Ramsden (Lockwood Con), W Higgins (Lockwood Con) v A Wilson (Moldgreen), T Wilson (Lindley Lib) v P Kain (Lockwood Con).
Second round@ – R Sutton (Waterloo), G Scholes (Moldgreen), M Gilbert (Grange Moor).
GOLCAR LIB
First round@ – A Bamford (Linthwaite Hall) v E Young (Almondbury BC), G O’Sullivan (Crosland Moor) v L Fallas (Longwood), A Lund (Kirkheaton Con) v M Higgins Jnr (Lockwood Con), T Brook (Crosland Moor) v R Craven (Skelmanthorpe Cen).
Second round@ – A Byrnes (Slaithwaite) v R Dickinson (Longwood), P Berry (Kirkheaton Con) v P Chalkley (Lindley Lib).
LINDLEY LIB
First round@ – D Pitchford (Meltham) v N White (Thongsbridge), S Fisher (Moldgreen) v G Howe (Netherton), I Booth (Lower Hopton) v P Ingleby (Longwood), R Whitwam (Longwood) v D Messenger (Grange Moor).
Second round@ – D Reeves (Windmill) v S Gledhill (Longwood), G Sigsworth (Cowcliffe) v A Carter (Cowcliffe).
LINTHWAITE CBC
First round@ – H Ellis (Lockwood Con) v C Davies (Slaithwaite), R Mozley (Slaithwaite) v C Lloyd (Netherton), M Pollard (Longwood) v M Hibbins (Windmill), J Wright (Longwood) v L Riley (Denby Dale).
Second round@ – K Atkinson (Lockwood Con) v A Speechley (Albion), D Beeby (Longwood) v N Thornton (Lockwood Con).
LONGWOOD
First round@ – G Bradford (Albion) v D Slattery (Lockwodo Con), R Aaron (Albion) v D Pollard (Cowcliffe), D Fox (Kirkheaton Con) v K Midwood (Netherton), B Starkey (Slaithwaite) v M Wood (Lockwood Con).
Second round@ – J Abbott (Meltham) v F Armitage (Hemplow), A Wadsworth (Moldgreen Con) v L Peacock (Milnsbridge BC).
MARSH U
First round@ – P Portelli (Meltham) v M Griffiths (Lindley Lib), P Conneely (Cowcliffe) v G Hallsworth (Moldgreen), A Sutcliffe (Albion) v T Graham (Longwood), J Senior (Thongsbridge) v P Rangeley (Netherton).
Second round@ – G Siswick (Crosland Moor) v M Sykes (Milnsbridge BC), M Rhodes (Brockholes) v B Walsh (Milnsbridge BC).
MILNSBRIDGE BC
First round@ – C Gant (Netherton) v C Noble (Lockwodo Con), P Hallas (Thongsbridge) v P Sigsworth (Netherton), J Hatzer (Linthwaite Hall) v J Conneely (Lockwood Con), C Taylor (Linthwaite CB) v A Graham (Moldgreen).
Second round@ – R Spencer (Linthwaite Hall) v B Tinker (Longwood), D Smith (Moldgreen) v A Craven (Skelmanthrope Cent).
MOLDGREEN CON
First round@ – S Stoney (Cowcliffe) v J Davison (Thongsbridge), K Bamforth (Linthwaite Hall) v M Bramall (Longwood), M Parks (Linthwaite Hall) v L Mosley (Milnsbridge BC), G Fellows (Slaithwaite) v R Brook (Waterloo).
Second round@ – P Illingworth (Slaithwaite) v T Holmes (Longwood), R Mudd (Waterloo) v D Fountain (Albion).
NEWSOME
First round@ – P Sykes (Brockholes) v T Randerson (Hemplow), A Cooper (Moldgreen) v A Palmer (Slaithwaite), G McMahon (Linthwaite CB) v R Crowther (Longwood), G Brook (Netherton) v J Dyson (Brockholes), J Grundy (Moldgreen) v D Walkden (Longwood), J Payne (Linthwaite Hall) v R Singleton (Golcar Lib).
Second round@ – A Crowther (Longwood) v S Newport (Brockholes).
THONGSBRIDGE
First round@ – E Haigh (Lockwood Con), M Fletcher (Waterloo), A Daykin (Netherton) v J Bloomer (Albion), A Wike (Springwood) v K Hatzer (Linthwaite Hall), M Atkinson (Crosland Moor) v C Burns (Waterloo).
Second round@ – P Atherton (Waterloo) v M Hinchliffe (Linthwaite CB), T Butterfield (Moldgreen) v D Fisher (Moldgreen).
