THERE’S a strong field for the preliminary rounds of the Colne Valley Bowling League’s Arthur Sheard Pairs on Wednesday.

Play in the Jonathan Sykes-sponsored event starts at 6.45, with scratching when called to play.

It’s bowl down to one at each venue and the final eight pairs will do battle at Thorpe Green BSC on Friday (6.45).

Venues and draws:

Longwood BC

R Abbot and J Kaye (5) (Meltham BC) v G Martin and M Hirst (5) (Golcar Lib), S Wike and I Lumb (5) (Linthwaite Hall) v M Armitage and R Walker (4) (Slaithwaite CBC), K Bamforth and C Taylor (4) (Linthwaite Hall) V N Varley and I Kinloch (5) (Lindley Lib), B Cook and D Kendal (6) (Marsden Park) v M Atkinson and K O’Prey (3) (Crosland Moor).

Lindley Lib

R Whitham and A Dyson (4) (Slaithwaite) v J Martin and A Heaume (3) (Syngenta), C Hey and A Wenzel (4) (Crosland Moor) v M Surman and T Atkinson (6) (Moldgreen Con), C Landon and Partner (5) (Thorpe Green) v R Dyson and R Dickinson (3) (Longwood BC), T Giles and M Giles (3) (Crosland Moor) v R Spencer and RM Spencer (4) (Linthwaite Hall).

Marsh Utd

M Hinchliffe and A Byrnes (4) (Linthwaite CBC) v J Gant and G O’Sullivan (3) (Crosland Moor), G Senior and C Senior (3) (Moldgreen Con) v D Peacock and Partner (5) (Milnsbridge BC), M Peacock and Partner (3) (Milnsbridge BC) v N Slattery and W Hamer (5) (Newsome), G McMahon and W Dews (3) (Linthwaite CBC) v P D Smith and D Smith (4) (Lindley Lib).

Milnsbridge BC

A Deal and S Deal (6) (Milns Lib) v P Sigsworth and J Dyson (Scr) (Netherton Con), B O’Prey and D Lowery (3) (Crosland Moor) v R Making and R Mudd (3) (Waterloo BC), P Haigh and D Shaw (4) (Linthwaite Hall) v T Walker and C Whitwam (4) (Longwood BC), B Tinker and I Gledhill (4) (Longwood BC ) v K Spencer-Halsall and A Wadsworth (4) (Syngenta).

Golcar Lib

A Bamforth and A Crowther (3) (Longwood BC) v A Douglas and M Martin (3) (Syngenta), R Taylor and S Pollard (4) (Hemplow) v L Mosley and C Noble (5) (Lockwood Con), M Wilde and DJ Simmons (3) (Marsh Utd) v B Morley and Partner (3) (Slaithwaite CBC), I Haigh and N Haigh (5) (Meltham BC) v S Lunn and K Lunn (6) (Waterloo).

Waterloo BC

A Harper and S Howard (3) (Marsh Utd) v J Bacon and T Berry (4) (Hemplow), M Wood and A Harper (3) (Lockwood Con) v D Jones and S Tattersley (3) (Moldgreen), M Richardson and P Kain (3) (Lockwood Con) v J Townend and R Whitcombe (6) (Paddock IC), D Oakes and T Holmes (5) (Newsome) v P Fuller and P Powell (5) (Lindley Lib).

Linthwaite CBC

J Webster and M Pogson (4) (Meltham) v A Harrison and G Schofield (4) (Almondbury Lib), J Hulley and Partner (4) (Milnsbridge BC) v E C Gray and A E Gray (5) (Cowcliffe), T Brook and T Boothroyd (3) (Crosland Moor) v C R Squires and Partner (3) (Longwood BC), J Ollerenshaw and R Whitwam (3) (Milns Lib) v S Halsall and A Oldfield (4) (Cowcliffe).

Linthwaite Hall

M Fisher and J McMahon (3) (Lockwood Con) v D Pollard and G Radcliffe (4) (Bradley and Colne), J Abbott and B Gibson (4) (Meltham) v P Dickinson and B Shaw (5) (Milns Lib), J Lockwood and R Sutton (4) (Waterloo BC) v D Blackburn and P Sunderland (5) (Thorpe Green), D Sidebottom and J Grundy (6) (Moldgreen Con) v P Bottom and N Hinchliffe (5) (Marsh Utd).