A LATE change of woods proved a good call for Longwood’s Trevor Holmes who was £100 better off after scooping Sunday’s Jack Burgin Trophy – a competition for non-winners.

After struggling to keep his own woods on the excellent Lockwood Con green during practice, Holmes asked to borrow his friend Peter Kain’s, who duly nipped off home to lend him his 2lb 8oz, smaller bowls.

And the choice paid off.

It was the Griffin player’s third appearance in a final this season after competing in the Vic Sugden and Spring Handicap and it proved third time lucky when he beat Meltham’s Craig Gant 21-17 in the excellently-staged event.

En-route to the final of the popular handicap, named after one of the town’s popular sportsmen Ian ‘Jack’ Burgin who died in 2004, Holmes beat Peter Hopkinson (Lindley Lib) 21-14, homester Jason McMahon 21-11, and took off Moldgreen Con’s Sean Metcalfe 21-15 – after carving out a substantial 16-5 lead at one stage.

Gant, meanwhile, was carving through the bottom half of the draw, with victories against Ray Harper (21-16), Mark Atkinson (21-20) and Tom Chatfield (21-7).

But his run came to a bitter end against Holmes.

The 23-year-old, who also plays football for West Riding County Amateur League Premier Division team Meltham Athletic, was forced to settle for the runners-up place – a position he is, frankly, getting sick of.

After twice being runner-up in the Yorkshire Cockcroft Handicap along with the Under 16 and junior finals, the talented Meltham BC player got within a point of Holmes at 12-11 and levelled at 16-16 before the Longwood player received a fortunate knock which extended his lead to 18-16 and he maintained his solid form for a 21-17 victory.

Holmes said: “The green has been phenomenal. It’s in excellent condition, yet very, very tricky, and at times it felt like a lottery out there.”

In addition to the normal pay-outs in the Sash Windows-sponsored event, Lockwood Con member Mick Cox, stumped up a surprise tenner to be awarded to ‘the bowler with the lowest first round score!’

Unfortunately for Alan Bamforth, of Linthwaite Hall, he was the recipient and during the presentation he joked: “It’s the first time I’ve ever been up to collect twice in a final day!”

First round: J Gant (3) (Crosland Moor) 21 D Garner (4) (Netherton Con) 13, M Wood (3) (Lockwood Con) 12 S Metcalfe (3) (Moldgreen Con) 21, T Holmes (3) (Longwood) 21 P Hopkinson (3) (Lindley Lib) 14, J McMahon (3) (Lockwood Con) 21 P Toon (4) (Almondbury BC) 16, T Allen (4) (Lindley Lib) 21 A Bamforth (3) (Linthwaite Hall) 9, T Chatfield (4) (Milnsbridge Lib) w/o P Green (4) (Clayton West) scr, R Harper (3) (Lockwood Con) 16 C Gant (3) (Meltham) 21, R Bradshaw (7) (Slaithwaite) 15 M Atkinson (3) (Crosland Moor) 21.

Quarter-final: J Gant 20 Metcalfe 21, Holmes 21 McMahon 11, Allen 8 Chatfield 21, C Gant 21 Atkinson 20.

Semi-final: Metcalfe 15 Holmes 21, Chatfield 7 C Gant 21.

Final: Holmes 21 C Gant.

The popular Marsh United BC £1,400 competition – where there is a £600 winner’s cheque – begins this Saturday when eight players bowl down to one for a place in the final on Saturday, August 2.

First round: Ian Tordoff (Liverpool) v Lee Lawton (Manchester), Tony Riley (Bradford) v Stephen Gilroy (Pudsey), Mark Wood (Lockwood Con) v Duncan Reeves (Pudsey), John Hanson (Preston) v Chris Mordue (Bradford).

Dean Ferris, Glyn Cookson, Tommy Johnstone and Michael Leach are the latest qualifiers in the Clifford Crawshaw Memorial Classic, at Sowerby Bridge Hill Crest.

First round: Larry Wells (Warrington) scr Andy Cairns (Rawtenstall) w/o, Stuart Goodwin (Warrington) 19 Dean Ferris (Stoke) 31 Steve Brown (Warrington) scr Glyn Cookson w/o, Mark Ferris (Stoke) 31 Carl Armitage (Warrington) 30, Chris Jenkins (Stoke) 19 Tommy Johnstone (Warrington) 31, Darren Plenderleith (Tamworth) w/o Mick Pollard (Mirfield OB) scr, Michael Leach (Hothersall) 31 Nicky Tideswell (Stoke) 27, Mark Henry (Hoyalnd) scr Alec Heaps (Warrington) w/o.

Second round: Cairns 24 Ferris 31, Cookson 31 M Ferris 21, Johnstone 31 Plenderleith 19, Leach 31 Heeps 15.

Saturday’s draw: Chris Brown (Sheffield) v Graham Roberts (Halifax), Arthur Land (Frodsham) v Charlie Bebbington (Warrington), Matt Bower (Sheffield) v Robert Hitchen (Halifax), Ryan Clark (Thongsbridge) v Paul Heap (Saddleworth), Chris Kelly (Thongsbridge) v Roy Nicholson (Holmfield), Andrew Sykes (Mirfield OB) v Ernie Wearing (Sheffield), Colin Lane (Chadderton) v Gareth Nicholson (Holmfield), Andrew Turner (Sheffield) v Allan Thompson (Mirfield OB).

Longwood had one winner only away at newly-crowned British team champions Garswood Hall (Wigan) in the Manchester Premier League while Lower Hopton lost at home to Budenbergs (10.5pts to 5pts).

Tonight, Longwood host Tommy Johnstone’s team South Manchester Royal British League while Hopton travel to Richmond (Liverpool).

Longwood names first: F Greenwood 7 J Taylor 21, D Beeby 8 B Speed 21, R Crowther 6 N Bithel 21, S Gilroy 15 A Manual 21, R Sutton 10 J Hodson 21, R Mozley 14 C Marshall 21, D Hennessy 17 B Farrel 21, R Whitwam 21 R Belshaw 20, I Briggs 18 K Shaw 21, M Bramall 6 N Shaw 21.