DEFENDING champions, Netherton Conservative Club, got off to a winning start as the Slawit and Golcar Cars-sponsored Huddersfield Bowling League sparked into life at the weekend.
The team, who are gunning for a fifth consecutive Subscription Cup crown, to match the achievements of the awesome Crosland Moor Liberal club of the 1950s, beat plucky Milnsbridge BC 11-5 at Springwood.
But their achievements were matched by title-rivals Thongsbridge who got the better of Henry Taylor Cup winners Almondbury Lib 11-5 at this early stage of the season.
Promoted Drayton Cup champions Cleckheaton Sports rocked Springwood 11-5 at Crosland Moor Manor while Moldgreen Con, who were also promoted as runners-up in the Drayton, got off to a solid start with an 11-5 victory against Cowcliffe Liberal Club on Meltham’s No1 green.
But, the performance of the day must go to fellow promoted club Crosland Moor Manor.
The team, who finished just one point behind Moldgreen in the Drayton Cup last year, had only one loser as they walloped Meltham 15-1, winning the aggregate points by a stunning 56-point margin.
Longwood also showed good early promise when they beat last year’s fourth-placed side Lockwood Con 13-3, at Moldgreen.
David Walkden and Roger Crowther were the men in form when they took their opponents off for single figures.
The Slaithwaite ‘derby’ went in favour of the B team who silenced their A team members 12-4 while Waterloo beat Lower Hopton by the same scoreline.
A triumvirate of Huddersfield bowlers – Jonathan Sykes, Ashley Daykin and Paul Sigsworth – are through to the third round of the Clifford Crawshaw Memorial Classic, at Hill Crest Bowling Club.
First round: Chris Hill (Sheffield) 31 David Poole (Doncaster) 18, Lee Lawton (Failsworth) 30 Stuart Mort (Standish) 31, James Fitzpatrick (Liverpool) 29 Matt Beever (Sheffield) 31, Jonathan Sykes (Huddersfield) 31 Paul Leah (Warrington) 11, John Metters (Blackburn) 24 Ashley Daykin (Huddersfield) 31, Andy Mailer (Sheffield) 31 Paul Bailey (Birmingham) 25, Paul Sigsworth (Huddersfield) 31 Robbie Fitzpatrick (Liverpool) 27, Andy Whittaker (Sheffield) 26 Paul Hillam (Eccleshill) 31.
Second round: Hill 27 Mort 31, Beever 18 Sykes 31, Daykin 31 Mailer 22, Sigsworth 31 Hillam 26.
Saturday’s draw: Danny Sillitoe (Doncaster) v Richard Bentley (Cleckheaton), Tim Helliwell (Wrexham) v Chris Mordue (Bradford), Mick O’Brien (Doncaster) v Tony Riley (Brighouse Spts), Gerwyn Davies (Wrexham) v Matt Gillies (Tonge), Tony Roberts (Wrexham) v Gary Smith (Leeds), Steve Powell (Brighouse Spts) v John Dewey (Burton), John Richardson (Doncaster) v Kevin Tilling (Burton), Roger Crowther (Huddersfield) v Bob Whitfield (Brighouse Spts).
