Valley get off to a flying start

THERE are some big guns in Sunday’s final of the Griffin Rose Bowl.

Ashley Daykin and Jack Dyson went through from the second week of qualifying in the 31-up event sponsored by Lockwood Con, as did Graham Sigsworth and Mark Allman.

They join Craig Gant, Lima Fallas, Robert Mudd and Ray Whitwam in the showpiece (11am).

Draw: Daykin v Allman, Fallas v Gant, Dyson v Mudd, Sigsworth v Whitwam.

Second qualifying preliminary: J Baxter 6 J Dyson 31, G Price 23 R Higgins 31, D Radcliffe w/o T Graham, J Martin w/o R Walker.

First round: G Sigsworth 31 J Hodgson 21, J Baillie 28 M Wood 31, A Cairns 25 A Daykin 31, P Hopkinson 13 R Hitchen 31, B Smythe 31 J Hanson 25, D Tattersley 14 M Allman 31, J Dyson 31 P Higgins 19, T Graham 31 R Walker 25.

Qualifying round: G Sigsworth 31 M Wood 22, A Daykin 31 R Hitchen 22, B Smythe 22 M Allman 31, J Dyson 31 T Graham 12.

The Huddersfield & District Bowling Association hold their Presentation HUDDERSFIELD Badminton League champions Valley St James made a winning start to their title defence, beating Royds Hall 5-1.

Valley St James opening pair Oliver Platt and Ian Jones got their side off to a perfect start, defeating Peter Crosland and Richard Firth 21-18, 11-21, 21-14.

The second match was an easy win for the Valley’s Dan Whitworth and Billy Prady who beat John Lane and Mike Lyne 21-16, 21-16.

Platt and Prady then had a closely contested contest with Crosland and Lyne, coming out on top 22-20, 21-17.

The match between Prady and Jones went to three ends with the Valley pair coming out on top against Lyne and Firth, eventually taking the last game 21-18.

Royds Hall had the pairing of Evening at Slaithwaite Cricket & Bowling Club on Saturday (8pm).

All the season’s competition prizes will be handed out on the night, together with those from the Ballcraft Engravers League.

Winners should be aware that failure to attend will lead to forfeiture of the prize. Lane and Firth to thank for registering their only point, defeating the Valley pair Whitworth and Jones 21-9, 21-19.

In the Ladies Division One, last season’s champions Holmfirth were beaten by last year’s runners-up Kirkburton 5-1, to send an early message to their title rivals that they mean business this year.

Kirkburton had debutant Bev Wilson winning all three of her matches.

Kirkburton’s Amy Crowther and Jenny Oldroyd won the first game, defeating 2016/17 Ladies Section A tournament winners Lisa Hague and Lisa Pearson 22-20, 21-10.

The only loss for Burton came when sisters Amy and Emily Crowther were narrowly beaten by Hague and Lucy Martin 21-14, 22-20.

After a hard fought match, the Kirkburton Ladies will be pleased with to have dealt their title rivals DAVID FOX (Simon Blyth Estate Agents) will be centre stage when the Huddersfield Works Bowling League hold their prize presentation tomorrow.

Fox won the Division One averages and the Individual Handicap.

He will receive the awards at the presentation at Bradley and Colne WMC tomorrow (7.30pm).

Fox, who played Danny Curran (Storthes Hall) in the Individual Handicap final, helped his side lift the Section A title as well as the Sollis Rose Bowl (divisional knockout) which is sponsored by Marsh Liberal Club.

Cash Brook (Mullholland Decorators) and Gary Stephens (Albert Stephens & Son) had the highest league average in Section B and C respectively, which played a major role in their sides lifting their league titles.

MPH Building Systems won the Section D title, where Lee Booth (Steve’s at The Mill) had the highest league average.

The Moldgreen Con-sponsored Pairs Handicap was won by Mark Richardson and Carl Taylor (M Taylor Transport), who beat J Kendall and H Wilson (HR Blowers) in the final. an early blow.

In Division Two, Ossett came out on top against Spen Valley in a tight affair which saw the hosts eventually run out 5-4 winners. Results: Men (Ossett names first) - Ian Pescod and Ian Ellis lost to Jonny Wike and Steve Scott 17-21, 23-21, 13-21; Pescod and Dan Fan beat Wike and James Booth 19-21, 21-15, 21-19; Ellis and Fan beat Scott and Booth 21-13, 21-17.

Ladies: Deanne Whitehead and Hayleigh Edson beat Liza Findlow and Sonya Strafford 21-10, 16-21, 21-14; Whitehead and Lynn Burgess lost to Findlow and Gemma Broadbent 17-21, 17-21; Edson and Burgess lost to Strafford and Broadbent 14-21, 11-21.

Mixed: Pescod and Whitehead lost to Wike and Strafford 16-21, 11-21; Ellis and Edson beat Scott and Findlow 21-17, 16-21, 22-20; Fan and Burgess beat Booth and Broadbent 21-19, 15-21, 21-10.