THREE excellent contests provided an exciting climax to week 12 of the Spen Winter Sweep as Chris Mordue emerged triumphant.
Current Yorkshire team manager Duncan Reeves (Netherton Cons) met his immediate predecessor Mordue (Pudsey) in the first semi-final.
Reeves eased into a 10-4 lead, scoring five doubles in the opening seven ends. Five ends later it was 14-8, only for Mordue to make a mini charge and pull level at 14-14.
Reeves then bagged a double in the 17th end but this was to be his final score as Mordue took the next six ends to triumph 21-16 in what had been a fine match.
By this time, semi-final two between week eight and ten winner Danny Sillitoe (Ossett Flying Horse) and Adam Mellor (Ladyhill) was already underway.
Mellor, in his usual jovial mood even though the funeral of his grandad Jim – one of the leading lights in the Bradford Crown Green Bowling Association for over 50 years – was only three days later, was quick out of the blocks.
He led 6-2, 12-8 and 16-8 but Sillitoe, who had won two Spen Winter Sweeps in three weeks recently, then produced three doubles to make it 16-14 and went on to lead 18-17.
A Mellor single levelled affairs but that proved to be his last throw of the dice as Sillitoe got the treble that he needed to get over the line and reach yet another final.
The decider was also close, with Mordue leading 13-9 and Sillitoe 14-13, courtesy of three winning ends.
Both bowlers were using full corners but crucially Mordue had the jack and took eight points on the trot to triumph 21-14, although Sillitoe went through gaps several times.
Preliminary round: Marc Armitage 7 Paul Burke 21, Danny Teale 21 Colin Scorah 17, Andy Thornton 17 Paul Holt 21, Gordon Bradford 17 Andy Hodgson 21. First round: Suzy Ladbrooke 21 Nigel Marshall 20, Chris Bly 11 Frank Griffin 21, Duncan Reeves 21 Garry Walker 12, Graham Law 21 Joe Cranston 12, Scott Tattersley 11 Chris Mordue 21, Alan Forrest 21 Nigel Briggs 13, Michael Sweeney 21 Josh Mordue 12, Kez Smith 19 Mark Regan 21, Ben Gloag 21 Richard Brook 17, Brian Lee 16 Chris Ellis 21, Lorraine Hirst 12 Mally Fowler 21, Karen Hill 14 Adam Mellor 21, Stuart King 21 Chris Firth 10, Danny Sillitoe 21 Warren Wilson 12, Burke 21 Teale 18, Holt 21 Hodgson 14. Second round: Ladbrooke 20 Griffin 21, Reeves 21 Law 19, C Mordue 21 Forrest 13, Sweeney 16 M Regan 21, Gloag 21 Ellis 11, Fowler 13 Mellor 21, King 11 Sillitoe 21, Burke 20 Holt 21. Quarter-finals: Griffin 6 Reeves 21, C Mordue 21 Regan 18, Gloag 19 Mellor 21, Sillitoe 21 Holt 8. Semi-finals: Reeves 16 C Mordue 21, Mellor 18 Sillitoe 21. Final: C Mordue 21 Sillitoe 14.
Leading points scorers: 34 Mark Regan; 23 Danny Sillitoe; 20 Marc Armitage; 19 Chris Mordue; 17 Joe Cranston; 16 Richard Brook, Kez Smith, Michael Sweeney, Andy Thornton; 13 Paul Burke, Mally Fowler, Adam Mellor; 11 Gordon Bradford; 10 Josh Mordue, Garry Walker.
Week 13 field for Saturday: Scott Bloodworth, Chris Bly, Gordon Bradford, Nigel Briggs, Richard Brook, Paul Burke, Gareth Coates, Nathan Conlon, Wayne Ditchfield, Chris Firth, Alan Forrest, Danny Fountain, Mally Fowler, Ben Gloag, Frank Griffin, Dave Gwilliam, Karen Hill, Lorraine Hirst, Andy Hodgson, Paul Holt, Stuart King, Graham Law, Brian Lee, Nigel Marshall, Adam Mellor, Chris Mordue, Les Oddy, Duncan Reeves, Mark Regan, Bailey Rice, Colin Scorah, Danny Sillitoe, Kez Smith, Michael Sweeney, Ash Tattersley, Scott Tattersley, Danny Teale, Andy Thornton, Garry Walker, Warren Wilson.
* LAST weekend's Brighouse Winter Sweep was cancelled due to a saturated green, with more bad weather expected to follow.
Field for this Sunday includes: C Austin, N Simpson, S Tattersley, A Bairstow, T Riley, M Connolly, P Toon, N Briggs, J Horsley, M Fowler, A Wider, G Walker, D Hemsley, J Edmondson, C Davis, M Regan, G Foulkes, M McGorlick, N Slattery, S King, D Fountain, G Bradford, P Vayro.
Interested players should contact Nigel Briggs on 07817-777547.
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