Good luck to our players in their Merits!

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We have several players involved in three Merits tomorrow. We have a look at who is in what.

Shropshire Merit

The 105th Shropshire Merit takes place tomorrow at Pontesbury with 32 hopefuls wanting to win the Charles Beddard Trophy. 5 of them have already landed the trophy, with two of them winning it more than once. Callum Wraight and Andy Moss have both won it twice and will be one of the favourites to win it again. Leader of the League Averages,Callum, of Castlefields, will have the benefit of more green experience given his Senior County Games on there, and will be expected to get past Craig Baugh first game. Andy from Chester Road has another young bowler in Bowring captain Jamie King who first emerged after leading Andy at the County Handicap in 2008 before Andy fought back to win and win the competition. They met at the Quarter Finals last year to with Andy coming out on top, but Jamie has enough talent to get past him. Two of the other three winners meet each other with 1995 champion Colin Beaman from Meole Brace playing 2001 winner Charlie Weaver, back playing in the county after moving out of it in 2011. The 5th former winner is the current holder, Burway’s Wayne Rogers, who hopes to be the first person since Callum Wraight in 2012 to retain it. He plays Dave Burton of Hanwood first round, who has been in good form so far this season, winning 7 out of the last 8 in the Salop Leisure Shropshire Premier Bowling League.

There are other Senior County players who are yet to make the breakthrough in the Merit. Bowring’s Rich Lawson has been runner-up in 1985 and 2001, so is 2017 gonna be another final for him? He has a tough first game against fellow County and St Georges player Clay Flattley in one of the ties of the round. Clay will have more green knowledge than Rich but it promises to be a close game. Glyn Herbert of Castlefields is another former runner-up and takes on one of the in form players this season in Josh Bradburn from Bowring. Josh won the Premier League Merit and Doubles last season and so far has won 8 out of 13, as well as qualifying for the Midland Masters last week. Glyn has had an up and down season but will have plenty of green knowledge that will help him. Glyn Picknell of St Georges is another who is capable of winning the competition having reached finals of the Dennis Lewis Open and the George Masters. But he has a difficult tie against his team mate Ian Gaut first round, who is a former semi-finalist in this competition. Two more team mates meet first on with Mark Shore and Phil Lyttle clashing from Hanwood, with both players having experienced some form this season. Paul Williams from Castlefields and St Georges’ Tony Rhodes looks a tasty clash in the first lot of games with both players having reached the Semi Finals before. Castlefields captain Andy Duckett is another who can go far when in the mood, and plays Hanmer’s captain Dave Ellison first of all, who is looking to go further than the second round he reached in 2015.

There are several under 30s having reached finals day and will look for youth to triumph over experience. Sam Millward of Newport and Wrockwardine Wood’s Martin Gaut collide in the 1st round with both having been on the competition circuit together. Kieran Buckley of Bowring and Nick Lewis from Burway is another clash of youth as well as the in-form Bylet player Rob Fuller and Ellesmere Open finalist Adam Jones from Castlefields. Debutant Jamie Taylor of Bylet clashes with former Meole Brace Open winner and now Meole Captain Pete Bound, while Gary Beff of Chester Road and Glyn Wellings from Hanwood have both struggled for any form in the Premier League, so will hope they can put that behind them and kickstart their season.

For those unable to attend, this should be updated throughout the day by Mike Beckett.

Senior Individual Merit Championship

Finals Day Sunday 25th June 2017

Staffordshire Merit

We have several players in the Staffordshire Merit with three of those from Champions Sir John Bayley, two of them former winners. Chris Ward takes on Cameron Baird first of all with Gordon Hawkins facing a tough tie against former League bowler and multiple Merit Winner Craig Barker. Scott Simpson will be one of the favourites and takes on Wrockwardine Wood player Dan Taylor first round. Dan’s team mate Mark Clayton plays against Cliff Johnson first up, while Newport’s Pete Cookson has a tough tie against Highley bowler Dave East.

Venue – Amery Unionist Club, 71 Coppice Lane, Willenhall, WV12 5RY

First Wave: Arrive by 10:45 for 11:00 (First 8 games)
Second Wave: Arrive by 11:45 (Second 8 games)

BCGBA dress code applies

First Round

1. Sean Lockley vs Cody Everitt
2. Cameron Baird vs Chris Ward
3. Ian Porter vs Ross Edwards
4. Kevin Handley vs Craig Ainsbury
5. Ian Carr vs Simon Homer
6. Lee Hulse vs Nathan Dawes
7. Dan Taylor vs Scott Simpson
8. Stuart Jones vs Stuart Gittings
9. Dave East vs Peter Cookson
10. Mark Clayton vs Cliff Johnson
11. Darrell Handley vs Steve Davis
12. Gordon Hawkins vs Craig Barker
13. Peter Withey vs Martin Orme
14. Aaron Tapper vs Richard Bate
15. Jamie Wyer vs Graham Turner
16. Greg Cooper vs Greg Carr

Warwick and Worcester Merit

Ant Bracken is in good form after winning 3 on Friday for Sir John Bayley but has a tough task against Ross Dunkley, who played in the league during White Horse’s brief stay. Just below him in the draw is another former winner in Greg Smith of Hanwood, who plays Stuart Miller, while Phil Clinton, who played last night for Castlefields, and takes on Adam Kirby first of all.

The full draw is here.

Welsh Merit

Several Ifton and two Hanmer players are in the Welsh Merit as well as Lewis Scott of St Georges, who plays Jason Jones first round in a classy tie. Hanmer’s Robin Bennett opens up against Paul Richards while his team mate Andrew Armstrong plays Mark Whiteley. Dan Hughes has played for Hanmer this season and plays Ifton’s Leighton Roberts, the former Isle of Man winner, while Leighton’s brother Kieron takes on namesake Glyn Roberts first round. Three registered players for Ifton could have a big say with Nick Hughes facing a tough tie against past winner John Bailey, Rocky Jones playing former Ifton player Roger Morgan and Andrew Hughes playing current Ifton player Geraint Williams.

The full draw is here.

Salop Leisure and the league would like to wish all its players the best of luck in winning their respective Merits.

There should be updates on the BCGBA website here if you go down to the competitions part of the page.