BetFred Competition

Click on the link below to access the Betfred web-site
for betting on all sorts of sports, plus Casino & Poker....
http://www.betfred.com/

See how the current seasons event is progressing on the forum on the following link
http://glenpayroll.co.uk/bowls/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2066/

£1,820 Open Singles Crown Green Bowling Tournament 2008
128 entries @ £10.00
Winner £500, R-Up £300, 2 x £150, 4 x £80, 8 x £50

Qualifying rounds at the following venues:-
No homesters, practice for 15 minutes at all venues
16 bowlers down to 2 at each venue

Dearne Sports, Bolton-On-Dearne Friday 9th May 6.15pm
Shireoaks BC, Near Worksop Saturday 17th May 6.15pm Hallam Prop, Sheffield Friday 13th June 6.15pm
Horsley BC, Derbyshire Tuesday 1st July 6.15pm
Penistone BC Friday 11th July 6.15pm
Woodlands Park BC, Near Doncaster Monday 14th July 6.15pm
Dorothy Hyman Sports BC, Cudworth Friday 1st August 6.15pm
The 8th qualifying green is Pilkingtons Pensioners on Sunday 1st June from 1.00pm, but will be moved to 6th July if South Yorkshire have a county match on 1st June.

2 qualifiers from each venue will go through to the grand final at
Barnsley BC, Shaw Lane, Barnsley on Friday 29th AUGUST 2008
Starting at 6.15pm (practice from 6.00pm)

Two players entering and / or travelling together will be kept apart in qualifying rounds, on request. Four players will be put in separate quarters.

Entries with preferred date, and alternative if possible, plus stamped addressed envelope for confirmation of entry to Andy Mailer, 8 Garden Walk, Beighton, Sheffield, S20 1GA.
Cheques payable to A.C.Mailer. Phone 0114 248 9811 or e-mail:- amailer@glenpayroll.co.uk
E-mail & phone entries must send cheque within two weeks to confirm entry.

=======================================================
The Betfred.Com Open Singles final was played on Friday August 31 2007 at the Pilkingtons Bowling Club in Kirk Sandall, near Doncaster, and the green was as usual in pristine condition, if not as fast as it can be, which meant that close bowls were being licked all over the green to the excitement of the crowd.

Incidentally, this venue has already been nominated to host the 2008 BCGBA Merit as the fifteen year rotation has come around to South Yorkshire again.

I said last week that it was difficult to pick a winner from this field of sixteen finalists, and even to pick a winner with one end left in most of the games in the last sixteen was hard enough, as in no fewer than six of the ties, the markers last turn of the number could have gone on either side of the scoreboards.

Robbie Fitzpatrick led a foot bowl at 20-19 only for Ian Ross to stick two inside it for game. Rob Swift led 20-14 but Nigel Copping went 2-1-2-2 to spoil Roberto’s evening. John Webster looked like erasing the local hopes at 19-14, but Doncaster’s Kevin Nixon strung six points together to lead 20-19, until the final twist in the tail saw the Alverthorpe bowler through in yet another 21-20. In the battle of the Andys Mr Sorsby ran out from 18-15 down to A.J. Walker. Ernie Wearing put them close but Robert Thompson put them closer, with five singles from 16-19 ending the big man’s night. Mark Farmer led 12-7 and 15-10 but shed too many doubles thereafter to lose 21-19 to Derby’s Darren Smith. Incredibly yet another loser by the minimum margin was Meersbrook’s Peter Tomlinson who started well with five doubles to lead 11-4, but was usurped by Staffordshire’s Mel Evans despite leading 20-19. The only comfortable win in this round was Matt Bower’s 21-14 with Stretton Anglesey’s Paul Chamberlain.

The close finishes continued in the quarter-finals with Darren Smith finding some great woods at the death to see of Chadsmoor’s Mel Evans 21-19, and Robert Thompson, who plays for unfashionable Thorncliffe in the Sheffield Parks league, just edging John Webster 21-18. Six pairs from 8-14 down enabled Andy Sorsby to eliminate his Meersbrook team-mate Matt Bower 21-17, and the first big win of the evening was posted by Thongsbridge’s Ian Ross who beat Crookesmoor’s Nigel Copping 21-7.

Unfortunately for Rossy the boot was on the other foot in the semis as he departed from the competition with the same score against Andy Sorsby. The other semi-final looked like ending in similar fashion as Robert Thompson sprinted into a nine-nil lead, which he extended to 12-2 and 14-3. Daz Smith, the 2005 All-England winner remember, is a redoubtable competitor however, and bowled a round pegger just over the crown for a ten break to put him back in contention. Rob just about kept his nose in front until the very end when Darren chalked a double and a single to win 21-19.

Despite Andy Sorsby leading 3-nil, the final was dominated by Darren Smith who led 9-4 and 15-5, and although the Sheffielder rallied briefly to 12-17 the left hander from Derby won pretty comfortably 21-13 to extend the sequence of top class winners of the Betfed.Com Open.

The remarkable coincidence is that in the three years of the Betfred bookmakers sponsored event the winners have been Andy Spragg 2005, Graeme Wilson 2006 and now Darren Smith 2007. What coincidence I hear you ask? Well, the British Crown Green Bowling Association Senior Individual Merit winner at the Rolls Royce club in Derby in 2004 was of course Graeme Wilson, then Darren Smith triumphed at the Roose Conservative Club in Barrow-in-Furness in 2005, and as we all know Andy Spragg has won the big one for the last two years. What price the 2003 all-England winner Gary Ellis winning the Betfred in 2008?

========================================================



=================================================

Betfred.Com Open Singles final at Barnsley BC. Friday 1st September.
What a difference a month makes. With rainy August thankfully behind us, a large crowd turned out at Shaw Lane on a fair evening for bowling.
The ante-post favourite and top bowler in the country, Graeme Wilson, looked unhappy on the green early doors and perhaps Richard Jackson should have taken him out. Jacko led 15-8, and 17-12, but succumbed to the now traditional strong finish from GI. Stuart Smith was also on the end of a powerplay in the quarter-final, with Willie running out from 14-16. Ryan Clark put his poor August form behind him and after two good wins, came from 4-12 behind to lead out at 17-18, but three crackers from Wilson and the comeback was thwarted. Andrew Walker was fancied by many to reach the final in the bottom half of the draw, but came unstuck against a spirited display from young Craig Rumney, who couldn't quite repeat his earlier heroics, and lost to local hope Darren Stevenson. Peter Tomlinson belied his odds of 33/1 to eliminate South Yorkshire Merit winner Matt Beever, and Brighouse's John Edmondson. The Dazzler, however, emphatically ended Tommo's charge in the semis with the most convincing scoreline of the evening. In the final Darren led 5-4, but from then on Graeme always kept his nose in front and won 21-15 to land the £500 top prize.
Last 16 scores :-
Malcolm Tonge 21v10 Ian Johnson, Rob Swift 10v21 Ryan Clark
Graeme Wilson 21v18 Richard Jackson, Darren Plenderleith 16v21 Stuart Smith
Peter Tomlinson 21v12 Matt Beever, John Edmondson 21v15 Mick Hobson
Andrew Walker 18v21 Craig Rumney, Darren Stevenson 21v11 Andy Sorsby
Quarter-finals :-
Tonge 14-21 Clark, Wilson 21-16 Smith,
Tomlinson 21-16 Edmondson, Stevenson 21-17 Rumney
Semi-finals :- Wilson 21-17 Clark, Stevenson 21-7 Tomlinson
Final :- Graeme Wilson 21-16 Darren Stevenson
===================================================
BETFRED.COM Open Singles 2005
Finals day Sunday 11th September 2005 at Davy Sports, Sheffield
Andy Spragg may not have managed to win the Gambart Baines for a 6th time on Saturday, but he became the first winner of the Betfred.com open singles on the following day...but only just. In front of a sizeable crowd, some of whom were quite vociferous in their support of the bearer of their financial investment, Lynn Pritchatt bowled as well as anyone on the day (and much better than most) and raced into a 9-1 lead in the final, only for Spraggy to catch up and overtake at 14-13. It was nip and tuck thereafter until Andy found one great wood to save game at 19-20 in the fastest corner, then two good ones just over the middle when only one was required on all-but apiece. Early in the afternoon, Lynn had thrilled the crowd with a 12 break from 9-20 down in her first ever game on the green. Two other first round games went to the wire with ante-post favourite Matt Bower biting the dust early, and Chris Brown just thwarting team-mate Jack Clarke's fightback from 16-20.
Last 16 scores :-
Tom Hague 11v21 Andy Spragg, Jack Clarke 20v21 Chris Brown
Darren Smith 21v12 Viv Ambrose, Colin Squires 12v21 Shane Day
Mick Bastow 9v21 Kevin Williams, Rob Pemberton 21v15 Steve Haslam
John Richardson 20v21 Lynn Pritchatt, Matt Bower 20v21 Chris Jenkins
Quarter-finals :- Spragg 21-12 Brown, Day 21-18 Smith,
Williams 21-12 Pemberton, Pritchatt 21-9 Jenkins.
Semi-finals :- Spragg 21-18 Day, Pritchatt 21-14 Williams.
Final :- Andy Spragg (Old Whittington) 21-20 Lynn Pritchatt (Chadsmoor)