Callum Wraight romps to third County Merit triumph

Starting the day as 15-8 favourite with the bookies, the 30-year-old was simply unstoppable – and roars of delight greeted his winning shots as he beat a plucky Peter Bound (Meole Brace) 21-12 in the final.

Bound, one of many Shropshire bowlers good enough to have won the Merit but not able to quite make it, looked confident as he led 7-2 in a final that brought the curtain down on a long day at 8.15pm.

But he couldn’t shake the multi-titled Wraight off, consistently accurate leading and striking giving the champion of 2011 and 2012 a decisive run from 10 across to 18-10 that did the damage.

Wraight said he had one regret after receiving the superb Charles Beddard Trophy and a much reduced winner’s cheque of £140 from county president Mike Caddick.

“It’s a shame my nan (Nina Hanlon) could not make it today but I’m really pleased my mum (Tracy Wraight – just back from the Isle of Man) got here to see it as she missed my first two Merit wins,” said a proud Wraight.

“Thanks to everyone who stayed and supported me – especially the Castlefields lads – I really do appreciate it.”

Fresh from winning the Men’s Tourism at the Isle of Man June Festival, thanks to a 21-12 final victory over Andrew Sorsby, Wraight looked a winner-in-waiting from his very first game.

He was given a game by Newport’s Sam Millward in the quarter-finals and had a late scare from past champion Colin Beaman (Meole Brace) before winning 21-18 in the last four, but that was as close as it got.

Beaten finalist Bound, 59, can be proud of his efforts, coping better than most with the showers that took the sting out of a very fast green behind the Nags Head, beating Wraight’s club-mate Glyn Herbert 21-18 in the semi-finals after being 12-1 down.

But hat-trick hero Wraight coped the best and looks to be in the mood to have a scintillating second half of the season – starting at the British Senior Merit finals at Old Griffs in Nuneaton on July 29.

Quarter-final scores: Mark Shore (Hanwood) 15 Peter Bound (Meole Brace) 21; Andy Moss (Chester Road) 17 Glyn Herbert (Castlefields) 21; Dave Gourlay (Bridgewater) 12 Colin Beaman (Meole Brace) 21; Sam Millward (Newport) 15 Callum Wraight (Castlefields) 21.