Stretch sees off team-mate

Round six saw a record-breaking 57 bowlers compete in the sunshine on Sunday – with Chris Stretch coming out on top to take the winner’s purse.

Stretch sentenced his Adderley team-mate in the Whitchurch League, Alan Boulton, to more runner-up misery as he beat him 13-7 in the final on a day when series organiser Jamie Brookes had to run 14 round-robin groups to cope.

“We had a fantastic figure of 57 entrants taking part, including a Wrexham-based bowler who’d turned up at Severnside for the postponed Lew Page competition!” said Brookes.

“Again, as always, the two greens, the venue and the hosts were brilliant.”

Stretch, who won round one at Adderley and played for Chester Road in the Premier League this year, beat county man Wayne Phillips (Hanwood) 13-10 in the semi-finals while series leader Boulton was accounting for Molly Sullivan (Meole Brace) 13-10.

Ged Ashley beat Stretch 13-9 in the group stages but the young gun still managed to make the last 32 for the knockout stages – and then couldn’t stop winning.

Shrewsbury stalwart Martin Codd, runner-up in round four at the same venue, lost in the quarter-finals when the scores were: Alan Boulton 13-4 Christie Hughes; Molly Sullivan 13-11 Martin Codd; Chris Stretch 13-5 Andy Marshall.

But Brookes admitted the series is being stretched in another way – by the lack of available two-green venues as clubs look to repair the damage done by the summer drought.

“Additionally, we don’t have many north Shropshire-based affiliated two-green venues that stay open through the winter,” he said.

“It was an issue I’d foreseen 18 months ago and, in preparation, I led the motion to have secondary affiliations to the North Shropshire Parks, ie Old Shrewsbury and Donnington Wood.

“It’s the type of headache I like as it is all down to the continued popularity of the Winter Series.”

Due to the lack of alternative venues, round seven returns to Prees at the weekend with the action on December 2 back at Old Shrewsbury.