Barker battles to Drayton Senior Merit
A Shropshire man’s dedication to bowls has been rewarded with a league title.
Shaun Barker is the new Market Drayton Senior Merit champion after beating David Miller of Bridgewater 21-14 in the final at Tilstock.
And Barker, who has been playing for Childs Ercall in the Drayton league on Fridays before hurrying back to his hometown Newport to play in Mid Shropshire Division Two, did it the hard way on Saturday.
“Shaun Barker came from behind twice as he disposed of Harry Wilson (in the last eight) and semi-final rival Liam Jones respectively,” said organiser Jack Hazeldine. “He came from 20-14 down to achieve 21-20 wins in both games, playing some great shots and superb ends throughout the day.
“Shaun was convincing in the final and for the majority had his nose in front of David Miller – who had played very well all day and took out higher-ranked opponents – pulling clear towards the end to win 21-14. It was another well-attended competition with 18 entries and there was some superb bowling on show and some excellent striking, which proved vital in games.
“Massive thanks to Tilstock for the great hospitality – the green was immaculate too!”
Miller’s semi-final scalp was former Premier League man Paul Latham 21-14 while the beaten quarter-finalists were Wilson, Richard Lockett, Ben Hinton and Trevor Miller.
