Lewis and Jones on a roll as they claim silverware

Chelmarsh ace Lewis won the league’s 49er’s competition for a second time while Jones (St John’s) walked away with the Secretary’s Shield.

The 49er’s is reserved for players with a 40-plus handicap and Lewis was in formidable form, first demolishing team-mate John Price in the quarter-finals and then following up with an equally compelling performance when beating Jones in the last four to set up a showdown with Richard’s opponent in the Final was last year’s runner-up Reg Burton from Alveley.

Burton had made it to the final the hard way, first beating Kath Gill in a preliminary match on the black, before two more well deserved victories over fellow Alveley clubmen Brian Arnold and Bryan Oakley.

In the final Burton set the early pace and took a 25-point lead. But then the wheels came as a number of foul strokes Lewis back into the frame and from there on it was obvious who was going to walk away with the first prize.

The Secretary’s Shield, which is reserved for last season’s officials and captains, saw the winner in the previous two seasons, Alveley’s Chris Jepson, KO’d at the quarter-final stage by Woodfield's Neil Drewett.

The two players had been level on the brown, but Drewett managed to take blue and pink. He then went on to beat St. John’s Kevin Hawkins in another tight match decided on the final colours to reach the final.

However, the performances of the evening were provided by Jones. As the lowest ranked player in the competition he had the largest handicap, but in all truth he did not need it.

Chelmarsh’s Chris Lewis (father of Richard), a finalist in the past two seasons and a winner of the trophy on two previous occasions, was blown away by Jones in the semi-finals.

And it was a similar story in the final where Drewett, having closed the handicap deficit, then imploded, while Jones again went into overdrive to claim a 71-36 success.

Match Results

49er’s KO: Preliminary Round – R. Burton 79, K. Gill 74. Quarter-Finals – D. Colebatch 23, M. Jones 64; J. Price 8, R. Lewis 46; R. Price 32, B. Oakley 66; B. Arnold 39, R. Burton 75. Semi-Finals – M. Jones 22, R, Lewis 54; B. Oakley 29, R. Burton 53. Final – R. Lewis 60, R. Burton 36.

Secretary’s Sheild: Quarter-Final – C. Jepson 45, N. Drewett 56. Semi-Finals – N. Drewett 69, K. Hawkins 42; C. Lewis 19, M. Jones 65. Final – N. Drewett 36, M. Jones 71.