OPEN SINGLES 2023 – SPONSORED BY THE BIRKDALE INSURANCE GROUP
The Club held it’s fifth Open Singles competition last weekend when we welcomed bowlers from St. Helens, Wigan, Chorley, Liverpool and Preston, as well as members from the Hesketh Arms and other local clubs.
The top half of the draw saw Mark Holden, who plays for Scarisbrick NSC, reach the semi-finals with wins against Paul Culley (21-10), Andy Prescott (21-13) and Chris Harding (21-7). His opponent in the last four was Peter Tilley from Chorley, a first-time visitor to the Hesketh Arms for our open competitions. It was Mark who reached the final with a 21-12 victory.
In the bottom half of the draw, Michael Heap, who won our Open Doubles in April with Paul Culley, had a close game against Brian Fairclough in the first round, eventually coming through 21-20. Michael was then able to reach the final with comfortable wins against David Charlesworth (Preston), Aaron Backhouse (Ormskirk) and one of former members, Liam Gregson (Skem Park Rebels). The final was close in the early stages, with Mark starting strongly but it was Michael who was able to maintain his form to win 21-13 and claim the £200 first prize.
Many thanks to the Birkdale Insurance Group, for their support again in sponsoring this competition and everyone who came down on the day and helped with marking and measuring. A special thank you also, to our referees, Peter and Mary Fishwick, who helped to ensure the smooth running of the competition. Finally, thank you to our Club President, Peter Smith, who presented the prizes.
We look forward to running our open competitions again in 2024.
