OPEN DOUBLES – BERNARD O’MALLEY VICE-PRESIDENT’S TROPHY(sponsored by the Birkdale Insurance Group)
Saturday saw the fifth staging of the Club’s Open Doubles competition, when a full turnout of 32 pairs competed for the Bernard O’Malley Vice-President’s Trophy. This is held to recognise the generous support given to the Club over many years by Mr. O’Malley and Nationwide Produce.
The competition attracted a high-quality field, with pairs coming from Liverpool, Preston, Wigan, Blackburn and Sheffield to take part, as well as players from local clubs. In the top half of the draw, Paul Culley and Michael Heap from Garswood Hall reached the final where their opponents were Southport Federation team-mates Danny Harding and Alan Catterall, who play for Scarisbrick Bowling Club and Scarisbrick NSC respectively. The pair of Culley and Heap started off strongly in the final, winning nine out of the first twelve to take a seemingly unassailable 17-9 lead. Alan and Danny fought back strongly, winning five of the next six ends to level the final at 18 across. A three at the next end, however, was enough to see Paul Culley and Michael Heap claim the title, along with the £200 first prize.
Many thanks to all those who supported the competition and helped out with marking and measuring. In particular, we would like to thank Lynne Smith, Lynn Burrow and Sue Wignall for their hard work throughout the day providing refreshments. Also, thank you to our referee, Graham Pickavance, who helped the day run smoothly. Finally, the Club thanks the Birkdale Insurance Group for sponsoring the competition.