Home star Callum Malone and Whitby’s Paul Morgan win opening summer merit​ at North Cliff

The entry was very good at 66 which meant two unlucky pairs had to play a preliminary round game, writes David Muir.

The vagaries of a random draw were shown by the fact that several pairs were clubmates.

All first games were played off scratch after which there was 5 on the card to ensure a daylight finish.

The preliminary round game saw all-North Cliff pair Alan Lee & Pam Moment see off clubmate Ian Richardson & Ian Harland (Whitby) by 21-16.

In the first round standout games included Josh Emmerson (Whitby) & Keith Davis (Westgate) recording a 21-19 win over Pat Germaine & Ed McCormack (both N Cliff) and Allison Roe (North Cliff) & Tim Purcell (Whitby) beating Lisa Watson & Deb Stallard (both Hunmanby) also 21-19.

In the second round the strong all-Hunmanby pairing of Phil Todd & Geoff Oldham were pushed hard by Dave Moment (N Cliff) & Sue Holdsworth (Hunmanby) before prevailing 21-19 while Kevin Gates (Dukes Park) & Kenny Rodgers (Whitby) won 21-15 against Emmerson & Davis.

Joyce Harland (Whitby) & Alan Landers (N Cliff) went through 21-11 against Chris Dobson (Dukes Park) & Caroline Watson (Borough) to face Roe & Purcell who had a 21-16 win against Malcolm Naylor (N Cliff) & Ian Hadden (Whitby).

In the bottom half of the draw Peter Harvey (Whitby) & Barrie Watson (Borough) beat another all-Hunmanby duo of Jennie Allen & Tom Muckley 21-16 while Callum Malone (N Cliff) & Paul Morgan (Whitby) had a comfortable 21-12 win against Nigel Trotter (N Cliff) & David Birch (Hunmanby. The quarter-final line-up was completed when Tony Allen (Hunmanby) & Geoff Watson (Whitby) beat Cliff’s Adam Chilvers & Borough’s Simon Walker 21-11 and Jo Leeman (Whitby) & Stuart Thompson (Pontefract) beat Gary Thornton (Borough) & Scott Wardman (N Cliff) 21-16.

In the first quarter-final Todd & Oldham cruised through 21-13 against Gates & Rodgers to face Harland & Landers who eliminated Roe & Purcell by the same margin. Malone & Morgan also won 21-13 against Harvey & Barrie Watson while Leeman & Thompson went one better beating Allen & Geoff Watson 21-12.

In the first semi-final Todd & Oldham won 21-14 against Harland & Landers while Malone & Morgan fought out a 21-20 win over Leeman & Thompson.

This tight game did not appear to have any adverse effects as after Todd & Oldham won the first end Malone & Morgan scored a full house of 4 followed by a single against a single score to lead 10-8 after 4 ends.

Malone & Morgan then scored a 3 and a 2 before Todd & Oldham replied with a 2 to make the score 15-10 after 7 ends. This was as good as it got for the Hunmanby pair as Malone & Morgan scored 2, 2, 1 and 1 in the next 4 ends to run out winners by 21-10.

The trophies were presented by Cliff chairman David Hill.

This Sunday there will be another Drawn Pairs, this time at Borough and there are already over 70 entries. Entries for all summer merits must be made in advance with the appropriate Competition Secretary for the host club.

The Friday Over-60s merit programme does not start until April 25 with a Drawn Pairs at Westgate.