Whitby’s Tim Purcell nets Champion of Champions title in final Over-60s Merit of the summer

The competitions were played at a generally sunny Hunmanby although earlier rain meant the green was on the heavy side, writes David Muir.

During the season players gain one point for winning their first game and then one extra point for losing quarter finalists, two for losing semi-finalists, four for the runner up and six for the winner.

The top 16 in the qualification table, plus any on the same score as the 16th qualifier, are eligible to play in the competition for the Muir Memorial Trophy presented to the Association by David Muir in memory of his parents.

Also the top four qualifiers are seeded so that the top two qualifiers cannot meet before the final.

All games were played off scratch with the T&B starting at 9am, unfortunately with only 11 entrants, quite a few being Hunmanby members.

In the three preliminary round games Ed McCormack (North Cliff) beat home player Alan Kynaston 21-20 and in two all Hunmanby clashes Steve Freer won 21-7 against Kath Muckley and Peter van de Gevel beat Jennie Allen 21-12.

In the quarter finals another home player, Tom Muckley, went through 21-13 against Pam Moment (North Cliff) while in an all-Whitby game Sue Green registered a 21-18 win against Kenny Rodgers. In the bottom half of the draw McCormack beat Larry Dixon (Westgate) 21-14 and Freer scraped through 21-20 against van de Gevel.

In the first semi-final Green beat Muckley 21-15 while Freer had a comfortable 21-9 win against McCormack.

In the final Green got off to a very good start leading 12-6 after 13 ends. Unfortunately for her Freer won the jack and ran out with a break of 15 to win 21-12.

In the main competition Robert Child (North Cliff) crushed top seed Geoff Oldham 21-5 on Oldham’s home green while his clubmate Dave Moment did almost as well against another North Cliff bowler, Ashley Douglas, winning 21-8.

Gary Thornton (Borough) lost 21-16 to Whitby’s Tim Purcell but Borough had a success when Barrie Watson eliminated another seed, and home player, Harry Old 21-12.

In the bottom half of the draw yet another seeded Hunmanby player, Billy Holdsworth (also the winner of the trophy in 2023) lost narrowly, 21-20 to Geoff Price (Dukes Park) while Hunmanby’s Phil Todd beat Geoff Watson (Whitby) 21-17.

Chris Dobson (Dukes Park) had a 21-13 win against Borough’s Ronnie Noble while Nigel Trotter went through comfortably against his fellow North Cliff bowler Ian Richardson 21-9.

The first quarter-final was an all-North Cliff affair with Child going through 21-12 against Moment while Purcell had a 21-18 win against Barrie Watson. Todd had a close, 21-20, win against Price while Dobson cruised through 21-7 against Trotter.

In the semis Purcell had a fairly comfortable 21-14 win against Child while Dobson had another single figure win, 21-9, against Price.

The final was a different story for Dobson though. Purcell opened up a lead of 8-2 after 8 ends before Dobson pulled 2 back.

Purcell then won the next 6 ends to lead 16-4 in spite of Dobson bowling well. After Dobson pulled 1 back Purcell reeled off 3 more winning ends to clinch the trophy by 21-5.

This weekend there is only one competition, the Association Rosebowl Doubles at Whitby.

The start time is 10am on Sunday and entries are now closed with the draw having been made at the Borough Drawn Pairs.