Sophie following in family tradition

Crown green bowler Sophie Rigney has qualified for the last 32 of the Waterloo Handicap..

IT was always on the cards that Sophie Rigney would make her mark at crown green bowls.

She was taught the finer points of the game by her father, Ian, who is a stalwart at Hollinwood Cricket Club and took Sophie, then 13, for her first game on the club's bowling green.

Her uncle, Paul, also plays for Hollinwood and it soon became apparent that the young Sophie had a similar aptitude for the sport.

Said Sophie (pictured): "When I was 14, I joined the Hollinwood team which played in the Oldham Women's League's Division Four.

'HIGHER'

"I won the division's averages prize when I was 18 and I stayed with the club until I was 20 by which time I felt I needed to play at a higher standard.

"So I joined the Springbank 'A' team which plays in the Oldham League's Division One and it certainly has helped to improve my game a lot, playing alongside the likes of Chris Kewley, Chris Seville, Karen Hughes and Alma Tickle, who are all county players."

Apart from playing in this league, Sophie turns out for Coalshaw Green in the Blackley League - in which she won the averages prizes in 2016 - and in the Oldham Parks League for Nimble Nook. The latter, a mixed league, sees Sophie regularly compete against men.

Her displays on the local bowling scene earned her a call-up for Greater Manchester two years ago and she is very much the baby of the team.

"There are so few young girls playing bowls," she said. "There are not many opportunities for them to get involved in the way boys do, but I am hoping my success and the fact that bowls is back on the television will encourage others to have a go.

"I know that Sarah Vincent, who plays for Stalybridge and the Grapes and is a couple of years younger than me, is close to county selection, but there are not many others coming through. It would be great if more girls were to get involved."