Normal service after Ellis' Merit gong win

ALL YOURS . . . Gary Ellis (right) receives the GM Merit trophy from GM deputy president Nigel Fryer

GARY Ellis has had a quiet season so far, but it was normal service resumed at Royton Cricket and Bowling Club where he won the Greater Manchester Merit.

The Nimble Nook and Tonge star defeated team-mate Matt Gillies 21-11 in the final to book his place in the Champion of Champions Event at Blackpool in September. He will be defending the title he won last year.

Ellis, Gillies and losing semi-finalists Andy Raymond and Dean Ferris will represent Greater Manchester in the All-England finals at Griff and Coton Sports Club, Nuneaton, on Saturday, July 29.

Results -

First round: Phil Barlow 12, Lee Schofield 21; Graham Law 21, Mark Bennett 13; Gary Ellis 21, Darren Griffiths 20; Darren Porter 12, Dave Thomas 21; Curtis Mellor 20, Andy Proctor 21; Dean Ferris 21, Keith Lackford 4.

Second round: Schofield 21, Law 15; Ellis 21, Thomas 9; Proctor 2, Ferris 21; Paul Dudley 21, Adam Rushton 18; Andy Lowe 21, Dave Wright 13; Tim Holt 9, Matt Gillies 21; Andy Raymond 21, Paul Heap 13; Jimmy Hynes 21, Colin Lane 20.

Quarter-finals: Schofield 1, Ellis 21; Ferris 21, Dudley 11; Lowe 20, Gillies 21; Raymond 21, Hynes 10.

Semi-finals: Ellis 21, Ferris 18; Gillies 21, Raymond 19.

Final: Ellis 21, Gillies 11.

Gillies reached the finals of the £3,400 Coors Molson Classic at North Chadderton Social and Bowling Club with two excellent displays.

After beating former Green Final Handicap champion Dene Hibbert (Ashton) 21-7 in the first round, he followed up with a superb 21-18 defeat of top-class Preston bowler Simon Coupe, 21-18. Coupe had earlier beaten Gillies' team-mate, Darren Griffiths, 21-19.

Springbank's Jimmy Hynes was a 21-7 first-round casualty against Tottington's Graham Law, who went on to lose 21-17 to Radcliffe ace Paul Dudley, a 21-17 winner against Ashton's Paul Leah in the first round.

Hynes' team-mate Ged Smedley went out 21-18 to Castleford's Craig Newton, who then lost 21-9 to fellow Yorkshireman Steven Gilroy. He had beaten Ashton's Mark Sutton 21-6 in his opener.

Peter Guilfoyle beat fellow Oldhamer Peter Kostyk 21-19 in the first round, before going out 21-9 to Derbyshire's Paul Mottram, who had seen off recent Waterloo Spring Handicap winner Michael Leach (Preston) 21-16.

The finals will be held on Sunday (1pm) and the draw will be published in Friday's issue of the Chronicle.