Vets' mixed results

Alan Hodson

GREATER Manchester veterans had mixed fortunes in their County Championship campaign.

A strong GM side beat Potteries by 25 chalks, but suffered a damaging 31-chalks defeat at the hands of Wales.

FINALS

They drew against Cheshire in their final match, but that was not enough to see them go through to the finals.

Springbank's Alan Hodson won two of his three games.

He defeated crown green legend Noel Burrows (Cheshire) and David Lunn (Potteries) by the same 21-7 scoreline.

But in the match against Wales, he succumbed 21-16 to G Bennett.

Hodson's Springbank team-mate Wilf McDermott played only one game, but it was a winning one against the Potteries as he beat F Donaldson 21-20.

Former Royton player Mike Holden, the GM secretary, won all three of his matches by 21-12, 21-20 and 21-14 scorelines.

NIMBLE Nook and Tonge aces Jimmy Derby and Matt Gillies are among the favourites to win the Parkfield Open singles competition in Preston tomorrow (5.30pm).

Derby is the 6-1 joint third favourite and he opens against Derbyshre's Lee Dale.

Gillies is 8-1 and plays the only woman left in the tournament, Deborah Watters.

Shropshire star Callum Wraight is the 3-1 favourite, while former Tonge player Andrew Cairns is also well fancied at 4-1.

GARY Ellis is the bookies' favourite to win the Frank Beeley Trophy at Houldsworth BC, Reddish, on Sunday (6pm).

DRAW

The Nook and Tonge player opens against Stockport's Grant Soller, while the rest of the draw is:

Jason Cornes v Thomas Hanson; Mike Tunstall v Mike Leach; Phil Davies v Chris Jenkins.

Ellis is also in action in the sub-finals of the Pudsey Classic tomorrow.