Six of the best for Hargreaves (From Keighley News)

Six of the best for Hargreaves

8:32am Thursday 20th September 2012 in Sport By Peter Haworth

Richard Hargreaves was in unstoppable form at Gargrave as he won the Macpherson Paints Norman Johnston Trophy for the sixth-successive year.

The quarter-final draw put the Keighley bowler up against an out-of-sorts Peter Clark of Devon who he beat 21-9. Broughton Road’s rising star Ben Titorenko looked good as he defeated Keighley’s Phil Anderson 21-10.

There was also a rare last-eight appearance for Peter Haworth.

He started well against Keighley’s Les Buxton and established a 19-11 lead. Buxton pulled back to 19-17 before Haworth took the match 21-19.

The last quarter-final pitted Cononley ’s Graham Reay against Crosshills’ David Scott. This was a close match throughout with neither player able to dominate.

Reay took the lead at 18-16 only for Scott to reply and lead 19-18. A two and a single got Reay home 21-19.

Hargreaves looked to be in for a tough semi-final against Titorenko when he edged a 9-8 lead.

Two singles then three doubles put Hargreaves in control and he went on to win the match 21-11.

Haworth took an early lead of 8-7 against Reay. The match swung in Haworth’s favour with a six-point break and he ran out a 21-14 winner.

It would have been the shock of the season if Haworth was able to put a stop to Hargreaves’ winning run.

The first end summed up Haworth’s chances, a three-inch lead was not good enough clipped of with a neat fire from Hargreaves. Haworth bowled quite well but Hargreaves in this form was untouchable.

He produced all the right bowls when it mattered to win 21-10.

Skipton Craven failed in their attempt to regain the Yorkshire ABA Eric Hutchinson Trophy when they were beaten 234-195 by Shipley BC at Broad Oak Huddersfield last Sunday.

Things began badly for Craven when they suffered two heavy defeats in the first four, but a 21-12 win from Steve Pickles and a 21-16 success for Graham Perry kept the arrears to 14.

Graham Lomax had to work hard for a 21-20 success at number five and Mick Demain had to do likewise to get home 21-18 at six, but from then on it was all Shipley.

Full match scores (Craven names first): S Pickles 21, G Dytiche 12; C Wortley 10, M Jacques 21; G Perry 21, S Gadd 16; D Hewitt 6, D Bland 21; G Lomax 21, T Preston 20; M Demain 21, P Mountain 18; V Abell 19, C Jacques 21; P Tunney 15, D Jacques 21; M Bastow 15, M Kane 21; J Ellis 8, M Gadd 21; I Bernard 19, N Nicholson 21; A Emmott 19, J Preston 21.