TWO more Worth Valley competitions were completed at a sun-baked Cross Roads where the conditions were very quick on the playing surface.

The Valley Handicap was a final between last year’s winner Alden Phillips, of Steeton, and league secretary Mick Demain, who finally came out on top winning 21-19.

Phillips trailed 12-20 before a great comeback saw him reach 19-20 with one wood on the jack before Demain struck to win 21-19.

It was Phillips’s second final defeat in recent days, his luck running out again at the end. Losing in the semis were Marcus Grundy and Trevor Hargreaves.

There was a surprise winner in the Supplementary event where relative newcomer, Sean Kirby, of Haworth, made good use of his handicap beating Bev Guffick, of Lund Park, 21-17 after trailing 12-17. Losing in the semis were Alex Arana and David Hemsley.

At the same time, Cross Roads played in the last eight of the Yorkshire Parks Brotherton Cup in the Heavy Woollen area where they had a one-point victory over a weakened Spen Victoria at Overthorpe Sports, where the winners were shared but Peter Clarke’s 21-7 settled the tie.

It was sadly a different story in the semi-final against the eventual runners-up, Littlemoor A at Heckmondwike where the locals were well beaten and could not register a winner.

The weekend starts on Friday when the Skipton Veterans team play in the Hickson Trophy in the Castleford area, from 10am.

For the fifth year running, the locals meet top side Bradford in round one at Garforth Recreation and will be hoping for a change of luck in this event.

Soccer seems to have ruled bowling in recent days and many weekend fixtures have been postponed already in preparation for Sunday's World Cup Final.

Another victim is the Skipton Merit which due to a lack of entries so far will now be a one-day event on July 29, while the Hebden Merit at Luddendenfoot on Sunday is also under threat with only four entries. Mid-week matches have also been postponed in many leagues.

Yorkshire Ladies can clinch a place in the County semi-finals if they beat Merseyside on Sunday with the home leg at Lindley BC and where locals Sharon Gadd and Viv Abell travel to the Wirral in the away leg.

The semis of the Skipton team KO events are next Tuesday. In the Clarkson Cup, Sutton A meet Colne Legion A at Devon and Rolls Royce play Whinfield A at Settle.

In the Supplementary Cup, Cononley A play Craven at SPF, while Colne Cricket play Whinfield B at Addingham.