UPTON Victory Hall's Tony Cavanagh managed to reach the final of the Winter Flyers for the third successive week.

But on this occasion he was foiled by a resurgent Coilin Portis, who will be playing for the Lever Club this coming season.

Alternative attractions meant there were slightly fewer players this week, but Portis and Cavanagh still had to battle through a competitive field to reach the final.

In the quarter-finals, Portis beat Oxton Cons' Stuart Raybould in a tight game before he had a surprisingly one-sided victory in the semi-final over the usually very consistent John Harrison from Rice Lane Club in Liverpool.

Last week's winner Cavanagh meanwhile continued his good form of the past few weeks with a close victory over Wallasey RBL's John Pritchard in the quarter-final, and he then proved to be too good for Laird's Colin Mounsey.

In the final, Portis played well and despite Cavanagh's best efforts, he could not stop the Lever man from taking his first title of this series of tournaments.

Results: Quarter-finals: J Harrison (Rice Lane) 21, A Buchanan (Magazine) 18; C Portis (Levers) 21, S Raybould (Oxton Cons.) 18; T Cavanagh (Upton Victory Hall) 21, J Pritchard (Wallasey RBL) 19; C Mounsey (Lairds) 21, P McGee (Lairds) 19.

Semi-finals: Portis 21, Harrison 10; Cavanagh 21, Mounsey 16. Final: Portis 21, Cavanagh 17.

The new season is just around the corner; the council greens open next Monday, March 31, and games in the afternoon section of the Birkenhead and Wirral League get under way during this week.