THE Richard Evans memorial 31Up Tournament came to its climax on Friday, when the final eight qualifiers came together on the Cammell Lairds green to battle it out for the first prize.

Everyone of the eight was a potential winner and after a tremendous series of games the final was between the 2013 champion, Dave Carter, and Matthew Gilmore.

Both players had had to battle hard to reach the final, Gilmore only just scraped through against young Steve Glover before he overcame Nick Burridge in the semi-final while Carter had two great wins, first over Cliff Massey and then Dave McDermott.

Try as he might, Carter could never gain the upper hand in the final and Gilmore won by 31 points to 15.

Results: Quarter Finals: D. Carter 31, C. Massey 23; D. McDermott 31, J. Finch 25; N. Burridge 31, I. Hazlehurst 20; M. Gilmore 31, S. Glover 28.

Semi-Finals: Carter 31, McDermott 23; Gilmore 31, Burridge 19. Final: Gilmore 31, Carter 15.

The Heswall Pairs Tournament had attracted top players from a wide area and it is great to be able to report that the winners of this valuable tournament were the Wirral pairing of Ian Hazlehurst and Phil Lee who both play for Tixall.

In the quarter finals they came through a tough match against local rivals John Finch and Nick Burridge of Gladstone before they beat Tom and James Dennison from Cumbria.

In the final Hazlehurst and Lee were in imperious form as they swept aside the very strong team of Dave and Gareth Gwilliam from Glossop in Derbyshire to take the top prize.

Results: Semi Finals: D. and G. Gwilliam (Glossop) 21, A. and F. Penlington (Baileys Hill, North Wales) 05; I. Hazlehurst and P. Lee (Tixall) 21, T. and J. Dennison (Cumbria) 12.

Final: Hazlehurst and Lee 21, Gwilliam and Gwilliam 04.

The winners of the Cheshire Associations' Brunner Cup in the final played last Saturday at Rudheath, Northwich was Tixall.

In a truly epic match they defeated their Wirral rivals Gladstone by just 2 points at the end of a great game.

At one stage Gladstone had established a 35-point lead but a tremendous 21-02 win for Robbie Fitzpatrick had enabled Tixall to fight back.

Nevertheless, it was left to the final shot of the final game to decide the outcome, Matt Gilmore's last wood was just enough to snatch the 21-19 win his team needed for victory.

The match was a tribute to both teams and a credit to the standard of crown green bowls on the Wirral.

In the second tournament of this session of the Winter Flyers in Birkenhead Park on Sunday Tixall's Mick Andrews continued his tremendous form and won for the second week running beating Port Sunlight Village and Work's Nick Woodward in the final.

He had a tremendous tussle with New Brighton Quarry Viking's John Harrison in the quarter finals before dominating his semi final with Eddie Dutton.

Woodward had two good wins to reach the final, he beat Lever's Joe Edwards in the quarters and then Ray Lynch of Gladstone in the semi final, but he found Andrews in irresistible form and was well beaten.

Results: Quarter Finals: M. Andrews (Tixall) 21, J. Harrison (New Brighton Quarry Vikings) 18; E. Dutton (New Brighton Quarry Vikings) 21, F. Doherty (Port Sunlight V & W) 17; N. Woodward (Port Sunlight V & W) 21, J. Edwards (Levers) 14; R. Lynch (Gladstone) 21, R. Hodgson (Upton Victory Hall) 10. Semi Finals: Andrews 21 Dutton 10; Woodward 21, Lynch 18. Final: Andrews 21, Woodward 09.

The previous week Andrews beat Hoylake Central's Tommy Walker 21-16 in the final.