CONDITIONS were much kinder in Birkenhead Park this week and Tixall's Jamie Fitzpatrick took full advantage of the benign conditions to reassert his supremacy at the Winter Flyers and record yet another win.

In the final he beat your correspondent, West Kirby's Bill Atkinson, who was finding a very welcome return to form.

In the quarter finals Fitzpatrick was given a reasonably hard game by Cammell Laird's Colin Mounsey but he then swept to a surprisingly easy victory against Joe Edwards of Levers in the semis.

Meanwhile Atkinson, giving up on his experiment of playing with "jelly" woods, had a very good win over Tixall's Mick Andrews in the quarters before being just a little more consistent than Upton Victory Hall's Bob Hodgson in their semi final match.

Early on Fitzpatrick threatened to run away with the final but Atkinson fought back and at 17 across it could have gone either way however not for nothing has Fitzpatrick won so much and he was able to run out from this score and clinch victory and go to the top of the current points table.

Results:

Quarter Finals: J. Fitzpatrick (Tixall) 21, C. Mounsey (Cammell Laird) 16; J. Edwards (Levers) 21, A. Buchanan (Magazine) 10; W. Atkinson (West Kirby) 21, M. Andrews (Tixall) 15; R. Hodgson (Upton Victory Hall) 21, T. Ratcliffe (Upton Victory Hall) 11. Semi Finals: Fitzpatrick 21, Edwards 08; Atkinson 21, Hodgson 16. final: Fitzpatrick 21, Atkinson 17.

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I feel very sad to have to report the death of Andrew Stratton, a friend and a team mate at West Kirby Park and West Kirby Victoria bowling clubs.

He was a great club man and he will be sorely missed.