Bowls: Staffs women pushing for final spot

THE Staffordshire county women's team can clinch a place in the semi-finals of the national championship if they beat Dudley and District in their final group match tomorrow.

The selectors have chosen Birches Head Hotel for the home leg and are using Janet Hargreaves and Sylvia Holmes as their bowlers allowed to play at their home club.

Staffs teams to play at Birches Head Hotel: Janet Hargreaves, Carol Matthews, Sylvia Holmes, Ann Woodward, Sharon Whittaker, Carol Steele, Liz Rowley, Marie Stretch, Sue Wright, Hazel MacDonald, Janet Hope, Dawn Prince.

At Woodman Saltwells: Judy Ash, Stacey Brown, Paulette Wheeldon, Judith Gosnell, Carol Thompson, Elizabeth Wright, Jackie Laverty, Corrinna Philips, Julie Burgess, Helen Large, Joan Lewis, Gill Welsh.

THE top teams in the county will contest next month's Sentinel Cup semi-finals.

Fourth-round results: Burslem Suburban 134, Birches Head Hotel One 193; Victoria Park Stafford 180, Clough Hall 174; Florence One 196, Bucknall Private 181; Middleport Park 210, Bucknall Ex 113.

IN-FORM Potteries bowler Dean Ferris has progressed to the third round of the £3,000 Olympic Classic in Liverpool.

Second-round results: Danny Sillitoe (Doncaster) 21, Mark Ferris (Stoke) 7; Dean Ferris (Stoke) 21, Carl Armitage (Warrington) 14; John Hambleton (Stockport) 21, Dave Haskayne (Burscough) 12; Phil Lee (Liverpool) 21, Graham Davies (Winsford) 19.

THE Ferris brothers, Dean and Mark, both feature in tomorrow's Coors Pudsey Classic qualifier.

TWO of the area's top junior players will face each other in the next round of the Potteries Challenge. The draw has paired Joe Williamson with his Birches Head Hotel team-mate Gary Owen.

Other pairings: Lee Woolridge (Meir Social) v Fred Donaldson (Clough Hall), Roy Price (Milton Recs) v Mark Melvin (Middleport Park), Barry Booth (Birches Head Hotel) v Craig Podmore (Meir Social), John Mountford (Clough Hall) v Joe Melvin (Middleport Park), Andy Ferris (Congleton Park) v Kerry Morris (Birches Head Hotel), Peter Hulse (Florence) v Matt Stevenson (Birches Head Gardeners).

THE All England Championship finals are taking place today at the Northern Club in Crosby, Merseyside, and the Potteries are being represented by county merit winner Joe Melvin, runner-up Mark Melvin and the two semi-finalists, Alan Bailey and Matt Stevenson.

FLORENCE Private continues the qualifying heats for their £1,000 Open tournament tomorrow.

Players to report include Barry Booth, Roy Price Phil Owen, Andy Owen, Todd Ridge, Gary Owen, Aaron Steele and Callum Wraight. Qualifiers so far are I Simpson, P Hulse, G Cooper, N Tideswell, M Goodhall, M Melvin, P Phillips and J Melvin.

CONGLETON Railway are continuing to find it difficult in the Manchester Premier League with their latest defeat coming at South Manchester RBL.

Match scores (Manchester names first): R Price 6, D Stanway 21; C Armitage 21, M Emery 4; C Heyes 21, J Brown 18; J Hargreaves 5, J Hambleton 21; T Heyes 14, C Jenkins 21; L Turner 21, D West 6; N Tideswell 21, C Macdonald 14; G Beeley 21, P Chamberlain 19; C Haynes 21, D Smith 12; T Johnstone 21, J Hartson 13.

STAFFORDSHIRE bowlers Mel Evans and Lynn Pritchatt are playing in the final of the £5,000 South Leeds Cons Classic singles tomorrow. The line-up includes Andrew Farmer (Dearne Sports), Andy Spragg (Chesterfield), Matt Gilmore (Liverpool), Ant Aldridge (Nordley) and Andy Cairns (Tonge).

THE Nancy Hackwood Trophy preliminaries will be played at three venues on Tuesday (6.30pm).

At Hanley Park Ladies Green: J Mack (Milton Recs) v S Smith (Knypersley), S Slack (Burslem Suburban) v S Bradbury (London Road), Mack or Smith v J Gosnell (Mow Cop), Slack or Bradbury v F Carson (Bucknall Private), S West (Fegg Hayes) v E Wright (Milton Recs).

At Barlaston B&T: S Shenton (Bucknall Private) v R Fletcher (Hanley Park), N Bowers (Bucknall Private) v P Baker (Birches Head), J Dumiccan (Burslem CC) v L Picarielo (Creda), C Phillips (Birches Head) v S Whittaker (Milton Recs), Shenton or Fletcher v Bowers or Baker, Dumiccan or Picarielo v M Ellis (London Road), Phillips v Whittaker v E Elsmore (Burslem Sub)

At Fegg Hayes: J Shenton (Barlaston Plume) v K Evans (Burslem CC), B Sherratt (Milton Hayes) v S Holland (Florence T&B), H Simon (Burslem CC) v N Walker (Knypersley), Shenton or Evans v Sherratt or Holland, L Dunn (Burslem CC) v Simon or Walker.

THE semi-finals of the Nancy Boulton senior and junior competitions take place on Tuesday, August 4.

Senior Cup semi-finals: Fegg Hayes (off 10) v Milton Hayes (off scratch) at Burslem CC; Dilhorne (off scratch) v Mow Cop (off Scratch at Creda.

Junior Cup semi-finals (all off scratch): Kingsley v Jubilee at Creda; New Stoke Park v Burslem CC at Jubilee.