[<<] [>>] by Geoff Young
5-6 Apr 2008 (AC)

The Northwest Federation's Millennium Advanced tournament took place once more at Heaton Park on the weekend 5-6 April. Eight contestants each in the A and B categories assembled bright and early on Saturday with a brisk wintry wind blowing. On the Sunday the start was bright sunshine on a scattering of fresh snow, leading to a delay until the greenkeeper gave his OK.

In the A-class a round robin was completed apart from one game of the last round whose players decided enough was enough. Ian Lines was in commanding form with lots of peels, not necessarily in complete sets. However the manager's plans went adrift when he lost in the sixth round to Andrew Winn, who had won four previous games. At 3pm the round was completed in quite heavy snow, but the contest was clearly in a critical state. Fortunately it eased while complex sums were being considered. In the last round Lines duly completed a seven-turn 26TP with Bob Burnett not taking croquet. Winn took rather longer to beat Paul Rigge and thereby win the Neil Williams Trophy on who-beat-who.

In the B grade David Walters made few slips in winning all five games that time permitted. In the last round Mark Lloyd nearly came good to sneak in on who-beat-who but David pegged out his front ball with the other for Rover and then held out to pick up the Woodlands Trophy.

Full Results

A Class

Burnett beat Ken Cooper +13
Dave Nick beat Rigge +22TP
Lines beat Ray Lowe +24
Winn beat David Barrett +18

Lines bt Nick +23STP
Lowe bt Rigge +3T
Burnett bt Winn +5
Cooper bt Barrett +2T

Lines bt Rigge +26
Nick bt Lowe +2
Burnett bt Barrett +17
Winn bt Cooper +13

Burnett bt Lowe +24TP
Lines bt Barrett +26TP
Winn bt Nick +16
Cooper bt Rigge +9

Rigge bt Burnett +1T
Lines bt Cooper +18TP
Winn bt Lowe +1T
Nick bt Barrett +2

Nick bt Burnett +5
Winn bt Lines +6
Cooper bt Lowe +2T
Rigge bt Barrett +6

Lines bt Burnett +26 TP
Cooper bt Nick +11
Winn bt Rigge +17

B-Class

Alan Mayne bt Elmyr Hughes +3T
John Wastell bt Barbara Young +3
David Walters bt John Wilkinson +15
Mark Lloyd bt Ken Anderton +16T

Wastell bt Lloyd +8T
Anderton bt Hughes +1T
Wilkinson bt Young +5T
Walters bt Mayne +17

Walters bt Wastell +3
Lloyd bt Mayne +12
Wilkinson bt Anderton +2T
Hughes bt Young +2T

(Hughes and Young withdrew)

Walters bt Anderton +16
Lloyd bt Wilkinson +16
Mayne bt Wastell +4T

Walters bt Lloyd +2
Mayne bt Anderton +20
Wilkinson/Wastell snow stopped play