Peter Farmer won the first ever Thursday Night Merit after a corner masterclass in the final against Joe Killen. He didn’t give Joe much of a chance as he raced 17-3 up and didn’t allow Joe back in as he won 5. Pete had beaten Jamie King in the Semi Finals, again going up in the corners early on 11-3 before Jamie got back to trail 14-12. Pete went 18-12 up but Jamie got back to 20-17, however Pete got the one he needed. Joe had to play his brother Tom in the Semi Final, having a close game till 16-15 down when he ran out in the corners.

Thank you to Sir John Bayley for the use of their green, as well as June Lewis for sponsoring the event. Thank you to all measurers and markers today, and to Michael Cooper for helping me run it.

Full scores are here. Reports of the first two rounds are below the pictures.

Quarter Finals:

Jamie King went 14-5 down on Keith Wall and then 19-10, but found a mark to get back to 19-18 behind. Keith got a single but Jamie got out in the next two ends.

Pete Farmer went 6-1 down on Rob Roden but then went 8-6 up. He went further ahead at 17-11 and won 13.

Joe Killen took an early 5-2 lead which was pegged back to 9-8 by Paul Beer. But then he went 20-11 up and despite a late fightback by Paul, he won 18.

Tom Killen raced 11-3 up on Adie Rowe, but Adie put a run of 10 together to lead 13-11. Tom then went 16-13 up before Adie led himself at 17-16. It was 19 across before Tom got the two he needed.

Round One:

Jamie King fell 6-0 and 12-5 behind Martin Gaut but got back to lead 17-15, and went on to win 16.

Keith Wall built a 11-6 and 19-10 lead on Akeel Duncan before winning 13.

Rob Roden was 8-1 down against Pete Spragg but got back to lead 13-10. He then restricted Pete to single scores to win 13.

Pete Farmer raced 13-3 up on Dave Brown and kept this lead to win 13.

Paul Beer was 3-0 down on James O’Hara but then 6-3 ahead. He went 11-4 up and 15-6 and won 9.

Joe Killen trailed Will O’Hara 7-1 and 15-7 before he got in the corners to be 15-14 down. Will got in but Joe got back in to lead 19-16. Will won the block back and led 20-19, however Joe got the one he needed.

Adie Rowe took an early 6-3 lead on Jordan Millman, before Jordan went 9-6 up. Adie got in the corners to go 15-9 up and finished the game off 13.

Tom Killen was 10-6 down on Dan Corbett but got back to lead 12-10. He then went 18-12 ahead and despite getting back to 18-17 Tom held on to run out.

The first ever Thursday Night Merit takes place at Sir John Bayley at 10 a.m. with 16 hopefuls looking to put their name on the new trophy. Peter Farmer has won plenty over his career and would love to add this, while Adie Rowe is leading the League Averages at the moment so will be looking to do a double. There are plenty of youngsters in the field, with former Junior Merit winner Joe Killen, finalists Tom Killen and Akeel Duncan in the field, and current juniors Jordan Millman and Dan Corbett. Pete Spragg and Dave Brown are former Over 60s winners, with Jamie King a former Senior Merit winner. Rob Roden is a previous Shropshire Merit winner, and Keith Wall winner of the County Handicap amongst other wins. Martin Gaut is now a seasoned competition entrant, and the two O’Hara brothers will look to make an impact. Paul Beer had an excellent run in the Hadley Open earlier this season and will be looking for similar here.

The action starts at 10 a.m. on Sir John Bayley bottom green. There is no dress code. Scores will be here.

Player	Club
Paul Beer	Shifnal
Dave Brown **	Sinclair
Daniel Corbett	Sinclair
Akeel Duncan	Shifnal
Peter Farmer *P	St Georges B.C.
Martin Gaut *P	St Georges B.C.
Joseph Killen	Shifnal
Thomas Killen *	Shifnal
Jamie King *P	Wrockwardine Wood
Jordan Millman **	Sinclair
Will OHara *	Sinclair
James OHara **	Sinclair
Rob Roden *	Wrockwardine Wood
Adrian Rowe	Castlefields
Peter Spragg *	Sinclair
Keith Wall	Castlefields

Bylet sprung a shock by defeating fellow Premier League side St Georges by 4 chalks. They won by 33 at home with two single figure winners led by Cheryl Caswell 21-7, while losing by 41 away, Nick Wyer their only winner 16. They now play Wrockwardine Wood A in the Semi Finals after they got past Prince of Wales Hotel by 28. They won by 27 at home with Steve Downs and Martin Richardson best winners 12, and then drew away, Tony Garmson best winner 9.

The other Semi sees Highley of the Premier League play Shifnal A. Highley beat Newport A with all 10 winners, winning by 56 at home, Dave Scriven best winner 7, and by 30 away, with John Heath best winner 21-10. Shifnal A had a close game with Horsehay A, winning by 11. They drew away, Paul Reeves best winner 7, and lost by 1 at home, Tom Killen best winner 5.

The Semi Finals take place on Wednesday 23rd August, with the draw below. There is no dress code.

1	Highley(P)(-17)					Shifnal A(+12)	At	Highley(P)
1	Shifnal A(+12)					Highley(P)(-17)	At	Shifnal A
2	Wrock Wood A(+1)					Bylet(P)(-16)	At	Wrock Wood A
2	Bylet(P)(-16)					Wrock Wood A(+1)	At	Bylet(P)

1	Newport A(+4)	75	0	5	105	Highley(P)(-17)	At	Newport A
1	Highley(P)(-17)	105	5	0	49	Newport A(+4)	At	Highley(P)
Combined Result with handicap	Highley(P)(-17)	193	10	0	128	Newport A(+4)
2	Horsehay A	88	3	2	88	Shifnal A(+12)	At	Horsehay A
2	Shifnal A(+12)	83	2	3	84	Horsehay A	At	Shifnal A
Combined Result with handicap	Shifnal A(+12)	183	4	6	172	Horsehay A
3	Wrock Wood A(+1)	100	4	1	73	Prince of Wales Hotel	At	Wrock Wood A
3	Prince of Wales Hotel	84	3	2	84	Wrock Wood A(+1)	At	Prince of Wales Hotel
Combined Result with handicap	Wrock Wood A(+1)	185	6	4	157	Prince of Wales Hotel
4	Bylet(P)(-16)	100	3	2	67	St Georges(P)(-28)	At	Bylet(P)
4	St Georges(P)(-28)	100	4	1	59	Bylet(P)(-16)	At	St Georges(P)
Combined Result with handicap	Bylet(P)(-16)	143	4	6	139	St Georges(P)(-28)

There are 17 entries for the first Thursday Night Merit on Sunday 20th August at Sir John Bayley bottom green at 10 a.m.

There is no dress code.

Player	Club
Paul Beer	Shifnal
Dave Brown **	Sinclair
Daniel Corbett	Sinclair
Peter Farmer *P	St Georges B.C.
Martin Gaut *P	St Georges B.C.
Thomas Killen *	Shifnal
Jamie King *P	Wrockwardine Wood
Jordan Millman **	Sinclair
Will OHara *	Sinclair
James OHara **	Sinclair
Matthew Rhodes *P	St Georges B.C.
Rob Roden *	Wrockwardine Wood
Wayne Rogers	Castlefields
Adrian Rowe	Castlefields
Peter Spragg *	Sinclair
Keith Wall	Castlefields
Ashley Wellings	Castlefields

The venue for the 2023 Dixon and Driscoll Doubles on Saturday 26th August at 10 a.m. is Edgmond. It will be starting at 10 a.m. and the 16 entries for the competition are below.

There is no dress code.

Player
Steve Bishton *-Bowring/Dean Heighway ***-Bowring
Peter Burd **-Horsehay/Gavin Bridge *-Horsehay
Harry Church *-Sinclair/John Potter *-Sinclair
Stuart Church *-Sinclair/Darren Lord *-Sinclair
Michael Cooper *-SJ Bayley/Robert Burroughs-SJ Bayley
Ian Edwards-Newport/Kevin Edwards-Newport
Carole Faulkner-Bowring/Steve Faulkner-Wrockwardine Wood
Darren Fielding **-SJ Bayley/Angus Needham **-SJ Bayley
Jamie King *P-Wrockwardine Wood/Phil King *-Hadley USC
Peter Millington *-Trench/Simon Oldcorn *-Newport
Nick Mullinder *-Hadley USC/Kristian Lewis **-Hadley USC
Shavorne Osbourne-Trench/Lisa Pessall *-Trench
Ann Rawlins-Bowring/John Rawlins-Bowring
Georgia Rawlins ***-Bowring/Richard Scane ***-Bowring
Rob Roden *-Wrockwardine Wood/Andy Morgan *-Shifnal
Karen Smith *-Bowring/Kate Wainwright *-Bowring

Shifnal D are flying the flag for Division 6 in the Ashton Shield after beating Trench by 8 in the Quarter Finals. They lost by 33 at home with Dave Marriott best winner 17, but won by 18 away, Chelsea Mills best winner 7. They now meet Division 4 Donnington Wood, who received a bye, while the other two teams left are from Division 5. Much Wenlock B beat Madeley CC C by 43, winning by 26 at home with Steve Preece and Gordon Partridge best winners 6, and by 9 away, Mel Bardsley best winner 11. Charlton B defeated Shifnal C by 5 after winning by 14 at home, Allan Davies best winner 11, and losing by 17 away, best winner being Annette Lucas 8.

The Semi Final Draw on Wednesday 16th August is below. Players must have played at least 4 Monday Night games to be eligible to play.

1	Donn Wood B(+7)					Shifnal D(+29)	At	Donn Wood B
1	Shifnal D(+29)					Donn Wood B(+7)	At	Shifnal D
2	Much Wenlock B(+13)					Charlton B(+17)	At	Much Wenlock B
2	Charlton B(+17)					Much Wenlock B(+13)	At	Charlton B

1	Donn Wood B(+7)					Bye(+17)	At	Donn Wood B
1	Bye(+17)					Donn Wood B(+7)	At	N/A
2	Trench C(+6)	73	2	3	91	Shifnal D(+29)	At	Trench C
2	Shifnal D(+29)	66	2	3	99	Trench C(+6)	At	Shifnal D
Combined Result with handicap	Shifnal D(+29)	186	5	5	178	Trench C(+6)
3	Much Wenlock B(+13)	93	3	2	67	Madeley CC C(+5)	At	Much Wenlock B
3	Madeley CC C(+5)	88	2	3	97	Much Wenlock B(+13)	At	Madeley CC C
Combined Result with handicap	Much Wenlock B(+13)	203	6	4	160	Madeley CC C(+5)
4	Shifnal C(+9)	82	3	2	65	Charlton B(+17)	At	Shifnal C
4	Charlton B(+17)	100	4	1	86	Shifnal C(+9)	At	Charlton B
Combined Result with handicap	Charlton B(+17)	182	6	4	177	Shifnal C(+9)

Division 4 leaders Newport blew away the team below them in the league, St Georges C, by 83 chalks in the Ashton Cup Quarter Finals. They won by 48 at home, Alan Gould best winner 2, and by 36 away, Ian Edwards best winner 5. The last remaining Division 6 team have gone out as Wrockwardine Wood C proved too strong for St Georges D. They won by 47 at home with Tad Broome best winner 4 and by 35 away, best winner being Timothy Trehearne 9. Horsehay C had the closest game of the night beating Highley C by 5 chalks. They won by 9 at home with Peter Hayward best winner 14, and lost by 2 away, Neil Banks best winner 5. The other tie saw Bowring C beat Hadley USC C by 14. They won by 27 at home with Georgia Rawlins and Abi Helliwell best winners 12, and kept them down to 5 away, best winner being George Jones 7.

The Semi Final draw is below for Wednesday 16th August. A reminder that all players involved in this round must have played 4 Monday Night League games this season.

1	Newport D					Wrock Wood C(+3)	At	Newport D
1	Wrock Wood C(+3)					Newport D	At	Wrock Wood C
2	Bowring C(+12)					Horsehay C(+16)	At	Bowring C
2	Horsehay C(+16)					Bowring C(+12)	At	Horsehay C

1	Newport D	104	4	1	56	St Georges C(+1)	At	Newport D
1	St Georges C(+1)	68	1	4	104	Newport D	At	St Georges C
Combined Result with handicap	Newport D	208	8	2	125	St Georges C(+1)
2	Wrock Wood C(+3)	102	4	1	55	St. George’s D(+24)	At	Wrock Wood C
2	St. George’s D(+24)	70	0	5	105	Wrock Wood C(+3)	At	St. George’s D
Combined Result with handicap	Wrock Wood C(+3)	210	9	1	149	St. George’s D(+24)
3	H U S C C(+20)	88	2	3	83	Bowring C(+12)	At	H U S C C
3	Bowring C(+12)	104	4	1	77	H U S C C(+20)	At	Bowring C
Combined Result with handicap	Bowring C(+12)	199	7	3	185	H U S C C(+20)
4	Horsehay C(+16)	100	3	2	91	Highley(+18)	At	Horsehay C
4	Highley(+18)	77	3	2	75	Horsehay C(+16)	At	Highley
Combined Result with handicap	Horsehay C(+16)	191	5	5	186	Highley(+18)

The Quarter Finals of the Harris Cup take place tonight with just 3 Premier League teams remaining, and one of those will be exiting the competition later. St Georges take on the Bylet with Bylet having an handicap advantage of 12 points. The other Premier League team remaining is Highley and play Newport A, who have already defeated the Castlefields team in this year’s competition. Prince of Wales Hotel meet Wrockwardine Wood looking to make their mark on this competition, while Wrockwardine will look to put behind them the disappointment of losing in the KGJ Insurance Shropshire Cup Final. The final tie is between two Champions, Division One winners Horsehay A and Division Two winners Shifnal A.

There is no dress code.

1	Newport A(+4)					Highley(P)(-17)	At	Newport A
1	Highley(P)(-17)					Newport A(+4)	At	Highley(P)
2	Horsehay A					Shifnal A(+12)	At	Horsehay A
2	Shifnal A(+12)					Horsehay A	At	Shifnal A
3	Wrock Wood A(+1)					Prince of Wales Hotel	At	Wrock Wood A
3	Prince of Wales Hotel					Wrock Wood A(+1)	At	Prince of Wales Hotel
4	Bylet(P)(-16)					St Georges(P)(-28)	At	Bylet(P)
4	St Georges(P)(-28)					Bylet(P)(-16)	At	St Georges(P)

The deadline for entries for the Thursday Night Merit is on Monday 14th August. I currently have 13 entries and need at least 16 for it to be run. A maximum of 32 entries can be taken.

Players must have played four Thursday League games this season by the time of the competition to be able to enter.

It is on Sunday 20th August at 10 a.m. on Sir John Bayley bottom green. Entry is £10, which will be invoiced through the clubs.

You can enter through Rob Burroughs on 07901 229623.

There will be no dress code.

The holders Hadnall were beaten by Highley by 32 overall, winning by 39 at home, Jacob Ash and Reece Farr best winners 9, and by 10 away, Jack Hill the best 21-9. They will now play Newport A who got past Bowring A by 22. They won by 32 at home, John Breeze starring with a 21-8 win, and held them to 7 away, Ian Whittington best 21-7. The much anticipated clash between St Georges and Sir John Bayley ended up in a 10 shot win for St Georges. They won by 12 at home, best winner Clay Flattley 9, and drew away, Joe Killen best winner 16. They will now play another Premier League team in Bylet who got past Shifnal B by 61 chalks. They won by 68 at home with 5 winners, Rob Fuller best 21-5, and by 34 away, Matt Ealey best winner 6.

The closest game was between St Georges A and Wrockwardine Wood A, with the Wrockites winning by just 3 shots. They won by 4 away on St Georges, Phil Jones and Hollie Bishton best of 3 winners 12, and drew at home despite Rob Clarke’s best win of 5. They will play Prince of Wales Hotel in the Quarter Finals after they beat Trench A by 25, with a 25 win away being key, Ade Jennings being best winner 2. They won by 9 at home to cancel out the handicap, Ian Payne and Clair Barker best winners 16. Mid Shropshire Champions Horsehay A defeated Madeley CC A by 24 overall. They won by 27 at home as Pete Burd was best winner 5, and by 5 away with John Roberts Jnr and Andy Garbett best winners 13. They will take on fellow Division One side Shifnal A who got past Sinclair A by 25 overall. They won by 9 at home, Tom Killen best winner 10, and by 7 away, best being Greg Needham and Paul Reeves 12.

Full results are below, as well as the draw for the next round on Wednesday.

1	Newport A(+4)					Highley(P)(-17)	At	Newport A
1	Highley(P)(-17)					Newport A(+4)	At	Highley(P)
2	Horsehay A					Shifnal A(+12)	At	Horsehay A
2	Shifnal A(+12)					Horsehay A	At	Shifnal A
3	Wrock Wood A(+1)					Prince of Wales Hotel	At	Wrock Wood A
3	Prince of Wales Hotel					Wrock Wood A(+1)	At	Prince of Wales Hotel
4	Bylet(P)(-16)					St Georges(P)(-28)	At	Bylet(P)
4	St Georges(P)(-28)					Bylet(P)(-16)	At	St Georges(P)

1	Newport A(+4)	101	4	1	69	Bowring A(+7)	At	Newport A
1	Bowring A(+7)	89	3	2	82	Newport A(+4)	At	Bowring A
Combined Result with handicap	Newport A(+4)	187	6	4	165	Bowring A(+7)
2	Highley(P)(-17)	102	4	1	63	Hadnall(P)	At	Highley(P)
2	Hadnall(P)	84	1	4	94	Highley(P)(-17)	At	Hadnall(P)
Combined Result with handicap	Highley(P)(-17)	179	8	2	147	Hadnall(P)
3	Horsehay A	99	4	1	72	Madeley C C A(+8)	At	Horsehay A
3	Madeley C C A(+8)	82	2	3	87	Horsehay A	At	Madeley C C A
Combined Result with handicap	Horsehay A	186	7	3	162	Madeley C C A(+8)
4	Shifnal A(+12)	93	3	2	84	Sinclair A(+3)	At	Shifnal A
4	Sinclair A(+3)	87	3	2	94	Shifnal A(+12)	At	Sinclair A
Combined Result with handicap	Shifnal A(+12)	199	5	5	174	Sinclair A(+3)
5	Wrock Wood A(+1)	87	3	2	87	St Georges A(+2)	At	Wrock Wood A
5	St Georges A(+2)	84	2	3	88	Wrock Wood A(+1)	At	St Georges A
Combined Result with handicap	Wrock Wood A(+1)	176	6	4	173	St Georges A(+2)
6	Prince of Wales Hotel	100	3	2	91	Trench A(+9)	At	Prince of Wales Hotel
6	Trench A(+9)	73	2	3	98	Prince of Wales Hotel	At	Trench A
Combined Result with handicap	Prince of Wales Hotel	198	6	4	173	Trench A(+9)
7	Bylet(P)(-16)	105	5	0	37	Shifnal B(+25)	At	Bylet(P)
7	Shifnal B(+25)	64	2	3	98	Bylet(P)(-16)	At	Shifnal B
Combined Result with handicap	Bylet(P)(-16)	187	8	2	126	Shifnal B(+25)
8	St Georges(P)(-28)	92	3	2	80	Sir J Bayley(P)(-26)	At	St Georges(P)
8	Sir J Bayley(P)(-26)	95	2	3	95	St Georges(P)(-28)	At	Sir J Bayley(P)
Combined Result with handicap	St Georges(P)(-28)	159	6	4	149	Sir J Bayley(P)(-26)