Former champions Sunny Rhyl pulled off a prized victory over keenest rivals St Asaph to go joint top of the Collister & Glover Welsh Counties League.
Sunny Rhyl marked their tough first away match of the new season with a 7-3 win.
Returning ace Trevor Heath, who missed the opening fixture, was Rhyl’s top block, carded the visitors’ only single-figure margin with a 21-8 success against Ben Jones as the seasiders registered five individual wins to their hosts three in a narrow 139-142 aggregate split.
Anthony Harper 21-15, Chris Rimmer 21-16, Jason Jones 21-18 and Gareth Foster 21-19 were Rhyl’s other victors as Martin Svilis headed Saints honours list with his 21-7 win over Gareth Tibbetts.
Robert Pierce produced a fine supporting performance with his 21-10 succcess against experienced Rhyl ace Paul Whalley with James Williams narrowly pipping Nick Hughes 21-20 to complete Saints’s modest haul.
This result earns Sunny Rhyl top billing on equal points with last year’s runners-up Gresford, who routed Llanrwst 9-1, while St Asaph are level with Llanfairpwll at the foot of the table.
Other scores: Colwyn Bay RBL 6 Conwy 4; Cunliffe 9 Beaumaris 1; Esclusham 8 Rhos Park 2; Minydon Park 10 Llanfairpwll 0.
CHAMPIONS St Asaph A tightened their iron grip on the Vale of Clwyd League’s Division A crown with another crushing 13-1 victory over neighbours Rhuddlan A in their derby clash at Elwy Park.
Emlyn Pierce 21-7 and Ray Shawcross 21-9 led the Saints charge and it took a last-end 21-20 win for Ron Hayes over Sue Dace to deny the champions a full house.
Abergele A confirmed their likely challenge to St Asaph’s dominance with an 11-3 defeat of Trefnant A. Mary Darling 21-3 and Dylan Pritchard 21-7 headed Gele’s charge with Tony Kirkham 21-9 Trefnant’s pick.
Hefin Cunnah 21-8 assisted Dyserth A to their second consecutive 9-5 win at the expense of visitors Meliden A, Lloyd Ellis 21-6 replying, but last year’s runners-up Denbigh A saw their ambitions dimmed in a 9-5 tumble at Old Colwyn.
Mike Lawrence 21-6 topped the returns for Kinmel Bay A in their 9-5 success at Rhuddlan B in the first encounter since their joint promotion as top two finishers in Division B last season.
Jeff Simpson 21-9 was unable to tip the verdict for Rhuddlan but Grove Park took advantage of home green to sink Bryn Newydd 9-5 in Division B. Derek Davies was Park’s pick with Derrick Parry 21-10 the Prestatyn visitors’ best.
Sunny Rhyl bounced back from their opening defeat at Highbury with a 10-4 victory over Llysfaen at the Botanical Gardens, Ken Jones and Frank Wilde both 21-13 winners, but Highbury lost out 11-3 at Trefnant B, Anthony Pope 21-6 returning the top card.
Copperfields made it 2 out of 2 with a 9-5 romp at Meliden B, Tony Griffiths 21-7, while in Division C Rhyl A won their derby at East Parade B 10-4, helped by Jeff Davies and John Blair both 21-8, Alf Dickin 21-8 and Darren Walker 21-9 responding.
East Parade A avenged that result by toppling hosts Rhyl B 12-2 in the reverse fixtue, Danny Reirdon 21-1 in peak form in Parade’s second straight 12-2 triumph, but Carol Barrodale 21-9 couldn’t avert an 11-3 defeat for Dyserth B at Mochdre.
Lewis Scott carded a top score 21-1 to help land hosts St Asaph A a 10-1 win in their North Wales Coast League Section A match against Llanrwst A.
St Asaph opened up a comfortable 231-179 aggregate to stretch their unbeaten status.
Denbigh A were not so fortunate, falling 10-4 at home to Rhos Park A, Gareth Hughes 21-11 the best Denbigh winner while in Section B, Abergele did well to come away 9-5 victors at Eirias Park, Mark Thomas 21-12 steering Abergele to a 210-234 advantage.
Relegated Dyserth saw their quest for a hat-trick of wins dashed as they crashed to a 11-3 defeat in their Section C visit to Conwy but Copperfields came away with a 7-7 draw at Bethesda in a 217-184 points split.
Rhuddlan returned to winning ways with a hard-earned 8-6 verdict at Old Colwyn while Grove Park were celebrating an impressive 11-3 win in their derby encounter with Kinmel Bay. Tony Blackwell’s top card 21-5 enabled Grove Park to finish 236-179 clear on the aggregate, Eric Mulrooney 21-12 the pick for the Bay.
Sunny Rhyl are making early running in the promotion race in Section D following their 9-5 success at Mochdre Park on top of their opening 8-6 win at Bala but St Asaph B came unstuck in a 10-4 tumble at Penmaenmawr B after launching their season with a 12-2 blast against Mochdre.
Rhyl, after suffering a 13-1 hammer blow at Vardre the previous week, faired marginally better as they limited Denbigh B to a 11-3 margin in their opening home game.
Senior Citizens Bowls League
Division A
Abergele A 8 Mochdre Park A 4; Denbigh A 5 Rhuddlan A 7; Grove Park A 8 Fron Park 4; Old Colwyn A 9 Copperfields A 3; Penrhyn N Hall 11 Sunny Rhyl 1; Rhos Park A 11 Eirias Park A 1; Trefnant A 10 Meliden A 2
Division B
Kinmel Bay A 8 Old Colwyn B 4; Llysfaen A 6 Min y Don 6; Mochdre Park B 3 Bryn Newydd A 9; Rhos on Sea A 3 Rhos Park B 9; Rhuddlan B 10 Highbury A 2; St Asaph 11 Trefnant B 1
Division C
Dyserth A 10 Denbigh B 2; Highbury B 5 Grove Park B 7; Meliden B 10 East Parade B 2; Rhos Park C 8 Rhos on Sea B 4; Rhyl B 10 Abergele B 2
Division D
Copperfields B 10 Bryn Newydd C 2; East Parade C 10 Dyserth B 2; Eirias Park B 2 Vardre B 10; Rhyl C 2 Llysfaen B 10; Vardre A 10 Rhos Park D 2.
Colwyn and Llandudno District League
Section A
Colwyn Bay Rbl A 9 (175) Penmaenmawr A 3 (149); Eirias Park A 10 (199) Rhos Park B 2 (175); Min Y Don A 7 (193) Conwy A 5 (164); Rhos Park A 12 (210) Llandudno A 0 (135); Rhuddlan 7 (157) Craig Y Don A 5 (155)
Section B
Betws Yn Rhos A 3 (164) Penrhyn New Hall A 9 (184); Conwy B 8 (186) Vadre A 4 (173); Llanfairfechan A 10 (195) Eirias Park B 2 (155); Mochdre Park A 10 (187) Dwygyfylchi A 2 (144); Old Colwyn A 8 (158) Colwyn Bay Rbl B 4 (155)
Section C
Rhos Park C 3 (161) North Wales Police 9 (184); Craig Y Don B 9 (191) Llysfaen 3 (138); Llandudno B 9 (194) Rhos On Sea A 3 (153); Penmaenmawr B 8 (170) Old Colwyn B 4 (161)
Section D
Craig Y Don C 4 (147) Rhos Park D 8 (201); Penrhyn New Hall C 8 (173) Llanfairfechan B 4 (171); Penrhyn New Hall B 7 (192) Betws Yn Rhos B 5 (180); Rhos On Sea B 7 (175) Min Y Don B 5 (159); Vardre B 4 (156) Llandudno C 8 (165)