Coates joins exclusive club with Gambert Baines Challenge Cup victory

In the competition’s 107-year history, it has only been contested on 87 occasions and has been won by a total of 65 bowlers, with 13 of these having won it at least twice.

Traditionally, all games were played on the Alexandra greens, in Scarborough, with the exception of 2020 when North Cliff had to be used because of Covid.

But with a change of format to a one-day competition, with 103 entrants this year, and difficulties with the Indoor Bowling Centre, the early stages were played on four greens, Borough, Eastfield, Robin Hoods Bay and Whitby.

Eight qualified from each green and the last 32 played the final stages on the Alexandra greens.

The third round started with Burton’s Daniel Petcher cruising through 21-10 against Sheffield’s Anthony West to face Thongsbridge’s Richard Jackson, who just scraped through 21-20 against Josh Emmerson, from Whitby.

Alverthorpe’s Dave Cowsill also won 21-10 against Steve Shannon, from Chesterfield, and Spen Victoria’s Phil Bryant went through 21-15 against Matty Mongon, from Mirfield Old Bank.

Treeton’s Matty Griffiths beat Thurgoland’s Ruan Pendlebury 21-13 and Maltby’s Bailey Rumney won 21-15 against Crossgates’ Grant Bartle.

Ian Hadden, from Whitby, just made it through 21-20 against North Cliff bowler Paul Morgan to face James Wilcox who had a big 21-5 win against Crossgates’ Louie Taylor.

The top half of the draw finished with Peter Wilcox winning 21-14 against Rachel Wilcox in another Crossgates’ showdown and Laura Love, from Harehills Park, eliminating Thurgoland’s Brian Sharrock 21-16.

On the other green in the bottom half of the draw, Rob Wiltshire, from Thurgoland, won 21-13 against Chesterfield’s Ryan Lysons and Kevin Gates, of Dukes Park, put Borough’s Barrie Watson out 21-16.

This was also the score when Duncan Ruddleston, from Rothwell, beat Chestefield’s Kellie Boyd for a game against Coates who put Crossgates’ Lynn Wilcox out 21-13.

There was another repeated score when Marc Armitage, from Littlemoor, saw-off Morton House’s Michael Sweeney, to face Crossgates’ Joe Cranston who just made it through 21-20 against clubmate Ira Jeffers.

The fourth round started with some close games.

Petcher won 21-18 against Jackson to face Cowsill who just made it through 21-20 against Bryant. Rumney also had a close game before winning 21-18 against Griffiths but James Wilcox was not really troubled by Hadden, winning 21-10.

This was also the score when Love put previous winner Peter Wilcox out to face Gates, who won 21-16 against Wiltshire.

In the final two games, Coates had a big 21-9 win against Ruddleston and Armitage beat Cranston 21-13.

In the first quarter-final, Petcher was not really troubled by Cowsill, winning 21-10 but James Wilcox did even better, beating Rumney 21-7.

In the bottom half of the draw, Love continued her fine run and became possibly the first female bowler to reach the semi-finals of the competition when she beat Gates 21-18 to face Coates, who ended Armitage’s hopes with a

21-11 win.

The two semi-finals were both quite comfortable wins for the two previous winners with Wilcox winning 21-13 against Petcher and Coates beating Love 21-12.

Wilcox made a good start in the final, winning the first two ends before Coates took the next three to lead 8-6.

Wilcox pulled one back only for Coates to go 11-7 up after eight ends. Wilcox won the next end but Coates then found a good mark and won five successive ends to lead 16-8.

Battling Wilcox pulled two back in the next two ends only for Coates to score a two to lead 18-10.

Two came from Wilcox on the 18th end but Coates wrapped-up the game and title with a two and a two to win 21-12 and become the 13th multiple winner of the competition.

The junior version of the cup, the Roger Crowther Cup was won by Louie Taylor.