Mick Burns of Rishton Con A, successfully defended the Ted Tomlinson Trophy at Ribblesdale Bowling Club on Saturday.

In a closely fought final, Burns beat Craig Ramell of Mercer Park 21-18 to clinch his second success.

The majority of the competitors made light of the inclement weather, to produce some quality bowling throughout the day, on a splendid playing surface that stood up well to the showers. The rain abated for the final where Ramell took advantage of his two chalk start in the early stages against the defending champion.

However, Burns fought back, bowling a short, round-peg mark along the edge of the green, to lead 16-11.

Ramell closed the gap with a corner-to-corner strategy, which reduced the arrears to 15-16. Mick was almost home at 19-16, but couldn’t relax as a double brought Craig back to within a chalk, but was unable to maintain the initiative as Mick scored two singles to keep hold of the trophy.

Results - Quarter-Final: Mick Burns (Rishton Con A) 21-16 Bob Duckworth (Gt Harwood H), David Vickers (Milnshaw Wands) 21-20 Alan Dewhurst (Ribblesdale A), Craig Ramell (Mercer Park) 21-15 Sarah Varley (Ribblesdale B), Steve Hindle (Rushton St A) 21-13 Lilian Tomlinson (Clitheroe Ckt A), Semi-Final: Mick Burns 21-10 David Vickers, Craig Ramell 21-13.

Final: Mick Burns 21-18 Craig Ramell.