GARETH Coates of Akroydon Victoria saw off all-comers to be crowned Bradford Merit champion.

This year saw a change of date for the competition, sponsored by Ken Green's family, with the move to a Saturday paying off as entries were more than double those of last year.

There were 80 competitors and Coates, who is actually yet to play a Bradford League game this season, went one better than his Wednesday Merit runner-up finish to capture the title as he beat David Walker (Crossgates) 21-18 in the final.

Last 16: Gareth Coates (Akroydon Victoria) 21 Chris Wilson (Clayton) 7, Mark Dobson (Pudsey) 21 Kevin Burrage (West Bradford) 9, Mark Regan (Brighouse Sports) 21 James Hanson (Pudsey) 14, Andy Hodgson (Pudsey) 21 Paul Rooks (Eccleshill) 19, Marc Armitage (Littlemoor) 21 Andy Wood (Akroydon Victoria) 17, David Walker (Crossgates) 21 Tony Riley (Brighouse Sports) 20, Andy Tate (Clayton) Robbie Ellis (Shipley Club) 18, Paul Bowes (Littlemoor) 21 Tommy Harney (Clayton) 16. Quarter-finals: Coates 21 Dobson 16, Regan 15 Hodgson 21, Armitage 19 Walker 21, Tate 21 Bowes 11. Semi-finals: Coates 21 Hodgson 15, Walker 21 Tate 7. Final: Coates 21 Walker 18.

* ECCLESHILL won the Haworth Cup after defeating Clayton 149-138 in the final on the bottom green at Spen Victoria.

Finals day saw a total of eight teams looking to become champions and it was Eccleshill who edged through three narrow games against Harold Park, Tyersal and Clayton to take the title for the first time since 2008.

Meanwhile, Shipley Club won the Keith Morgan Supplementary Cup for the first time after beating Wibsey 171-151 in the semi-finals and Wyke 172-164 in the final on the top green at Spen Victoria.

Howarth Cup final – Eccleshill (11) 149, Clayton (14) 138 (Eccleshill names first): Paul Rooks 21 Graham Roberts 12, Neil Mylan 21 Chris Wilson 7, Andrew Howie 14 Nino Esposito 21, Ken Gilroy 2 Darren Clare 21, Peter Howroyd 17 Steve Wilkinson 21, Adam Mellor 21 June Wilson 7, Will Gilroy 21 Myles Summers 19, Nicky Bastow 21 John Lister 16.

Supplementary Cup final – Shipley Club (16) 172 Wyke (31) 164 (Shipley Club names first): John Preston 21 Bob Wilkinson 13, Paul Wilczynski 18 Nigel Swales 21, Rachel Telford 13 Robert Benn 21, Kevin Wood 21 Rob Firth 16, Kevin Arundale 21 Steve Ward 10, Tracy Preston 21 Glen Molineux 18, Andy Wood 20 Wally Whytell 21, Mark Cunningham 21 Mick Walton 13.

* BRADFORD play their Federation play-off match against Fylde B on Sunday, with the home match at Shipley Club and the away players travelling to Pilling BC.

The winners will progress to the end-of-season Champion of Champions competition on Sunday, September 25.

Bradford are considering entering a second team into the Federation for the 2017 season. Anyone interested in putting their name forward to play should contact John Preston on 07460-851570.

Home draw (Bradford names first): Bailey Rice (Shipley Club) v Paul Dawson (Cleveleys WMC), Stuart King (Asa Briggs) v Alan Foulds (Carleton), Andy Denton (Asa Briggs) v John Foulds (Belmont), Tracy Preston (Shipley Club) v Mike Gardener (Cleveleys WMC), Andrew Fowler (Clayton) v Caroline Hall (Cleveleys WMC), Scott Sansom (Asa Briggs) v Jack Livsey (Pilling BC), Tony Throup (Wyke) v Tommy Kitchen (Raikes Hotel BC), Richard Bloodworth (Ladyhill) v John Holyoke (Cleveleys WMC), Jordan Brown (Wibsey) v Bill Livsey (Pilling BC), Ashley Southwell (Asa Briggs) v Dennis Foxton (Raikes Hotel BC), Andrew Heenan (Asa Briggs) v Stuart Marshall (Inskip BC), Paul Gill (Clayton) v Jim Kenny (Raikes Hotel BC).

Away draw (Bradford names first): Will Bedford (Shipley Club) v Gary Sanderson (Gardeners BC), Jack Bowes (Littlemoor) v Margaret Warburton (Belmont), Robbie Ellis (Shipley Club) v Phil McVitie (South Shore BC), Adam Mellor (Eccleshill) v Alan Taylor (Raikes Hotel BC), Lisa Rice (Pudsey) v Stephen Dagger (Strawberry Gardens), Bob Wilkinson (Wyke) v Colin Newton (Belmont BC), Mark Cunningham (Shipley Club) v Ted Sherlock (Bispham Cons), Peter Ellis (Spen Victoria) v Patricia Conche (Blackpool Subs), Craig Fenton (Shipley Club) v Mike Dewhurst (Belmont BC), Chris Ellis (Spen Victoria) v Carl Martin (South Shore BC), Kevin Wood (Shipley Club) v Mark Audin (Raikes Hotel BC), Andy Wood (Akroydon Victoria) v Mike Kershaw (St Michaels).

* ASHLEY Daykin (Netherton Con) and Kevin Reilly (Doncaster) were the final qualifiers in the Pudsey Classic, sponsored by Northern Trade Windows.

Daykin went through with wins over Paul Firth (Lower Hopton) 21-19, Peter Grimston (St Georges) 21-16 and Conor Chamberlain (Stretton Anglesey) 21-13, while Reilly booked his place by defeating Joe Stockdale (Guiseley) 21-10, Stephen Leach (Rochdale) 21-17 and Glyn Picknell (St Georges) 21-17.

They join the other qualifiers for finals night, which takes place on Saturday from 4pm.

Final qualifying scores – First round: Conor Chamberlain (Stretton Anglesey) 21 Paul Firth (Lower Hopton) 19, Peter Grimston (St Georges) 21 Lee Schofield (Kirkheaton Con) 18, Ashley Daykin (Netherton Con) 21 Richard Stockdale (Eccleshill) 16, Andy Cairns (Rossendale) 21 Joe Bray (Cleckheaton Sports) 19, Michael Sweeney (Netherton Con) 13 Glyn Picknell (St Georges) 21, Paul Chamberlain (Stretton Anglesey) 20 Carl Upton (Ossett Flying Horse) 21, Mark Henry (Barnsley) 4 Stephen Leach (Rochdale) 21, Kevin Reilly (Doncaster) 21 Joe Stockdale (Guiseley) 10. Second round: Chamberlain 21 Grimston 16, Daykin 21 Cairns 17, Picknell 21 Upton 19, Leach 17 Reilly 21. Third round: Chamberlain 13 Daykin 21 (draws number 15), Picknell 17 Reilly 21 (draws number ten).

Draw for finals night: Gaz Lally (Crossgates) v Gary Ellis (Whitefield), Scott Fisher (Denby Grange) v Danny Towning (Whitkirk), Keiren Dodd (Lancaster) v Chris Kelly (Thongsbridge), Kevan Shaw (Westhoughton) v Andrew Sykes (Mirfield Old Bank), Mark Regan (Netherton Cons) v Kevin Reilly (Doncaster), Graeme Wilson (Lower Hopton) v Stuart Mort (Kirkham Cons), Callum Wraight (Shrewsbury) v Wayne Ditchfield (Eccleston), Ashley Daykin (Netherton Cons) v Ryan Clark (Thongsbridge).

* JOHN Bailey (Gwynned) and Josh Mordue (Pudsey) were the latest qualifiers in the £5,300 Brighouse Classic.

Bailey beat James Hanson (Pudsey) 21-19 to advance, while Mordue defeated Pudsey team-mate Andy Hodgson 21-9.

The action continues tomorrow evening, with tournament holder Callum Wraight (Shrewsbury) among those competing in a tough qualifying section.

Draw (6.30pm start): Josh Bunting (New Brighton) v Nigel Cranston (Garforth), Callum Wraight (Shrewsbury) v David Scott (Silsden), Ashley Daykin (Huddersfield) v Mark Allman (Pudsey), Joe Stockdale (Eccleshill) v Steve Davies (Liverpool), Jack Dyson (Huddersfield) v Andrew Cairns (Rawtenstall), Chris Barton (New Brighton) v James Wilcox (Crossgates), Joe Cranston (Garforth) v Owen Doyle (New Brighton), Dave McDermott (Wirral) v Richard Stockdale (Eccleshill).

* STUART King (Littlemoor) and Lee Johnstone (Warrington) were successful in the penultimate week of qualifying in the Spen Masters, sponsored by P&I Hopkins Butchers.

King defeated James Fitzpatrick (Wirral) 21-17, John Greenhalgh (Huddersfield) 21-16 and Simon Walder (Lower Hopton) 21-19 to make it through to finals night.

Johnstone booked his place with wins over Kieren O'Prey (Crosland Moor) 21-10, Robert Maude (Lower Hopton) 21-15 and Nick White (Thongsbridge) 21-6.

The final night of qualifying takes place on Saturday, with Neil Simpson (Ladyhill), Tony Riley (Brighouse Sports) and Pudsey trio Gary Wike, Chris Mordue and Josh Mordue all in action.

Week seven qualifying – First round: Simon Walder (Lower Hopton) w/o Simon Brown (Cumbria), Gary Siswick (Crosland Moor) 11 Andrew Sykes (Mirfield Old Bank) 21, John Greenhalgh (Huddersfield) 21 Dave Penketh (Warrington) 14, Stuart King (Littlemoor) 21 James Fitzpatrick (Wirral) 18, Nick White (Thongsbridge) 21 Liam Griffin (Pudsey) 13, Robbie Fitzpatrick (Wirral) 21 Gareth Coates (Akroydon Victoria) 17, Kieren O'Prey (Crosland Moor) 10 Lee Johnstone (Warrington) 21, Ian Booth (Halifax) 16 Robert Maude (Lower Hopton) 21. Second round: Walder 21 Sykes 15, Greenhalgh 16 King 21, White 21 Fitzpatrick 18, Johnstone 21 Maude 15. Third round: Walder 19 King 21 (draws number three), White 6 Johnstone 21 (draws number 16).

Week eight draw: Terry Glover (Liverpool) v Neil Simpson (Shipley), Carl Fielding (Solihull) v Gary Wike (Pudsey), Dan Jones (North Wales) v Chris Mordue (Pudsey), Gareth Nicholson (Halifax) v Dave Watters (Preston), Stephen Glover (Liverpool) Carl Armitage (Warrington), Darren Plenderleith (Solihull) v Graham Hickey (Halifax), John Bailey (North Wales) v Josh Mordue (Pudsey), Tony Riley (Brighouse Sports) v Mike Leach (Preston).

* ENTRIES are still being taken for the Hospital Handicap, sponsored by Hove Edge Bowling Club, which takes place at Hove Edge on Sunday, August 28 from 10.30am.

The entry fee is £2, with all players handicapped to give everyone a chance. Anyone interested should contact Martin Hayton on 07825-740281.

* CLUBS are reminded to get their entries in for the Spen Floodlit League, which will hopefully start early next month. Entries to David Beardsworth by e-mail to pickwick@talktalk.net or by phone to 01132-573086.