OWLEY Wood Recreation Club started their centenary year celebrations on Saturday with an open 64 competition that was won by pre-tournament favourite Tom Vickers.

Winning the competition, which was handsomely sponsored by Comm-Tech IT to give one of the highest first prizes in the country for a one-day event, filled Vickers’ pocket to the tune of £1000.

Vickers lived up to his billing as he made his way through the field.

His only real scare on his way to victory was a 21-19 defeat of Matt Thurlwell in the quarter-finals.

Vickers defeated Tony Barrass of South Yorkshire 21-13 in the final showdown.

Cheshire men’s team got off to a winning start in the 2022 county championship campaign with a victory over Staffordshire on Sunday.

The home team recorded 11 winners at Castle Sports for a thumping 71-chalk win.

Vickers, fresh from his Owley Wood success, led the way with a 21-7 victory.

Owen Cookson, who was making his Cheshire senior debut after coming through the junior ranks, also scored an impressive 21-8 win.

Cheshire’s away team faced a strong Staffordshire home side in the away leg.

Andy Hamman put in a man-of-the-match performance in coming back from 16-8 down to beat Staffordshire’s best player, Scott Simpson, 21-16.

Steven Morrey also won in the first four with a 21-19 defeat of Chris Ward.

The Cheshire team only had one other winner, but their 51-chalk defeat was enough to see Cheshire home by 20 chalks across the two legs

The Mid Cheshire League gets under way tonight, Thursday, while tomorrow night, Friday, Castle Sports start their defence of the Premier League title with the aim of looking to pick up the crown for a fourth consecutive year.

Prior to the start of the league season the league has been running the Littler Cup, which is now down to the quarter-final stage.

The games will take place on Tuesday, May 17, and the draw is: Tarporley A v Wharton Cons A, Comberbach B v Red Lion A, Middlewich v Lostock Graylams and Kingswood BC v Comberbach A.

Castle Sports are staging an open pairs competition on Sunday with play starting at 10am and where a winner’s cheque of £300 is up for grabs.