THERE was a familiar name on the trophy after Sunday’s Burway Open bowls competition, as Shropshire county player Callum Wraight retained his title to claim the prize for the fourth time in five years.

Wraight, playing on a Burway BC course he knows well, saw off Derbyshire rival and close friend Dan Petcher 21-13 to win the title again, in front of a treble-figure crowd as the weather held despite a gloomy forecast.

Petcher started quickly to lead 6-3 before Castlefields player Wraight found a short mark he liked. Both were firing accurately at anything close to the jack throughout the match but Wraight was leading well throughout and took an 18-12 lead.

Petcher tried his best to stay in the game but Wraight's green knowledge ultimately proved decisive.

The champion had seen off county teammate Wem USC’s Derek Wright in his semi-final as Wraight, who had lost on the green two nights earlier in a league game against Kevin Dovey, proved in no mood to relinquish his title and raced into leads of 9-2 and 14 -8. Wright got the block back in hand and put some shots on the board to close the gap to 15-14 and 16-15 but Wraight held out to win 21-15.

The eventual winner had beaten three Wrockwardine Wood players – Dale Downes, Stuart Clee and Stuart Rutter – in the opening three rounds of a competition which attracted 45 entrants, including players from as far afield as Blackburn, before winning his quarter-final 21-18 against Clay Flattley.

Petcher had secured his place in the final with a 21-19 victory over Pontesbury’s Rob Jones in a topsy-turvy affair.

The Derbyshire man did brilliantly throughout the day on greens he'd only seen once before and after levelling things up at 9 -9 against Jones, he took control and was soon 16-9 up and in pole position. That spurred his opponent into action and from 18-11 down Jones went back in front 19-18. But that was as good as it got for Jones as Petcher brilliantly regained the lead before eking out victory.