Singles showdown for father and son

8:18am Thursday 28th August 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

IT'S father against son when David Bishop faces his teenage offspring Tom in the next round of the Weymouth and Portland Open singles.

This is not the first time these regular visitors from the Atherley club, Southampton, have met in the tournament - Tom took the honours before going on to be runner-up in the 2006 final.

Tom is an England junior triallist and has Middleton Cup experience as well as being a member of the Hampshire Liberty Trophy team.

Last summer the 17-year-old won the Open 18 and under title but dad will not be a pushover as he is the reigning Southampton and District BA singles champion.

The family feud' was set up by Tom beating former Dorset Middleton Cup bowler John Hooper (Exonia/Bridport) 21-12 while David sauntered past Hampshire youngster Alan Smith (Fleming Park, Eastleigh) 21-3.

Colin Gazzard - holder of the singles and triples trophies - is still going strong in those two events plus the pairs which could prove a headache for the organisers on finals day at Weymouth and Melcombe Regis come Saturday if the Weston-super-Mare man continues in the same vein.

Poole twosome Alec McKenzie and Roger Button, who knocked indoor international Adam Tidby out of the pairs, were given the heave-ho themselves 15-13 by Tony Colton (Greenhill) and Ian Francis (Spencer-Moulton, Wiltshire).

Eddy Young and Peter Clarke overcame Harwood and Wilson (Manchester Common-wealth) 21-6 - and those two Dorchester diehards combined with club-mate Colin Ackerman to progress in the triples.