By Stephen Helliwell
Gareth Swain was the star of the show at the Halifax Association Men's Merit sponsored by David Helliwell, held at his home club of Luddendenfoot on Sunday. He beat Danny Towning with a score of 21-14 in the final, after a series of impressive wins over tough opponents.
Swain started his campaign with a convincing 21-8 win over Paul Turner, then followed it up with a 21-12 victory against his clubmate Ben Halliday. He faced another team-mate, Phillip Brown, in the quarter-final, who had a 16-6 lead at one point. But Swain showed his resilience and skill to turn the game around and win by 21-17. He booked his spot in the final with a 21-17 win over Dale Holdsworth of Akroydon Victoria, who put up a good fight.
Towning also had a strong run to the final, beating Luddenden Foot's David Astin by 21-3 in his first game. He then defeated Freddie Priestley of Mytholmroyd by 21-13 to reach the quarter-final, where he met Priestley's team-mate Richard Helliwell. Towning edged out Helliwell by 21-17 to advance to the semi-final.
In the final, Swain had to overcome a -2 handicap, and was trailing by 7-2 at one stage. But he did not give up and staged a remarkable comeback to win by 21-14 and clinch the title. He was delighted with his performance and thanked his supporters and the sponsors for making the event possible.