A Llanfairfechan bowls player continued his impressive winning streak by being crowned champion of a prestigious cup competition on Sunday (August 8).

John Short, who is originally from Bangor and represents Bangor City, Beaumaris and Llanfairfechan Bowling Clubs, won the 89-year-old Baxter Cup for the first time at Llandudno Bowling Club last weekend.

John, who won 12 out of 12 league games this year and is also the unofficial 2021 Welsh Merit Men’s Champion, beat Gari Williams 21-9, Gareth Stanway 21-16, Jason Jones 21-9, and Matty Worden 21-14 in the final to take home the trophy.

It was the first time John, a bowls player since 1984, had been crowned Baxter Cup champion, and after a few near misses, he was delighted to extend his unbeaten run in Wales, which stretches back to 2019.

He said: “It felt great. That’s got to be one of the oldest cups around. Probably from about 1970, I know all the names of the winners.

“I lost in the final about eight years ago having been 18-15 up, and in the semis about four years ago to Jason Jones, who went on to win it.

“It’s really prestigious. It’s one that has been around for so long, and I just thought I would never get my name on that board. The final was probably the tightest, and the semi was the one I played the best in.

“For some reason, in Wales, I just haven’t lost a game at all. Every cup and league game I’ve won. The only games I’ve lost were in England – I’ve lost two out of four there. I last lost a game in wales two years ago.

“I don’t feel under pressure by it. I’ve had a good season.”

John was presented with the trophy by Harry Saville, Mayor of Llandudno, and Michael Tree of Swayne Johnson Solicitors, one of the competition’s sponsors.

Ironically, though, he almost wasn’t involved in this year’s Baxter Cup at all – it was only when he bumped into organiser Mark Ball during lockdown earlier this year that he was encouraged to put his name down.

Initially tenth reserve, John soon got the call from Mark saying he was in, and after negotiating two qualifying rounds and Sunday’s final, the Baxter Cup has a new name engraved on it.

“About three weeks later (after meeting Mark), he phoned me and said: ‘Ten have pulled out - you’re in’.

“I was the last one of the reserves to be allowed in, and ended up winning it. That was fate, wasn’t it?”

Typically, victory in the Baxter Cup qualifies the winner for the national Champion of Champions tournament.

But COVID-19 has caused both this and last year’s competitions to be cancelled, and an inability to compete in it again after his Baxter Cup victory proved the only tinge of disappointment for John.

“I’ve qualified for that a couple of times. Especially knowing that I had won a big competition, it would have been nice award, to go to that finals day,” he said.

“It will be back on next year and I probably won’t win anything!”