THE number 13 proved anything but unlucky for top bowler Jason Cornes in Mid-Cheshire's premier singles bowls competition on Friday night.

Lostock's Cornes won the Guardian Cup for the second time after a wait of 13 years.

The 34-year-old had appeared in three other Guardian Finals since his debut win in 1986 - and lost every time.

The Cheshire Merit champ even thought that it wasn't going to be his night again as he trailed Owley Wood veteran Stan Frith.

Cornes admitted he thought it could be game over as Frith opened up a four point gap to make the score 18-14.

He eventually took control and denied Frith his seventh cup conquest by a narrow 21-19 in front of a record crowd at Comberbach.

"I was thinking that I'd got all the way again but it was about to slip away," said Cornes.

"I'd played really well all the way through and then didn't really get into my stride in the final. I was playing the corners badly and seemed to be losing the length as well.

"But then Stan played a few loose balls and luckily I was able to get back in.

"I'd managed to control my nerves all the way through but as it got to the crucial points they began to show.

"I think both of us were quite nervous but I managed to hold it together."

Time flies when you're having fun, but his 1986 victory was still fresh in his mind as he lifted the cup.

He added: "It seems so long ago but then again I can remember it as if it was only yesterday - it was a fantastic feeling to win it again."

Jason had comfortably seen off Kelsall's Graham Stubbs 21-4 in the quarter final but faced a stiff challenge from Wharton Cons' player Alan Robinson in the semi-final.

At 8-0 down Cornes still refused to panic. He said: "I wasn't too worried but I knew I needed to get back into it.

"If Alan had reached double figures it would have made it very difficult but I bowled really well."

Robinson succumbed and went down 21-11 as another Cons player Peter Kelly challenged Frith in an epic match, eventually losing by just one chalk 21-20 to set up his meeting with Cornes.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.