THOMAS Vickers, who won the Guardian Cup on Friday, hopes to transfer his form to the national stage this weekend.

The Wharton Cons bowler, along with clubmate Glynn Cookson, is one of four Cheshire’s representatives at the British Individual Senior Merit in Stoke on Trent.

He has been paired with Richard Gill, from Derbyshire, in the last 64.

“I don’t know the guy I’m playing,” admitted Vickers.

“But he must be decent otherwise he wouldn’t have qualified to begin with.”

Vickers heads to Florence Tennis and Bowling Club, in Dresden, as the reigning county champion following a 21-19 victory against Cookson at Crosstown last month.

The Winsford ace told the Guardian he hopes to improve on previous appearances at the annual event.

He added: “I’ll worry about my first match before anything else, and see what happens.

“I feel good, and am playing well, so hopefully I can go on a run.

“I have played there before in a county game, but it was five or six years ago so there’s no advantage for me.”

Cookson, who won the tournament bowlers refer to as the All England Championships back in 1997, reached the final as recently as 2009.

On that occasion, he lost 21-19 to Shropshire’s Callum Wraight in Crosby.

He begins his latest bid to be crowned best in Britain against Yorkshireman Ashley Tattersley.

Steve Morrey, who plays for Castle Private A in the Mid-Cheshire Bowling Association, and Michael McDonnell are the other bowlers to have qualified from Cheshire.

Draw

Round One, Saturday (includes): Glynn Cookson (Cheshire) v Ashley Tattersley (Yorkshire); Richard Gill (Derbyshire) v Thomas Vickers (Cheshire).