BOWLS: JIMMY Parker is planning to revamp the Spring Waterloo - but not at the expense of a clash with the Yorkshire Merit.

Next year's event will follow the same formula of recent years, with the final 32 playing off on the first May Bank Holiday, Monday, May 1.

But the bowls manager of the famous seaside resort plans to put back the start of the 2007 event to the middle of April, with finals day on the SECOND Bank Holiday weekend in May - sparking rumours of coinciding with the popular Yorkshire championship.

Those were allayed by Parker, however, who said: "I'm leaning towards finals day being on the second Bank Holiday Sunday in May.

"Traffic has invariably been bad on the Monday in recent years, and perhaps Sunday is a better option.

"Finals day being later in May would also mean the qualifying rounds starting later, too. That would, I hope, mean a chance of better weather and therefore the green being in better condition."

SQUASH: British champions Lee Beachill has retained his position at the top of the end-of-year England rankings.

The top four places in the men's list are occupied by members of the England squad which convincingly won the World Team Championships title in Pakistan earlier this month - bringing the trophy back to Britain after an eight-year absence.

Beachill, the 28-year-old Manchester-Pontefract ace, who became the men's British champion early this year for the third time in his fifth successive final, has held the number one ranking throughout the year. But close behind is his good friend and club-mate James Willstrop, whom he beat in the 2005 final.

Willstrop, 22, moves up a place to No2 - the same position he currently occupies in the world rankings, ahead of Beachill. Manchester's Vicky Botwright jumps three places to a career-high No2 in the new list and is likely to be seeded to meet No1 Linda Elriani in February's British National Championships women's final in Manchester.

Younger Botwright sister, Becky, maintains her position at No10.

MEN: 1 (1) Lee Beachill; 2 (3) James Willstrop; 3 (2) Peter Nicol; 4 (4) Nick Matthew; 5 (5) Simon Parke; 6 (6)Adrian Grant; 7 (7) Mark Chaloner; 8 (9) Peter Barker; 9 (8) Bradley Ball; 10 (13) Jonathon Kemp; 11 (10) Marcus Berrett.

WOMEN: 1(1) Linda Elriani; 2 (5) Vicky Botwright; 3 (2) Tania Bailey; 4 (3) Jenny Duncalf; 5 (6) Alison Waters; 6 (9) Laura Lengthorn; 7 (8) Fiona Geaves; 8 (7) Stephanie Brind; 9 (11) Dominique Lloyd-Walter; 10 (10) Rebecca Botwright.

CRICKET: ZIMBABWE'S players have gone on strike over unresolved contractual issues with the national board.

The Zimbabwe Professional Cricketers Association (ZPCA) have notified organisers of the Afro-Asian A-team tournament, scheduled for Bangladesh in January, to look for an alternative.

ZPCA representative Clive Field said: "The cricket players are still owed match fees from three months ago and they feel they have not been given adequate attention and time to address the issues."

STOCK CARS: MILNROW'S Stuart Smith has been voted the most entertaining driver of 2005 by his fellow Formula One stock car racers. Smith, whose father Stuart won six world titles, polled twice as many votes as the runner-up, Yorkshire's world and British champion Frankie Wainman junior, who won the Driver of the Year award. Tweet