Bowls round-up: Bandit Bowls hope to beat the icy weather this weekend

An 11th year of closed season action organised by Jamie Brookes began so well with record 100-plus fields on Sundays for the winter series of round robin matches.

But the tragic collapse of Lancashire’s Ged Brown at Tilstock in November and now the severe weather has really impacted the programme.

Brookes hopes to stage round 10 of the winter series on Sunday at Shifnal with the three sessions of 13-up games starting at 9am. 12.30pm and 4pm.

But the same venue was a no-go last weekend and a rapid thaw looks like being needed for the action to start on time.

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Battlefield A will be saluted as the top team in the Shrewsbury Senior Citizens Bowling League at its AGM on Monday.

Their three-year wait to regain first place in Division One ended in September, but they have to wait until Monday’s joint annual meeting and presentation at Old Shrewsbury BC (2pm) to receive official acclaim.

A number of the players who helped Battlefield be crowned as first champions of the Shropshire Premier League in 1994 featured last season as they ended the reign of Dick Meyrick Cup winners Castlefields.

It looks like being a quiet AGM with all officers prepared to continue in post, although treasurer Margaret Cooper will propose an increase in the annual team fee to £35 and call for a look at honoraria levels.

She is also seconding a proposal from secretary Chris Kershaw which, if approved, would see the top three teams, individual men’s winner and individual lady winner in each division receive prize money in future.

A move to allow bowlers who reach the age of 65 during the season to play from the start of the campaign is also up for discussion.

No new clubs or teams have applied to join the six-a-side league in 2025 and Kershaw has received no withdrawals, but he added: “The deadline (for both) is 12 noon on February 28.”

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There’s plenty for the county executive to get their teeth into on Monday night at a meeting at Tilstock Bowling Club.

The countdown to the Shropshire association on Saturday, February 1, at Bicton BC, near Shrewsbury (11am start), really hots up with delegates having much to debate.

There are the proposals going before the British association’s rules revision meeting on January 18, which include a new £1 annual Player Development Fee to be paid by every league bowler.

There’s also the county’s own proposals to go before its AGM to finalise and the need to find a county deputy president for this year to serve alongside Simon Fullard and fill the vacant development officer post.

But the good news is that treasurer Marie Scott is set to report a healthy surplus on 2024 to the county AGM, even though £4,344 has been paid in grants to affiliated clubs.