Bowls round-up: County stars honoured at league presentation
It was just league honours winners that were saluted at a Shropshire bowls league’s presentation night, writes Malcolm Fletcher.
The Molson Coors Mid Shropshire paid tribute to bowlers who triumphed on the British and county stages during the 2024 season.
Pride of place at the function at the West Stand @ TUFC in Wellington went to the members of the Shropshire Ladies squad that retained the British Ladies County Championship.
They thrashed Greater Manchester by 83 shots in September’s final, winning the home leg on the old green at Wrockwardine Wood by 50 chalks to land the crown for a fifth time since 2008.
Team member Cheryl Caswell also had a year to remember, winning the Spring Waterloo and the County Women’s Merit again.
In the spotlight for Shropshire successes were County Merit winner Josh Bradburn after his triumph at former club Bowring, County Cup winners Sir John Bayley and first-time Shropshire Cup winners Hadley USC.
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The new figurehead of Shropshire bowls has a big goal for the season that’s fast approaching.
Simon Fullard, county president for 2025, aims to give the County Senior Merit a big boost – and is searching for sponsors to try and do just that.
“I’m hoping the County Senior Merit sees a resurgence in numbers,” Fullard told the county association’s AGM at Bicton Club, near Shrewsbury, after stepping up from the deputy role.
The number of entries in the Merit has fallen that low that Shropshire will only have three qualifiers heading to the British Senior Merit finals this year, instead of the usual four.
Fullard, the driving force of the North Shropshire veterans association as its secretary-treasurer, has been chairman of Tilstock for the last 10 years and now also looks after the club’s green.
He was nominated by clubmate Roger Haynes, who said: “What Simon has done for bowls over the last 10 years or so for club, leagues and county association amongst others, he duly deserves the honour of being President in 2025.”
Fullard succeeds Brenda Slingo – who said she would “treasurer her years in office” – and has Tanner Shropshire League chairman Andy Jones (Bicton) as his deputy.
Long-serving duo Isobel Jones and Derek Killen stood down as county junior selectors but Bylet’s Cheryl Caswell was elected to join the under-18 selection panel.
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Two into four won’t go in 2025 for the first veterans bowling league to be launched in Shropshire.
Applications to enter new teams from Albrighton and Alveley-based Squirrel will be voted on at the Mid Shropshire Senior Citizens League’s AGM on Thursday at the Sinclair Club in Ketley, Telford (1.30pm).
And if approved they will forced the Peter Jones Cars-sponsored league, which was formed in 1976, to have a major rethink as its existing four divisions are already full to capacity.
“The current league format of four divisions each of 14 teams doesn't allow any expansion,” said secretary John Palmer. “The only way to accommodate the applicants would be to add a fifth division and reduce the divisions to 12 teams.
“This reorganisation would necessarily mean that normal promotion/relegation would not be possible."
Officers will put forward various options to the annual meeting, when they are all prepared to be re-elected.
Rule change proposals to do away with the need for match result cards, tighten up eligibility criteria for the Merit and Doubles and to punish bowlers who enter comps and then don’t turn up without notifiying the organiser will all be voted on.
Member club Worfield are also proposing a new rule to stop home players from practising during the half time interval for refreshments after it happened in one of their away fixtures last season.
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It was third time lucky for Shropshire senior team bowler Stuart Rutter in the Bandit Bowls one-day competitions.
Having reached the quarter-finals of the two one-dayers he has played in this winter, the Sir John Bayley man came up trumps on Saturday at Childs Ercall.
Rutter, no stranger to winning bowls knockouts, beat Cedric Bancroft of Woore 21-17 in the final after 22 had entered, despite the cold conditions.
He picked up the bulk of a £154 prize fund after beating county No.1 Callum Wraight (Castlefields) 21-17 in the semi-finals while Bancroft was seeing off promoter Jamie Brookes 21-13.
Quarter-final scores: Bancroft 21 Liz Ruscoe 6; Brookes 21 Terry Howard 13; Wraight 21 Gerald Merry 10; Rutter 21 Gary Jones 13.
