Plans for new association get the green light

Plans to run the SPS Whitchurch and Market Drayton leagues by a new association, starting next year, were discussed at the latest meeting of the county executive.

Forming the North Shropshire Crown Green Bowling Association is seen as the only way forward by the officers of both leagues as they struggle to find anyone to take up key posts.

And the executive of the sport’s governing body in the county, Shropshire Crown Green Bowling Association, endorsed the move at a meeting at Sinclair BC in Telford.

A working party has met several times to advance the project and spokeswoman Chris Sayers said: “The working party have drafted a new constitution under the new name proposed for the single administration, which is intended to be an umbrella organisation governing the two leagues who will remain independent.

“This new initiative is being taken to preserve the interest of crown green bowling in North Shropshire and maintain the operation of both the Whitchurch and Market Drayton leagues for the foreseeable future.

“As the two leagues are still running independently of each other, with two separate bank accounts in operation, there will be no change to the affiliation fees etc that are collected and paid over to SCGBA each year from each club.”

The success of the county’s bowls teams has given the Shropshire association a welcome financial boost in the face of the cost of living crisis.

All three sides – the seniors, juniors and veterans – won prize money for their efforts in competitions run by the sport’s governing body, the British Crown Green Bowling Association.

The seniors, beaten in the Crosfield Cup final by Yorkshire, were the top earners with £1,500 in prize money.

Shropshire’s under-18s, runners-up to Yorkshire in the premier division, earned £1,250 while the veterans picked up £400 as runners-up in the over-60s county knockout.