Shropshire Star

Trevor hoping to come up with a very clever plan

The fixture secretary of Shropshire’s oldest bowls league is facing a ‘nightmare’ as it prepares for a new campaign.

Published
Bowls

Trevor Roberts’ problems look set to start after Monday’s AGM of the Osestry League at Chirk AAA Sports & Social Club (7.30pm) when additional teams from Corwen and Llanrhaeadr (CORR) are up for election.

Having catered for 60 teams in five divisions of 12 last year – losing a whole division of 12 sides post Covid - it looks like getting complicated for Roberts if the new sides are approved.

“We have 61 entries this year, which is a bit of a nightmare to organise, especially trying to get as many games as possible for the lower division teams,” admitted Roberts.

“The proposal is for the top four divisions to have 12 teams while division five will have six teams, playing each other four times - but the bottom division is the complicated one.

“It would have seven teams playing each other over 16 weeks and then the division would split, the top four to play each other again for the two promotion places while the bottom three teams also play each other twice again.

“It’s a bit complicated and won't be easy to organise.

"The last thing you want is the bottom two or even three divisions all with depleted numbers and playing shortened seasons!”

League secretary Lorraine Lewis admitted: “We will be spending a lot of time at the AGM on proposed rule changes and the compilation of the league.”

The main rule change – proposed by Chirk AAA, Llangollen and Whittington – would do away with away team practice, a move approved by the narrowest of margins at the 2022 AGM.

And the other probable contentious issue for Monday’s meeting is a new rule regarding calling games off, especially if teams are short of players.

“A lot of captains feel compelled to agree to a request of postponement, but this new rule will give them a chance to say no thank you,” added Roberts.