Winners saluted as Shropshire League eyes future
A major Shropshire bowling league will tonight unveil its plans for the future, just days after saluting the honours winners from its most recent past.
Those attending the Tanners Shropshire League’s executive meeting at Old Shrewsbury BC (7.30pm start) will be presented with the management’s blueprint for a revamped 2024 season.
That comes in the wake of the league’s presentation evening at Shrewsbury’s Masonic Hall, which was a special evening for the Castlefields club and one its stalwart bowlers.
“Following on from the open forum, we had a rules revisions meeting and the management will be presenting the league and cup proposals tonight,” confirmed league secretary dawn Gray. “Delegates can then take them away and discuss with their clubs ready for voting on at the AGM in January.”
The proposals are expected to include two bigger divisions rather than three on Friday nights, cup ties played through the season rather than at the end, and changes to the restrictions on Premier League bowlers being allowed to play in both the Shropshire and Shrewsbury divisions on Tuesdays.
Reflecting on the prize-giving evening, Gray added: “Although the numbers for the presentation weren’t what we were hoping for, we had a great night celebrating the league successes for 2023, Castlefields going home with the biggest haul of trophies.”
And for Fields’ Martin Codd, it was a special night.
He won his first Shrewsbury League aggregate title back in 1973 and, exactly 50 years later and still playing for Castlefields, the former county man picked up the Shrewsbury division one aggregate trophy.
“It’s a fantastic achievement!” said Gray. “And Dorrington collected their first ever trophy, winning Shrewsbury Division Three.
“We will be looking to change the format of the league presentation for 2024 as numbers seem to have declined using the current format.”
Divisional and aggregate winners:
Shropshire Division One: Castlefields A, Aled Davies (Oswestry Church, 15/17); Division Two: Unison, Jane Archer (Bayston Hill, 13/16); Division Three: Greenfields A, Kieran Walker (Castlefields B, 13/14).
Shrewsbury Division One: Castlefields A, Martin Codd (Castlefields A, 18/20); Division Two: Castlefields B, Emmet McKinley (Oxon, 18/22); Division Three: Dorrington, Alan Hotchkiss (Crescent B, 17/18); Division Four: Meole Brace C, Darren Williams (Bagley, 126/17).
Shropshire No.1 Callum Wraight will lead a small army of Premier League bowlers into battle in Burton at the weekend.
The Castlefields king takes a break from the Bandit Bowls promotions to chase a £300 first prize in a one-day competition with 32 entries at Washlands BC on Saturday.
Wraight has a first round tie against Phil Hussey and this year’s British Senior Merit runner-up Reece Farr leads a Highley contingent that includes Darrell Handley, Stu Gittings, Danny Statham and Jack Hill.
Also in the field are Jon Palmer, Darren Fielding, Ian Howell and Nick Wyer, along with big names including David May and Dan Petcher.
