Shropshire Star

One last call for opinions on the merger of two veteran leagues

Time is running out for clubs in two Shropshire veterans bowls leagues to make their views known about a potential unification.

Published

A single administrative body is proposed to run the Barlows Whitchurch Over-60s and Market Drayton Senior Citizens leagues as soon as next year.

Both managements have approved a Joint Administration Committee for the two leagues, a constitution has already been written and combined rules worked on and circulated to clubs.

But now those clubs are being reminded that their input is vital to the project progressing and following in the footsteps of the single administration of the Whitchurch and Drayton evening leagues in response to the difficulty of recruiting new officers.

“Comments back to the league secretaries are needed by the end of November please,” said a Barlows league spokes- person.

“It is vitally important that the documents are read by club committees and also players involved in the leagues so that a consensus is reached that can be taken forward.”

Thursday is also the deadline for new clubs to apply to join the Barlows league next year, eight-a-side fixtures being played in three divisions on Tuesday afternoons.

David Cunningham has gone one better to make the winners’ enclosure in Bandit Bowls’ winter one-day competitions.

The Ellesmere bowler, runner-up to Welsh ace Andy Armstrong last weekend, won the sixth one-dayer of the campaign at Joules BC in Market Drayton on Saturday.

Despite losing two of his round robin group games, Cunningham took the top cash prize by beating Terry Howard (Llay) 21-9 in the final after just after 15 bowlers entered on a cold day.

The eventual winner survived a 21-20 scare against Dave James in the semi-finals while Howard was beating organiser Jamie Brookes 21-18.

Quarter-final scores – James 21 Angela Howard 9; Cunningham 21 Chris Stretch 19; Howard 21 James Blair 13; Brookes 21 Tom Killen 18.

The one-day comp at Burton club Washlands on Saturday that a host of Premier League bowlers had entered was called off, organiser Rikki Higgs giving up after a series of late withdrawals took away at least a quarter of a 32-strong field.