From the despair of three Shropshire Merit final defeats to the elation of victory in the British Ladies County Championship final.That is the journey along the emotional spectrum one of the stalwart figures of Shropshire ladies bowls will attempt to complete on Sunday in Blackpool.

For all the many honours Wrockwardine Wood’s Shirley Jones has collected over a bowls career which has stretched almost 40 years, the niggling regrets remain at falling at the final hurdle on three occasions in her quest to become county champion.

But Jones has the chance to put at least part of that disappointment to bed on the hallowed turf of the Waterloo on Sunday, when she is part of the Shropshire team bidding to overcome Warwickshire and become British champions for the first time ever.

“I would love to win the Merit but this is the big one and if we could win, it would be the highlight of my career,” said the 66-year-old, who spent a decade as predecessor to Angela Gaut as county secretary and has missed only a handful of games since making her Shropshire Ladies debut in 1975.

“I played when we won the Midlands Counties final in 1983, but this is certainly much bigger.”

Even for a player with the wealth of experience of Jones, an appearance in the British county final is a first.

And she believes the emergence of a new generation of bowlers – most notably youngsters Holly Bishton, Cheryl Caswell and Ann Bradburne – has been the key to transforming Shropshire from also-rans to potential champions.

“We have got a great team spirit and we have got a good mixture of youth and experience,” she added.

“The young girls have done fantastically well since they have come into the team and hopefully everyone can bowl to their potential on Sunday.

“It’s going to be close because Warwickshire have a good team – but I think we can edge it.”

If that happens, nobody will be more pleased than Jones, who takes on Sue Dunkley in the ninth of the 24 matches.

And she admits there will be some tension before the action begins.

“Even now, after playing bowls for so long, I still get nervous before I play any match,” Jones, from Wombridge, Telford, confessed.

“There will be flutters before I go on the green on Sunday – but once I have bowled the first wood, I will settle right down and enjoy it.”