'Gang of four' to fore - just

But they came to the fore in controversial circumstances at last night's county association AGM at Greenfields, Shrewsbury.

Mid Shropshire League chairman Dennis Lewis, St Georges captain Mick Jones, Premier League chairman John Nash and Whitchurch League chairman Bob Moss were finally voted into office after a good half hour delay.

And the fact that they wanted to be nominated and considered for election as one block of four led to accusations that delegates at the meeting were "having a gun held to our heads."

Peter Bound (Ford), John Breeze (Chester Road), Keith Walton (Castlefields) and John Addison (Telepost) were all nominated as individuals for the four slots to serve alongside new county president Barry Jennings.

Lewis, the man widely credited with guiding Shropshire's juniors to their national triumph last year, declared: "Ours is not a suicide squad, it has been put together after a lot of thought.

"You need four things to be successful - leadership, organisation, motivation and team spirit. And if you vote for us we will win the Crosfield Cup (the national title) in the three years and I will come back to this meeting and say 'I told you so'."

Nobody at the meeting doubted the quartet's credentials or their desire, but a straw poll revealed the majority wanted to vote to fill the four slots one by one.

And Breeze stressed: "The four other people standing are equally determined to try and win the Crosfield Cup - and have equally as good a chance."

So the whole issue went to a vote, with delegates told to write the four names they wanted as selectors on the back of their voting cards.

And the final totals were: Lewis 52 votes, Moss 48, Jones 47, Nash 40, Bound 25, Breeze 24, Walton 14, Addison 11.

By Malcolm Fletcher