Bell Boys bid for Premier status

Donnington Wood or a Bowring team made up of mainly former Bell Boys - one of them will win the right to play in the 2009 Furrows Shropshire Premier Bowls League tonight.The current Bell Boys will relinquish their Premier status if they lose the play-off against the Worthington Mid Shropshire League champions tonight at St Georges.

It's a status Donnington are proud of, having been prime movers behind the league when it was launched in 1994, even donating the trophy the champions receive.

Bowring players like captain Peter Roden and his son Robert, Roy Bradburn and his son Josh, Rich Lawson, Dave Bicker, Mark and Steve Worthington have all played for Donnington in recent years - but there will be no doubting who their loyalties are with tonight.

As Bowring chairman Dave Deakin stressed: "We do have a number of ex-Donnington Wood players who have come to us for a variety of reasons over a long period of time - and they have done us the world of good."

Donnington captain Alan Meredith, stung by stories that his side will start as underdogs tonight, is keeping his cards close to his chest with regards to playing order.

"I don't want them to have any idea of what team I'm coming up with," he said.

"We'll have a talk but I won't be saying too much because I don't want to pile the pressure on them.

"I think they already know the importance of the game - they don't need to hear it from me."