Bowls round-up: Wrekin Cup continues to evade Castlefields veterans
One of the few bowls team titles yet to be won by Castlefields continues to evade them, writes Malcolm Fletcher.
The all-conquering Shrewsbury club had high hopes of finally getting their hands on the Wrekin Cup that goes to the winners of the Shropshire veterans knockout.
And the early signs looked good in the weather-delayed 2024 finals day played at Old Shrewsbury as they beat semi-final rivals Bylet by 22 shots in the six-a-side clash with Mark Thomas a 21-5 star.
But when it came to the final Fields lost by 14 chalks to Mid Shropshire big guns St Georges, despite a super 21-6 win by Wayne Rogers and a 21-17 card from Gary Walker.
Hadley dogfight
It has not been an easy start to the 2025 bowls season for Shropshire Cup holders Hadley USC.
Hit by a player exodus, they find themselves at the wrong end of the Mid Shropshire League’s first division and already involved in a relegation dogfight.
But they aim to lift the gloom when they start their defence of the KGJ Insurance-sponsored 10-a-side knockout crown against fellow strugglers Allscott Heath on Wednesday at the neutral venue of Sinclair.
The top preliminary round tie that night pits Mid Shropshire title hopefuls Sinclair and Shifnal together at Broseley from 7pm and the other showdowns are: Newport v Greenfields (at Archibald Worthington); Donnington Wood v Sir John Bayley (Newport No.2); Hodnet v Bylet (Castlefields No.2); Horsehay v Chester Road (Monkmoor); Trench v Charlton (Maddocks).
Sir John Bayley Mixed Doubles
Moving to a new bowls club has helped pave the way to a title triumph for partners Emma Duncan and Nathan Lacey.
Having joined Wrockwardine Wood this season, the established pairing won the Sir John Bayley Mixed Doubles with a day-long performance matching Sunday’s sunshine.
They beat fellow Wrockite Tom Killen and his mum Angela Boot – who made her Premier League debut for St Georges on Friday night – 21-16 in the final after 25 of the hoped for 32 pairs took part.
That meant prize money was reduced slightly in the MPH Heating & Plumbing-sponsored event, but Duncan & Lacey still landed a top prize of more than £300 for their efforts on the bottom green at the Wellington club.
They raced to a 21-3 win over homester Michael Cooper & Molly Harris in the semi-finals while Killen & Boot ended the hopes of the previous weekend’s Mid Shropshire Dixon & Driscoll Doubles winners, Sonya Lucas & Pete Grimston, 21-19.
Best Kept Green competition
There are two titles to be won in this year’s Shropshire Best Kept Green competition.
Sponsored by Dennis UK-SISIS, entries from can be made via club pages on the county website up until May 31.
“This is open to all Shropshire affiliated clubs,” stressed a county asocaiton spokesperson. “And there is also a new category this year for the most improved green, which will be judged on previous year’s results.
“Regional judging will be at the end of June/early July with final judging at the end of August.”
