Bowls round-up: Hat-trick-seeking ladies up and running
One team on target for a three-peat, the other still with plenty to ponder as they look for winning formula, writes Malcolm Fletcher.
The narrative didn’t change for the Shropshire and North Shropshire bowls teams on opening day in the British Ladies County Championship on Sunday.
Two-in-row champions Shropshire won their rerun of last year’s final against Greater Manchester by 69 shots overall in qualifying group three, winning both 12-a-side legs.
But North Shropshire lost home and away by 84 to Warwick & Worcester in section two, despite a 21-18 winning return to county action by Dawn Gray at The Raven in Birmingham.
Jackie Rutter’s 21-7 card at Shifnal came in a clean sweep of the back four that took them to a 47-chalk margin with nine winners while Wendy Jones (21-5) and Sarah Weaver (21-9) led a back four whitewash at St Maries BC in Standish that turned the tide to bring a 22 shot win.
“It was a great 69-shot win over last year’s finalists Greater Manchester and a good start to our title defence, with Camilla Parsonage the home woman of the match and Wendy Jones away,” said Shropshire Ladies president Pauline Wilson.
Gray and Helen Hinton were early winners away for North Shropshire but only Gaynor Smith followed suit in a 51-shot loss.
Back at Hadnall, W&W won three of the first four on the way to a 33-chalk win with homester Leah Marshall (21-7) the only shining light as the county's winless run goes on.
Tough start for young seniors
It’s going to take patience if North Shropshire’s new approach to the British Parks Senior County Championship is going to reap rewards.
The selection of new, younger bowling talent started in Sunday’s season-opener against reigning champions South Yorkshire and resulted in a 49 shot defeat.
But the section B rivals finished with 12 winners apiece in a re-run of their semi-final clash of last year that North Shropshire lost by just five chalks.
The damage was done in the home leg on the front green at Whitchurch's District Club where the visitors won by 19 with only five winners, three of them coming in the back four.
Woore due Chris Grocott and Ben Hinton both won 21-16 but that was as good as it got for the hosts as a solid start went to waste.
A decent performance at Hallam Proprietary in Sheffield saw North Shropshire keep the deficit down to 30 with Tom Killen’s 21-9 first four card all they had to shout about early on.
But his twin brother Joe also won 21-16 and successes for Tim Jordan (21-12), Ed Proudlove (21-14) and Hayden Lewis (21-19) showed that, given time, the younger policy may just deliver.
Full house for Edgmond
A full house of 32 bowlers will contest Saturday's Edgmond Summer Open.
Happy promoter Sarah Glenholmes also has a reserve up her sleeve ahead of the race to win a £250 first prize starting.
The village club’s green was voted the best in Shropshire last year and will host the Mid Shropshire Senior Merit finals on Saturday, May 31, and the Richard Chesters Memorial charity day on June 22.
Friday marks the start of the Bowls Big Weekend with more than a dozen Shropshire clubs holding open sessions as part of the nationwide bid to introduce new people of all ages to the sport.
