Bowls league planning to tackle behaviour issues - round-up
A special pre-season meeting in March is being planned to tackle behaviour issues which plagued a leading Shropshire bowls league this year, writes Malcolm Fletcher.
Captains of all teams in the Molson Coors Mid Shropshire League will be urged to attend to receive advice on how they and their clubs should deal with any incidents that may arise in matches in 2026.
“But in terms of how the league will deal with potential problems, we will be sticking with our current Code of Conduct and Protest rules and we will be ramming home our message at all meetings in the countdown to next season,” said a league spokesman.
That approach policy was relayed to club delegates at the November executive meeting when rule change proposals from five clubs – Hadley USC, Horsehay, Newport, Albrighton and Bowring – were dissected.
The league’s AGM is set for Tuesday, January 27, when a new chairman will need electing as Sean Round confirmed he would be standing down after 14 years in post.
All other officers are prepared to continue next year – and they will receive a 3.8% increase in honoraria in line with the September CPI figure that is used the usual guide.
Tanners Shropshire League Charity Triples
It’s not all about wining trophies and prize money for a leading Shropshire bowls league.
The Tanners Shropshire League runs a Charity Triples competition every season and this year the money raised has been presented to the Alzheimer's Society.
League competition secretary Rich Jones handed over a cheque for £200 to Graham Hughes, who received it on behalf of the Society.
The Tony Poole Charity Triples was played at Old Shrewsbury in August with ties lasting one hour, the eventual winners being Gary Neal, Mark Harris and Danny Wornell.
Bradley Winter League
Ifton Miners face a potential early title decider in the Bradley Winter League in Wrexham on Thursday night.
The St Martins club are aiming to retain the title on the artificial bowling green, but they have already lost one of their eight games to allow unbeaten Gladstone to pull clear at the top.
The top two clash tonight and go into the crunch game on the back of maximum point hauls last week.
Ifton saw off second-bottom Bowling Stones, with Nick Jones (21-2) and Keith Wall (21-7) best of their winners in the four singles-two doubles fixture.
Potteries Panel
Seven bowlers with Shropshire connections will battle it out for more than £5,000 in prize money in the Potteries Panel early in the new year.
Past winner Callum Wraight will spearhead the challenge when 30 players start their bids for slice of the prize purse on Thursday, January 29, on the artificial green at Biddulph.
Dan Williams, who reached the semi-finals last year before helping Sinclair win the Mid Shropshire League for the first time, returns to Panel duty, as does Joe Dicken.
Newcomers Reece Farr, Ian Howell, Darrell Handley and former Premier League winner Kevin Keary will also be involved as the week six to 11 matches switch to Leek Beggars Lane.
The 30 players will be divided into three groups with the top two in each making finals night and the other two spots up for grabs via a play-off week.
But before the group fixtures start there will be two Thursdays of Cash Challenger games on January 15 and 22 at Biddulph, when bowlers from outside of the Potteries area can take on the Panel Players for cash.
