Services stretching their legs with a little help - bowls round-up
A Wem USC team with some helping hands is powering towards the part two championship in Shropshire’s newest winter bowls league, writes Malcolm Fletcher.
Homester Joe Dicken and Burway’s Jesse James are part of the Services squad that are unbeaten after six games in the Sir John Bayley League on the Wellington club’s top green.
Their latest four singles-one doubles match is tonight and comes on the back of a maximum points haul last week when James won 21-10 to help them go six points clear the top.
Meanwhile, league organiser Rob Burroughs has closed the book on entries for the Winter Merit on Sunday, March 8 (10am start), with a final call on which green it will be played on to be made this week.
Bandit Bowls
There was another case of deja vu in the latest Bandit Bowls one-day competition.
Just as seven days earlier, Scott Harries and Dan Corbett met in Saturday’s final at Childs Ercall.
And once again it was the Sir John Bayley county man who beat young Corbett (St Georges), this time 21-11 to win the best chunk of a £196 prize fund.
Corbett, the first winner or the British Boys Merit last year, beat fellow junior Ellis Griffiths 21-6 in the semi-finals - having beaten county No.1 Callum Wraight to 16 in the last eight – while Harries had Nick Pollard as his 21-9 semi-final scalp.
“We had an impressive turnout of 28 at Childs Ercall and Scott continued his recent fine form for his sixth one-day success,” said BB chief Jamie Brookes, who said this coming Saturday’s action would be at Bicton.
Meanwhile, Joe Dicken (SJB) was in the money as he made the quarter-finals of Saturday’s Spen Victoria winter sweep in Yorkshire, winning two games before bowing out 21-10 to Simon Walder at the Cleckheaton venue.
Highley Bowling League
If there is such a thing as a straightforward AGM then it looks like it’s in store tonight for the Highley Bowling League.
It has operated for the last three seasons with 21 teams in two divisions, playing eight-a-side fixtures on Tuesday nights with Highley ruling in the top flight.
Delegates from member clubs will gather at Bridgnorth BC (7.30pm) with league chairman and fixture secretary John Palmer not expecting any major changes.
In anticipation of that, Palmer confirmed: “The results service database for 2026 has already been created and is available for clubs to update their contact details and playing squads.”
