Leaders happy to take any victory
Skipper Sam Millward sends leaders Newport into a top-two clash with Castlefields admitting: “I’d take any kind of win.”
The two most successful sides in the Salop Leisure Shropshire Premier League go head-to-head tomorrow night.
Newport top the table with defending champions Castlefields eight points adrift in second place. And Millward admits he will be happy as long as the Shrewsbury side don’t eat into that gap.
“I think they will be our main challenger and they won at our place last year as well,” he said.
“But we have a better side than we did last year, so who knows what will happen.
“I’d take any kind of win against them – I’d be happy if we both have six winners each as long as we take the aggregate.
“Hopefully I’ll have the same team available and we can keep doing what we have been doing.”
Castlefields have British No.1 Callum Wraight in their team, fresh from winning the £9,000 Big Smash at Dalton & Askam on Sunday.
“He had a great win but we don’t worry about other teams,” added Millward.
“Bowls is a funny sport where you can be great one game and then get beat by a nobody the next.”
In a quirk of the fixture list, the bottom two also meet as Ifton play host to Hanmer.
But Ifton captain Dickie Jones believes their position is misleading.
“It’s a big game and it’s important that we win all our home games having lost already to Meole Brace,” he said.
“Out of the eight games, we have played five away so that’s perhaps not a true reflection as far as we’re concerned.
“You’d rather have the points on the board than be playing catch-up, so we have to be looking for double figures every time we’re at home – 10 or 11 would be good.
“Some of our players are starting to come into a bit of form and they all realise the importance of staying in the league.
“But nobody at the club thinks we are going to finish bottom, we are all positive.”
Elsewhere, fourth plays third as Sir John Bayley entertain Wrockwardine Wood with both looking to bounce back from disappointing results.
Wem USC go to Bylet while Chester Road are at home to St Georges. Hanwood play host to Burway and Bowring make the trip to Meole Brace.
