Shrewsbury rivals will continue battle in the cup final
An all-Shrewsbury final of the Shropshire Cup tomorrow will lift the rivalry between the bowls clubs to new heights.
Castlefields and Prince of Wales Hotel meet on Old Shrewsbury No.1 (6.30pm) with a lot more than the Burdass Cup and prize money at stake in the KGJ Insurance-backed knockout.
For the clubs are locked in a titanic championship race at the top of the Tanners Shropshire Leagues, which the Fields must be slight favourites to win now.
That’s because they had five winners at the Prince Hotel last Friday, going down 7-5 and by just 10 shots on aggregate to keep a six-point gap over their main title rivals.
They won their home match against the Hoteliers 10-2 in May and recent addition Rhys Marshall, the Shropshire junior captain, will be eager to keep up his fine form against a club he knows so well.
But Prince have something of a secret weapon in vastly experienced County Deputy President Mick Jones, who bowls for them in the senior citizens league and will play at No.12 tomorrow.
Prince captain Danny Wornell was a relieved man after they survived a late semi-final surge by Sir John Bayley, declaring: “It was a great game and close like I expected.
“It was a proper team performance and every single player played their part, even the players who didn’t actually play – great club spirit!”
Castlefields last won the Shropshire Cup in 2017 and skipper Graham Wall can’t wait for tomorrow’s final.
Final pairings: Barry Keep v Hayden Lewis, Anthony Gray v Tony Hotchkiss, Alan Peach v Nicki Hotchkiss, Kieran Walker v Darren Powis, Kevin Walker v Ian Smith, Rhys Marshall v Neil Lewis, Steve Peach v Danny Wornell, James Mammone v Ian Marshall, Steve Duckett v Adrian Jennings, Sam Cartwright v Ian Payne, Michael Thomas v Nigel Ferrington, Craig Elson v Mick Jones.
She couldn’t quite match the trophy-winning feat of her husband, but Marie Scott got mighty close in the British Parks’ Ladies Merit.
The Hanmer bowler won three games to reach the semi-finals at Cheadle & Gatley Con Club in Stockport on Sunday.
A 21-18 victory over Mary Wrench (Cheshire) took the North Shropshire Parks hopeful into the last four, but she then lost 21-8 to Mel Saville-Fearn of South Yorkshire.
Malpas-based Scott, whose husband Phil won the British Referees Society’s Patrons Day last month, is ladies secretary and registrar of British Parks association as well as joint secretary of North Shropshire Parks.
