League to hold vote on women
The last bastion of a men-only bowling league could be about to crumble later this month.
Women have not been allowed to play in the Mid Shropshire Senior Citizens League since it was founded in 1976 by the late John Jones.
But one of the proposals on the agenda for the league’s AGM on February 16 at the Sinclair club in Ketley, Telford, would change all that – if club delegates approve it.
Albrighton are proposing to simply remove the word ‘male’ from the current playing rules, potentially another radical move for the six-a-side league which reduced its age limit from 65 to 60 just last year.
An Albrighton spokesman said: “As a club we struggled throughout the 2022 season to field two teams of six, a situation that we believe we are not unique with.
“We also believe that, due to the current economic climate the country is facing, fewer players will be available for next season as the purse strings for individuals tighten.
“The removal of the word male from rule 9 (a), thus enabling women to bowl in the league, will go a long way to ensure that clubs can continue to field their maximum number of teams for the 2023 season by having the option to field mixed gender teams if they so desire.”
