A champagne moment as Castlefields are cup kings

And it was the Shropshire and Shrewsbury divisional champions Castlefields who dominated the evening at Old Shrewsbury on Saturday with a double of their own.

Fields’ A team won the delayed Tanner Cup final with a nail-biting two-shot victory over Crescent while their B side landed the Champagne Cup thanks to a dominant display against Meole Brace which earned them a 42-chalk winning margin.

League secretary Dawn Gray said: “Finally the rain managed to hold off long enough for the Tanners Cup final and Castlefields got off to a flying start in the front, going up by 42 chalks (Steve Duckett 21-2), only for Crescent to make a fantastic fight back in the middle.

“They pulled the aggregate right back to only eight chalks (Andy Pullen 21-5) and, with the last game on, Crescent were up on the aggregate by one.

“Then, with a man of the match worthy fight back from skipper Tony Wall - being 15-11 down to win 21-18, it meant Castlefields A won the Tanner Cup by two in a final played in great spirit and sportsmanship.”

Over on the No.1 green at the same time, Castlefields B had Martin France as their best of seven winners out of the 10 games with a 21-7 card

Forty eight hours earlier, the league had held an open forum for bowlers to attend - to help officers formulate plans for the future – before an executive meeting.

And Gray was delighted with the feedback from those who attended, saying: “The open forum was a great success – we had a fantastic turnout with different bowlers from across a load of clubs.

“We asked for feedback and ideas and they came with very constructive ideas for both the league and cup structures going forward, showing a real passion for the league’s future.

“The major change that was suggested multiple times was to scrap the restrictions on Premier League bowlers not being allowed to play in both the Friday and Tuesday night divisions.

“Another major structure change would be Fridays going to two divisions of 14 sides – a new team from Telepost being submitted – and league competitions running throughout the season rather than all at the end.

“Obviously everything will need to be voted on but, with the views coming from the bowlers, it’s all looking positive for next year already.”