Shropshire bowls association makes decision on crucial crisis meeting

Backing for the existing body and not the so-called breakaway counties is the stance Shropshire will take at a special meeting of the British Crown Green Bowling Association.

The crisis engulfing the governing body of the sport was the crux of a meeting of the Shropshire association executive on Sunday at Tilstock BC ahead of a Special General Meeting of the BCGBA this coming weekend.

A huge split in the counties affiliated to it surrounding proper governance continues to fester ahead of that meeting on Saturday, November 14, at Walkers Sports & Social Cub in Warrington at 10am.

A county spokesperson confirmed the executive had decided ‘to side with the current board’ at the looming crunch gathering, which will be overseen by the neutral voice of Lisa Graham, managing director of the Bowls Development Alliance.

New board members have been appointed by the people running the current BCGBA, who said in a statement: “We know there has been a great deal of information, disagreement and understandable confusion and we believe members deserve a clear and factual account of where matters currently stand.”

Bandit Bowls

Bandit Bowls may be well established on the winter scene but it’s still attracting new recruits.

A number of newcomers topped their 13-up round robin groups on Sunday at Norton in Hales in round six of the latest series.

Ten groups were needed for the morning session and only four in the afternoon – but promoter Jamie Brookes is still a contented man.

“Back at Norton in Hales we had a total of 59 entrants and it was a good day, with the green quicker than the first time we used it the previous Saturday,” he said.

The first time table toppers included Joe Sant, Thomas C Jones, Martin Green and Richard Marshall – but many of the series regulars came out on top too.

They were Meurig Davies – up to fourth in the points table – Daz Fielding, Callum Wraight, Liam Badwick, Terry Howard, David Cunningham, Alan Boulton, Dan Corbett, Bob Cliffe and Bookes himself.

Meanwhile, Pontesbury came to the rescue of the Bandit Bowls one-day competition bandwagon – and the new venue was to the liking of county No.1 Callum Wraight.

A small but quality-filled field of 20 played on the Shrewsbury area club’s new green on Saturday and the Castlefields star came out on top for the second successive weekend and third time this winter.

Wraight finally got the better of Andy Riley (Johnstown) 21-18 in the final after coming through his round robin group unscathed despite the presence of county senior team-mate Scott Harries.

Relied promoter Jamie Brookes, a beaten semi-finalist along with Dan Corbett, said: “After asking 10-plus other clubs who couldn’t host for various reasons, I finally got the new green at Pontesbury.”