Hanmer 'Arm-ed' for Saturday bowls fever

Saturday night fever comes to the Furrows Shropshire Premier Bowls League play-offs this weekend.

The annual end-of-season campaign gets underway on Saturday when Market Drayton League champions Hanmer take on Craven Arms - winners of the Ludlow League - at Bowring (6.30pm).

The pre-play-off preliminary round tie will kick off a frantic week of action as five teams battle for the right to meet this season's Premier wooden spoonists Bylet in the showpiece play-off final.

Saturday's losers will be eliminated while there will be little time to celebrate for the winners as they will be back in action at the start of next week when they tackle Tanners Shropshire League champions-in-waiting Burway in the first semi-final.

Should Burway have to play Hanmer, it is likely to be staged at Donnington Wood on Monday while a Craven Arms victory means they will meet their south Shropshire rivals at Bylet on Tuesday.

Abbey, who clinched the Highley League this week with an 8-2 victory over Much Wenlock A, will meet the Wem League winners Hanwood at Chester Road on Wednesday in the second semi.

The successful clubs in those two games will meet in the pre-play-off final on either Saturday, October 2 or Tuesday October 5.

The last team standing then faces a winner-takes-all clash with Bylet for the right to be one of the 14 Premier League clubs in 2001.