Alan Peach starts second spell at Castlefields bowls

One-club man Alan Peach has begun his second spell as captain of Shropshire Premier Bowls League champions Castlefields - filling the shoes of the county's most successful leader.

Keith Walton has stepped down as captain of the Shrewsbury-based club after a successful three year stint which brought a hat-trick of Premier League titles and a County Cup triumph.

Former Shropshire selector Peach has stepped into the breach after being voted in at Castlefields' annual meeting on Tuesday.

And Peach is well placed to continue the Castlefields glory charge after a successful stint as captain in 1997 which saw his team stage a trophy clean sweep - including the Premier League, County Cup and British Club Championship.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge," said Peach, who will sign as a player in case of an emergency but intends to focus on being a non-playing captain.

"We have a very good side which has been run by a very good captain.

"Keith Walton has done a fantastic job and he will have a big part to play in the team next season."

Walton admitted it had been a straight-forward decision to step down and revealed he had been close to quitting the role 12 months ago.

"I got talked into doing it last year and I was under a little bit of pressure on Tuesday night but I stuck to my decision," said Walton.

"I think captains know when to go and it's always best to leave before you are pushed.

"The players have been fantastic and supported me through thick and thin.

"Castlefields is a difficult club to captain but when I came in I wanted us to be the No 1 team in the county and I think we have achieved that."

By JAMES GARRISON