Bowls round-up: Presidents in the spotlight at awards evening

County President Brenda Slingo was one of the guests of honour as the title winners in the Whitchurch and Market Drayton evening leagues received their prizes.

And one of the presentations she made on Friday at Whitchurch Market Hall was to the man who will succeed her in the figurehead role, president-elect Simon Fullard.

Fullard, currently serving as county deputy president, received Whitchurch’s President’s Cup  as captain of Tilstock, the club enjoying a fine 2024 season with its B team winning Whitchurch Division Five and Drayton Division Four.

Woore put the disappointment of losing in the Premier League play-offs final to Horsehay by celebrating winning the first division championships of both leagues.

But Norton in Hales went one better by topping divisions four and six of the Whitchurch set up and adding the third division title in the Drayton on Monday nights, with Richard Marshall and Tammy Mynard adding averages awards.

League official Jack Hazeldine said: “There were 130 of North Shropshire’s bowlers and families in attendance and it was great to once again have our sponsors - Ellison Wealth Management - at the presentation night.

"Will and Julie have been sponsors for two years and they made a point of going and speaking to the youngest players in the room.

“A good evening by all accounts, some teams scooping multiple wins, and it was nice to see nearly all the individual competition winners in attendance.”

Meanwhile, it was party time for Allscott Heath as the Shrewsbury Ladies League and Shropshire Ladies association held a joint presentation evening.

The bowlers from the village club near Telford marked their first season playing on its new artificial green by breaking the league domination of Wrockardine Wood.

Allscott finished 12 points clear of the Wrockites with a record of just one defeat from 20 matches to take centre stage at Broseley Social Cub.

Captain Bec Wedge received the champions trophy from league chairwoman Wendy Jones but it was Wood’s Natalia Moseley who topped the averages.

Association president Pauline Wilson, the winner of the inaugural Mabel Finnigan Champion of Champions trophy, was pleased for Allscott.

“Getting people to attend is like getting blood out of a stone and it was a good job Allscott were there as they made the biggest part of the audience,” she said.

“However, those who attended enjoyed it and Allscott were really pleased with themselves for winning the league!”

And new and tougher restrictions are in the pipeline for bowlers who enter Mid Shropshire Senior Citizens League competitions.

Rob Renke, the officer who runs them, is determined to clarify eligibility rules and punish those who enter comps and then don’t turn up to play.

He is proposing that, to enter the Merit and Doubles from next year onwards, bowlers will have to have played at least four league games in the current season.

And his other proposal to be voted on at the AGM in February for both events reads: “Any player having entered and not turned up to play without notifying the competition secretary will be banned from entering the competition the following year.”