Skipper saw Ifton bowlers at their best

The 11-3 victory was enough to keep Jones' men flying high in fourth in the Flowfit Shropshire Premier League, the captain admitting his side are exceeding expectations this season.

He said: "It was a great result for us, especially on the back of the defeat at Newport, we definitely put it right.

"We want to stay where we are. We won the front four and had a great start, but it could easily have been different, because of the high standard.

"Peter Bound and Craig Wilson both played very well for them and would have won on another day. It was most definitely our day.

"Gerwyn Davies turned it around against Bound, he was 19-11 behind and then won to 20, which you don't see every day – it was superb.

"Nick Jones played brilliantly to beat Wilson, but honestly there wasn't a bad game of bowls. The quality in each game was top. It was one of the best in terms of quality I can remember being involved in with Ifton for years.

"Our middle were superb so we have now set a standard that I would like to see to the end of the season."

Richard Zolman took the MVP for the hosts, beating Meole's Gary Neal to one, while Jones, Megis Phillips and Adam Price were the only players to drop games.

"Last year was disappointing and I let the squad know that. We signed some players in the summer and I'd earmarked that top six would be a good achievement," he added.

"But now we've started so well and are fourth, I want to stay there. If we can get top four this season it would be a fantastic season.

"It's looking very good, everyone is motivated and keen to play, we've a very good squad at the moment."

Nigel Bound's 21-13 win over Adam Price earned him the MVP award for Meole Brace, who are seven points clear of second-placed St Georges.