Seniors targeting British bowls success

They take on South Yorkshire in their qualifying section three opener with reigning County Merit champion Jack Hewitt making his debut in the 12-a-side home leg on Newport No.2 (2pm start) and the away party travelling to Barnsley No.1.

Selectors Mick Jones, Keith Walton and Andy Smith have been joined by Phil King, the competition secretary of the Mid Shropshire League, to form the latest ‘Gang of Four’ trying to add to just two Shropshire triumphs in the Crosfield Cup, the last being in 2009.

First they have to plot a route to August’s semi-finals by winning tomorrow and then also getting the better of Merseyside and Cumbria a bit further down the line.

Their understandable mantra for tomorrow is to go with a tried and tested line-up and to use a banker home green, in the knowledge that defeat in May means a severely uphill battle to make the knockout stages.

A county spokesman said: “There is a debut for Jack Hewitt of Hanmer, our 2021 Senior Merit winner, who replaces Paul Reeves who is unavailable.

“There are two more changes from the last senior county match with Darren Wellings and Alex Jones in for Clay Flattley and Gary Beff, who are reserves.”

Away in Barnsley, British No.1 Callum Wraight and fellow County Merit winners Rich Goddard, Wayne Rogers and Martin Lloyd give Shropshire a powerful looking starting 12.

Shropshire last played South Yorkshire in 2016 in a group game which ended in victory by 14 shots overall, but tomorrow’s rivals boast a plethora of big names, including Ross Meese, Dean Missere and Danny Sillitoe, and it looks like being close again.

With Newport Cricket Club having a match on their adjacent ground tomorrow, the bowling club asks everyone attending the bowls by car to use the car park at Burton Borough School, just 200 yards away (sat nav TF10 7DS).

A decent turnout of bowlers for Monday’s County Handicap will help prove the sport is returning to full health after the pandemic.

That’s the fervent hope of Shropshire association officials ahead of the Bank Holiday competition that traditionally opens the country calendar.

The two greens at Old Shrewsbury, again badly hit by the River Severn floods in the winter, are the venue for the Handicap, starting at 10am.

Entry is £10 and organiser Mike Potter will take entries on the day, home bowlers now being permitted to enter but with a handicap of two.

The coveted title has been won by big guns like Peter Farmer, Andrew Moss, Michael Beer, Martin Lloyd and Rich Lawson in recent years but it is strange omission from the CV of Shropshire No.1 Callum Wraight.

And he won’t be at Old Shrewsbury on Monday either as he features in the finals day of the Spring Waterloo at its new home at Fleetwood BC.

The Castelefieds king came through the last qualifier on Wednesday and faces Paul Dale of Congleton when a last 32 that includes his big rival Greg Smith goes into battle at 10am.

First though for Wraight is the final of the Weston Park Trophy at Brockholes BC, Huddersfield, tonight when he plays Scott Fisher of Wakefield in the round of 16 at the start of a race to a £1,000 first prize.