Malpas win throws title race wide open as Archie stumble

The reigning champions of the District Invitation Winter League put a massive dent in the title hopes of Archibald Worthington by beating them 8-2 on Thursday night. There were just five shots in the aggregate totals (107-102) but the Archie, without unavailable star man Callum Wraight, came up short as father and son Wayne and Steve Rogers won one of the doubles matches 21-11 for Malpas on the front green at the Whitchurch club.

AWC, now third and 12 points behind leaders Woore but with two games in hand, face a crunch fixture tonight against Elephant & Castle.

Woore were 8-2 (125-86) winners against Shropshire Mix and second placed Bridgewater won by the same score (121-81) versus District B with Craig Hope their 21-2 star.

Tomorrow sees Woore take on Adderley before Bridgewater face Wem USC on Thursday and Malpas Sports tackle bottom side District B on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, it’s the last night of the season for Shropshire duo Ifton Miners and Wem USC in the Bradley Winter League tomorrow on the Wrexham club’s artificial green.

Second placed Ifton need a huge win over Arctic Knights to have any chance of stopping Flying Pierres being crown champions while Wem will aim to end their first season in the four singes-two doubles league with a win over mid table rivals Bradley B.

Trying to recover after the pandemic is not proving easy for one Shropshire evening bowling league.

The Ludlow League has suffered another setback in the countdown to its pre-season meeting on Monday at Burway BC (7.15pm start).

League secretary Steve Burmingham explained: “Unfortunately, we have had Chelmarsh withdraw from the league. So we are now down to seven teams – and so it is an important meeting to try and get as many players from the league to attend to discuss the league format for the upcoming season.”

Chelmarsh finished bottom of the eight teams who contested the 2022 season, winning just one of their 14 games as unbeaten Burway continued their domination of the league. As recently as 2015 the league – now sponsored by Ludlow Motors – boasted 13 teams playing 10-a-side fixtures on Thursday nights.

The door is still wide open for new teams to join two veterans bowling leagues in Shropshire for the fast approaching season.

Both the Mid Shropshire and Market Drayton senior citizens leagues will consider new applications for the 2023 campaign as they look to boost numbers.

“The last day for entering or withdrawing teams is Sunday,” said Nigel and Stephen Booth, the joint fixture secretaries of the Mid Shropshire over-60 men-only league.

It had 51 teams in four divisions last year and one more to play in six-a-side matches would be ideal.

There’s no set deadline for potential Market Drayton recruits, secretary Wendy Icke reporting: “We now have 23 teams entering the league this year.

“But there is still time if any other club wishes to join us this season (for eight-a-side matches for men and women over 60) – they just need to contact me.”

A double dose of weekend bowls action seems to suit Ian Howell down to the ground.

The Adderley man kept up his fine record in the winter one-day competitions run by North Shropshire Parks by winning Saturday’s latest offering at Llangollen.

And 24 hours later Howell was back in winning action to top his round robin group in the Parks’ winter series at Whitchurch’s District Club and close in on a big money prize in the finals day on March 26.

Howell, who topped Adderley’s averages in the Whitchurch League last year but was not part of their Premier play-offs push as Drayton league champions, beat Rob Evans 21-9 in the final at Llangollen to pocket the top clash prize.

That added to his one-day triumph last November, since when he has been a runner-up to Callum Wraight on January 28 and then a beaten semi-finalist.

It was the first time Parks promoter Jamie Brookes had taken an event to the Welsh tourist hotspot on the A5 – and he said of the canalside green: “Wow – what a great setting, with great views!

“Ian is a really consistent top block and, as they say, cream rises to the top.

“Rob is a Llangollen member and you could see he knew the green.

“He’s a regular in the Sunday winter series who is knocking on the door of the top 32.”

It took seven round robin groups to produce a last 16 for the knockout ties and in the semi-finals Howell defeated David Cunningham 21-14 while Evans had a tougher task in getting the better of John Lea 21-18.

Quarter-final scores – Evans 21 Gary Whitehall 16, Lea 21 Craig Jones 18, Howell 21 Gerald Merry 3, Cunningham 21 Cedric Bancroft 20.