Cream of the crop are heading to Shropshire

The first qualifying sessions in the 43-year-old Meole Brace Open are tomorrow and Sunday with the cream of the sport heading to the Shrewsbury club again this year to contest the Champion of Champions qualifier.

Now boasting £5,600 in prize money and sponsored by Coors, the biggest open in the county had attracted a full house field of 256, but promoter Rob Burroughs was set to turn to his reserve list this weekend.

Burroughs will hot foot it down the Newport Road to run two evening qualifying sessions in the new £2,650 Edgmond Open tomorrow and Sunday from 6.45pm.

Some of the star names waiting to play in those sessions include Wayne Rogers, Leighton Roberts, Andy Armstrong, Darren Plenderleith, Aaron King and Josh Bradburn.

Tomorrow also sees the start of the North Shropshire Ladies comps programme with their draw for partners’ triples at Whitchurch’s District Club from 10am.

New secretary Leah Marshall will be at the helm and the event is open to all ladies that are members of affiliated clubs in the Whitchurch, Market Drayton and Wem leagues.

Bandit Bowls’ one-day competition is at Monkmoor tomorrow (9am start, entries £12) and the consolation finals day for winter series bowlers outside the top 40 in the points table is on Sunday at the District (9am), with a new two-person team event starting after 3.30pm.

The second single administrative body to run two bowling leagues in Shropshire is up and running.

North Shropshire Veterans Crown Green Bowls Association was launched at a special meeting at Tilstock BC and will now run the Barlows Whitchurch Over-60s and Market Drayton Senior Citizens leagues.

New secretary-treasurer Simon Fullard declared after the founding EGM: “Thanks to everyone who turned up at Tilstock to make this happen – veterans bowling in North Shropshire now looks set for a great future.” With Roger Haynes as chairman and Mike Beckett as fixture secretary, the Barlows league can look forward to three divisions of 14 teams for the coming season thanks to Edgmond entering another side and Cheswardine and Woore joining as new clubs.

But it’s not so straight forward for the Market Drayton league as four new teams – Prees B, Tilstock B, Wollerton B and newcomers Whixall – gives it 26 sides for two divisions.

“It has been decided that clubs need to indicate to Simon by Tuesday, March 19, which of three options they would like for the make-up of the divisions and a letter has been sent to clubs for their response,” said a spokesperson.

The annual meetings of both leagues and the EGM was held on the same afternoon and past County President Bob Moss made a special presentation to Wendy Icke as thanks for her stalwart service to the Drayton league as its secretary-treasurer.

She is now president of the Drayton veterans league with former secretary June Davies having the same figurehead role for the Barlows as the new association follows in the footsteps of the North Shropshire association formed last year to run the Whitchurch and Drayton evening leagues.