Castlefields win away to up ante on leaders Bayley

The run-in to this season title chase looks set to repeat the thrilling nature of last season’s memorable climax with just two points separating chasers Castlefields and leaders and champions Sir John Bayley.

Castlefields closed the gap a point further with an important 8-4 victory on the road in south Shropshire at Burway. The win – to pocket two extra bonus points – came via a relatively comfortable 228-186 aggregate, with Adam Jones and Ashley Wellings, both 21-10 winners, in good nick.

Bayley held up their end of the bargain with a thumping 9-3 victory over third-bottom Hanmer.

The hosts’ huge aggregate of 241-155 came courtesy of big wins for Tom Roden (21-5), Scott Harries (21-6) and Scott Simpson (21-7) among others.

Fifth-placed St Georges closed the gap to Wrockwardine Wood, in third, with an 11-3 home victory.

A high-scoring contest ended 236-192 with Joseph Killen (21-6) and Clay Flattley (21-9) recording the victors’ best efforts in the clash of the neighbours. St Georges scored consistent and reduced Wood to a best result of 21-14 for Sam Millward.

The gap between the sides is now five points.

Adderley and Wem USC recorded important home victories in a bid to move clear from the wrong end of the table.

Adderley saw off Highley 9-5 (216-194) and Wem did likewise by an almost identical 9-5 over Hanwood (212-197).

The duo are now 10th and 11th in the 14-side standings.

Horsehay remain bottom, 16 points adrift of Bylet, following a heavy 11-3 defeat to Ifton.

The hosts were very comfortable 226-157 winners. Bottom side Horsehay face a stiff test at home to Sir J Bayley on Friday night.

Bylet lost a tighter encounter 7-5 at Meole Brace. Meole’s Tracy Bound and Doug Edwards (both 21-6) recorded top results.

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Team knockouts in a host of Shropshire bowling leagues are coming to the boil.

Tonight sees the quarter-finals in the Highley League’s division one and two competitions, the first division clash between Horsehay B and Highley A having been switched to the neutral venue of Cleobury Mortimer due to Worfield’s green being unavailable.

Tomorrow it is semi-final time in the Tanners league’s Fullwood and Scadding cups for Shrewsbury division teams while Trench take on St Georges (Premier) in the last of the Harris Cup quarter-finals.

That is the main knockout of the Molson Coors Mid Shropshire League – and its leading Monday division sides feature in the last eight eights of both the five home-five away Ashton Cup and Shield tomorrow at 7pm.

Meanwhile, Prince of Wales Hotel and Hanwood have won the right to contest the Tanner Cup final after seeing off semi-final rivals Castlefields and Crescent respectively.