The local case numbers may remain stubbornly high but, with Covid restrictions now eased, the League’s officers feel it’s the right time to crack on with the countdown to the 2022 season.

That means a re-launch of ‘in person meetings’ – starting with a management meeting on Tuesday 22nd February at the Sir John Bayley Club (7.30pm), where both private rooms have been booked to give us the space for delegates to feel as safe as possible.

The aim of this meeting is to touch bases with all member clubs – and let them know what the League expects from them at the AGM in March, plus the ‘how many teams on which nights’ deadlines that will follow very soon after it.

Annual General Meeting night will be Tuesday 8^th March, again using both rooms at the Bayley but starting at 7pm. That’s when key votes on playing numbers for fixtures for the forthcoming season will be taken.

Then we’ll give clubs a little time before the ‘number of teams’ deadline.

And given that I have received interest in both posts, there may also need to be AGM votes on who succeeds Ric Hudson as fixture secretary and David Evans as vice-chairman.

But I must stress there is still time for more nominations to the general secretary – and then the clubs can decide who they want!

The meat on the bones to this plan will be given at the February meeting – and there are already lots of reasons to be positive about 2022 . . . this new website launched, sponsorship deals in the pipeline, new people interested in taking on League roles about to become vacant  and a 90^th birthday to celebrate.

We even made a small profit on last year! Floreat Mid Shropshire!

Welcome, one and all, to the League’s bright, new and more user friendly website.

Sincere thanks go to webmaster Steve Wall for his work on this project, completed in under a week. In effect the website has moved platforms from Google Sites to WordPress, but retraining the domain name of www.midshrop.co.uk

There are still tweaks to be made, including the ability to view minutes of meetings that have been passed as a true record, and other improvements officers want to see – so please bear with us.

For now though, welcome aboard and enjoy!

Just a couple of reminders . . . the League’s AGM, scheduled to have been on Monday 17^th January and in person at SJBC, has been postponed due to the latest wave of positive Covid cases.

The plan now, based on the prediction that the current spike will pass quite quickly, is to organise an ordinary management committee meeting in mid February, probably via Zoom, to touch bases with member clubs.

At this meeting we would look to set a firm date for an in person AGM, which your officers feel is vital ahead of the 2022 season given the votes on rule change proposals that have to be made.

And to finish with some good news, Molson Coors have finally confirmed that the £300 sponsorship deal, agreed for the pandemic curtailed 2021 season, will be paid at the end of the current quarter, when talks on a new deal for 2022 will begin.

I’m sure it won’t come as a big surprise but, in the light of the latest Covid wave, the League’s officers have decided to postpone the AGM that was scheduled to be on Monday 17^th January and in person at SJBC.

Officials of member clubs have already been contacted direct with this news, but the reasons to cancel became overwhelming in the last few days.

And given that clubs will be asked to vote on playing numbers for the forthcoming season at the AGM, it makes sense to put it back to the date of the normal March executive (Tuesday the 1st) – at the earliest!

The plan now, based on the prediction that this current spike in positive cases will peak and pass quite quickly, is to organise an ordinary management committee meeting in mid February, probably via Zoom, to touch bases with member clubs.

At this meeting we would look to set a firm date for an in person AGM, which your officers feel is vital ahead of the 2022 season.

I hope you all understand and agree with this move – we just know clubs cannot make important decisions without having a much better idea of how many they are going to have bowling for them this year.

Malcolm Fletcher – general secretary