PETE DRIVER
You don’t have to make your name at British, county or league level to have a huge impact on the sport of bowls – and that’s exactly what Pete Driver has done . . . at club level.
Put simply, he is ‘Mr Bylet’ and has served the unique Bridgnorth club with outstanding loyalty for a staggering 36 years.
That loyalty and service was recognised with a County Unsung Hero award in 2021 nominated by the grateful members of Bylet, but now it’s the League’s turn to pay tribute.
Pete has done just about everything for that club, his official roles in 2021 being Bar Secretary and Club Treasurer, having not long given up looking after the club’s 2 greens!
Club secretary John Palmer said: “He’s basically Mr Bylet and we don’t know how we would be able to manage without him and his wife Kath.”
But Pete has always been more than handy on the green too, winning the senior citizens league division 2 averages in 2015 and being a member of many successful teams.
An unassuming man, Pete said on hearing of his awarding of Life Membership: “To say I am shock is an understatement.
“Never would I think I could be considered for a Life Membership when I joined the Bylet in 1990 as a novice bowler.
“A lot of my achievements over the past 36 years have come because I have had full support from my wife Kath, who is still a committee member and supports the club as much as I do.”
Tonight we reward that commitment by making Pete Driver a Life Member of the Mid Shropshire League!
PHIL OWEN
This nomination may seem a bit left field for some, but both Rob and myself can’t thank Phil Owen enough for all he has done to help us update the League’s history archive.
That was until the officers agreed on this nomination to say a sincere thank you to a man who has played in this League since the age of 14 in 1962 with the long-gone Madeley Miners.
With his regular playing days over, Phil found a new niche at a time when I, as League secretary, vowed to try and fill the missing gaps in our records but never quite found the time.
It all started in February 2025 when he emailed me saying: “I noticed some time ago in the Mid Shropshire records of the Harris Cup, that several results were listed as not known. I thought I would try and find the missing winners of this trophy as it looks bad when league records are incomplete.”
He was spot on there and, after replying that I could do with some help updating the archives, Phil spent many, many hours of diligent research and helped the League via webmaster Rob to nearly fill all of the gaps.
Thanks to him we now know every single officer who has served the League since the first season in 1933 and so much more . . .
But let’s not forget how good a bowler Phil was, winning the League’s Under-21 Harry Roberts Trophy in 1966 when his scalps included Life Members Geoff Clarke and Keith Pessall.
He’s also played for St Georges, Madeley Court and then Sir John Bayley, being runner-up in the Dixon Driscoll Doubles with Gordon Owen to Peter Farmer & Mick Price in 1993 at Ercall Magna before a 9-year stint for the Bayley in the new Premier League.
It is with huge thanks that we award Phil Owen Life Membership.
SEAN ROUND
Reading Life Member nominations is always one of the highlights of the year for me as League secretary – and this one gives me the greatest of pleasure.
I had the privilege of serving in that role under the chairmanship of Sean Round for 14 years, a period of many developments that he should be immensely proud of.
Following in the footsteps of Dennis Lewis was never going to be easy but, in his own inimitable and even-handed way, he grew into the role in exemplary fashion, guiding the League through the difficulties of the pandemic to come out the other side stronger than ever.
And even now, having stepped down from office, he happily agreed to succeed Colin Rudrum as the non-voting chair of the League’s Protests Panel and remains a trusted source for advice.
The actual nomination came from his club Bowring, where Sean has been a member for 40 years and occupied many roles, the last 20 seasons as club chairman.
Club secretary Carol Faulkner said: of those 20 years: “He has provided the club with stable, structured and considered leadership, rightly recognised by many as a true strength.
“In recent years Sean has overseen the restructuring of the club’s management committee. This has seen some significant changes to key roles within the club, where Sean has influenced people to take up new challenges and offer guidance where needed.
“Sean has over the years demonstrated a selfless, tireless and enthusiastic determination to provide anyone who wants to play the game we all love with the chance to do so, often incurring personal sacrifice and with a smile.
“It is hard to put into words how highly respected and admired Sean is at Club, League and County level. He is a true Ambassador to our game and should be, we feel, duly recognised as such.”
Couldn’t have put it better myself. Ladies and gentlemen, our final Life Member nominees is Sean Round.
