Established in 1932, the Mid Shropshire Crown Green Bowling League, based in and around the Telford area, is now growing fast again in the post Covid era.
The 2024 season will see a new club – Meole Brace joining the recent influx from Shrewsbury – and 11 new teams compete in the various different divisions the League now runs.
So it now boasts 27 member clubs and some 1,500 bowlers playing in 3 Friday divisions and 3 Monday divisions (both 10-a-side), a full 14 teams in the Dennis Lewis Thursday Division (8-a-side with a unique points scoring system) and 9 in an Afternoon Division that was only launched last year.
These encouraging numbers help ease the pain of losing League legend Jeff Hutchinson in 2023, at the age of 91, the past County President who had served it in so many roles over the decades.
Now two more legendary figures have come to the fore – Mabel Finnigan having been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to bowls in the King’s New Year Honours and Brenda Slingo, who is serving as 2024 County President after being nominated by Mid Shropshire.
Proud organisers of the biggest bowls presentation function in Shropshire in the form of an annual dinner in January, the League is also able to reflect on winning a £7,145 grant from Sport England for coaching equipment to attract more people, and especially youngsters, and member club Trench winning the Best Green in Shropshire title in 2023.
This season it is fellow club Allscott Heath that will be in the spotlight as it opens 2 new greens – 1 of them artificial – as part of new sports hub for the expanding village.
Mid Shropshire have continued to award Life Memberships to recognise the efforts of bowlers to further the sport and attract new sponsors.
And, as always, the main goal of the League’s current officers remains to grow crown green bowling in Mid Shropshire, with its bowlers gaining all the benefits from being outdoors with like minded people, playing the sport in the right spirit.
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