Mid Shropshire’s winners of the Shropshire junior inter-league title again, seen with League President Mike Potter and County President and selector Brenda Slingo
Established in 1932, the Mid Shropshire Crown Green Bowling League, based in and around the Telford area, continues to grow in the post Covid era.
The 2025 season will see 6 new teams competing in the League’s 9 divisions and they include a Friday night side from village club Stockton, who are returning to the Mid Shropshire bowls scene for the first time since 2019.
So it now boasts 28 member clubs and some 1,500 bowlers playing in 3 Friday divisions and 3 Monday divisions (both 10-a-side), 13 teams in the Dennis Lewis Thursday Division (8-a-side with a unique points scoring system), 9 in an Afternoon Division launched in 2023 and 6 in a four singles-two doubles Saturday Afternoon division born again last year.
These encouraging numbers help ease the pain of losing League legends John Hughes, Ron Adams and Barry Griffiths during 2024 and the end of 2 years of sterling service by our nomination to serve as County President last year, Brenda Slingo.
She was the main speaker at the League’s presentation dinner in January when almost £8,000 was paid out in prize money.
Talking money, 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 pre-season this year marked the start of an initiative to deliver a coaching-based Development Policy.
Looking back, the League is proud of member club Edgmond for winning the Best Kept Green in Shropshire title in 2024 and Hadley USC for triumphing in the Shropshire Cup final.
Mid Shropshire have continued to award Life Memberships to recognise the efforts of bowlers to further the sport and to try 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.
Floreat Mid Shropshire!