Taylor Support Shropshire Premier Bowls League
As it’s the 30th season of the Taylor Support Shropshire Premier Bowling League next year, we look back at the previous 29.
The first season was in 1994 when 12 teams took up the inaugural season of the league. Battlefield were the first winners winning the league by 8 points to Chester Road, Battlefield winning at Chester Road in the seco
The league started with a launch day competition at Old Shrewsbury Bowling Club. The 12 founder teams were split into four groups of three and played each other in a round-robin. The games were played as four doubles, with the winner being the team with the highest aggregate. The four group winners were Battlefield, Chester Road, Donnington Wood and Hanwood. Battlefield beat Hanwood and Donnington Wood saw off Chester Road in the semis. In the final and Mal Parry and Dave Beer gave Battlefield the perfect start as they won 9 against two of the league’s founders Ian Gaut and Andy Stevens, which was added to by Terry Gray and Kevin Perks who defeated another league founder in Pete Roden, and his partner Roy Bradburn, 12. Once Pete Bound and Ray Powell won 12 against Dickie Bond and Jim Fletcher the trophy was won for the Shrewsbury side, with Andy Bourne and Peter James coming off against Graham Gaut and Shaun Pickering.
The league matches started the following Friday on the 15th April as all 6 home teams won, the biggest being Craven Arms with a 12-2 success over Archibald Worthington and by 85 chalks. Wem USC led the way after three games, with Archie bottom with 6 points as they had played their first three games all away from home! Hanwood won the first away game in week 4 as they beat Wrockwardine Wood 11-3 and moved top of the table, where they remained for the next few games, despite their first defeat of the season at Wem USC and just 2 winners at Chester Road. Battlefield then had an eye catching win at Craven Arms, who then won at St Georges, as the league threw up some unpredictable results. Battlefield won at Hadley USC to move top themselves in week 10, as they turned the screw on the rest of the league. They beat Wem USC 13-1 as they moved 4 clear of Chester Road after 14 games, the Road gaining the first ever draw in the league at Donnington Wood. The two met the week after in the biggest game of the season up in Whitchurch, with Battlefield getting 5 winners but importantly winning the aggregate in a 7-7 scoreline to keep their 4 point advantage.
Battlefield rattled in the first 100 chalk win over Craven Arms to go 11 points clear, and they then beat Sir John Bayley 14-0, Dave Beer winning 0. Another remarkable run was occurring as Terry Gray was still unbeaten after 18 games. But it came to an end at the hands of Roy Bradburn at Donnington Wood, with Roy not knowing that he was unbeaten, as he lost 21-9. But Battlefield still won the game with 5 winners, to put them 14 clear with just three games left. They then beat Hadley USC 9-5 to leave them needing just 5 points from their last two away games. They did so in the second of those away games, Roger Powell’s 5 win at number 8 mathematically sealing the title up at St Georges as they put in a Champion performance having 5 winners there and losing by just 14 chalks. Chester Road held off St Georges to finish second, with Hadley USC fourth. Wrockwardine Wood struggled throughout after losing some of their better players before the season and finished rock bottom. The only sour note for Battlefield was that Terry Gray could not win the league averages, that honour going to Alan Jones of Hadley USC.
The League Merit was held for the first time at Tilstock, the home of League Chairman Neville Edwards. It was Pete Farmer of Hadley USC that won it, beating Ian Lealand of St Georges 21-7 after going 20-4 up from 2-0 down.
1994 Hall of Fame
League Winners: Battlefield
League Averages: Alan Jones (Hadley USC)
Most Consecutive Wins: Terry Gray (Battlefield)
League Merit: Peter Farmer (Hadley USC)
1994 Season Final Table
Played MW GW Agg Pts
Battlefield 22 14 158 486 186 Chester Road 22 13 151 386 178 St Georges 22 13 147 183 173 Hadley USC 22 10 150 253 170 Craven Arms 22 12 130 -50 154 Hanwood 22 12 127 38 151 Wem USC 22 12 125 53 149 Donn Wood 22 9 129 -63 148 SJ Bayley 22 11 126 3 148 Meole Brace 22 9 128 -141 146 Archibald Wton 22 9 117 -321 135 Wrock Wood 22 7 96 -656 110
Results
| Archibald Worthington | Battlefield | Chester Road | Craven Arms | Donnington Wood | Hadley USC | Hanwood | Meole Brace | S J Bayley | St Georges | Wem USC | Wrockwardine Wood | |
| Archibald Worthington | 11/3 | 4/10 | 11/3 | 12/2 | 10/4 | 12/2 | 9/5 | 10/4 | 6/8 | 9/5 | 12/2 | |
| Battlefield | 12/2 | 12/2 | 11/3 | 11/3 | 9/5 | 12/2 | 10/4 | 14/0 | 10/4 | 13/1 | 11/3 | |
| Chester Road | 10/4 | 7/7 | 12/2 | 10/4 | 12/2 | 11/3 | 12/2 | 14/0 | 10/4 | 10/4 | 13/1 | |
| Craven Arms | 12/2 | 5/9 | 11/3 | 8/6 | 11/3 | 12/2 | 9/5 | 13/1 | 8/6 | 9/5 | 10/4 | |
| Donnington Wood | 13/1 | 7/7 | 7/7 | 8/6 | 6/8 | 11/3 | 9/5 | 14/0 | 4/10 | 11/3 | 14/0 | |
| Hadley USC | 12/2 | 6/8 | 9/5 | 13/1 | 12/2 | 11/3 | 11/3 | 5/9 | 11/3 | 11/3 | 11/3 | |
| Hanwood | 12/2 | 8/6 | 13/1 | 10/4 | 12/2 | 10/4 | 11/3 | 9/5 | 9/5 | 10/4 | 13/1 | |
| Meole Brace | 10/4 | 9/5 | 6/8 | 10/4 | 9/5 | 8/6 | 12/2 | 9/5 | 11/3 | 7/7 | 11/3 | |
| S J Bayley | 12/2 | 10/4 | 9/5 | 11/3 | 11/3 | 5/9 | 12/2 | 9/5 | 8/6 | 13/1 | 13/1 | |
| St Georges | 12/2 | 9/5 | 10/4 | 5/9 | 10/4 | 10/4 | 13/1 | 9/5 | 10/4 | 12/2 | 11/3 | |
| Wem USC | 10/4 | 12/2 | 9/5 | 11/3 | 8/6 | 6/8 | 9/5 | 11/3 | 11/3 | 11/3 | 12/2 | |
| Wrockwardine Wood | 12/2 | 9/5 | 7/7 | 6/8 | 9/5 | 7/7 | 3/11 | 10/4 | 10/4 | 4/10 | 10/4 |