Taylor Support Shropshire Premier Bowls League
Please find preview of the 2026 season by 11 of our captains.
Club: Adderley
Captain: Gary Whitehall
Players Signed: Good to have a a few Adderley players back that were pretty much unavailable last season
Players Left: Connor Whitehall, Ian Howell, Dan Hazeldine
Aim for your team? Our aim is to try to continue to make small steps in the right direction
Thoughts on the top of the table: I see the same 3 with Wrockwardine Wood a lot closer
Dark Horses: From our way I expect Wem to improve and make a top half finish, also Woore to have a decent first season with good home form.
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: The bottom of the table could be very tight as the gap from 13th to mid table was not massive last season so will be interesting
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? Sinclair the obvious ones and Prince Hotel. Would be a shame if Malpas Sports didn’t have a go with their home form always so good and are favourites for the Drayton and a big chance also in the Whitchurch Leagues.
Club: Burway
Captain: Adam Dovey and Ben Allen
Players Signed: None
Players Left: No players left
Aim for your team? Going to be hard to top the last couple of years as a team due to injuries through the team this season. Just hoping to have a good season at home and pick up as many games away as possible.
Thoughts on the top of the table: Think it’ll be similar teams at the top of the table this year. Think it’ll be SJB and Castlefields battling it out again
Dark Horses: Ifton at full strength are a very strong side.
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: Again no real opinion on the bottom of the table. Not sure what clubs have signed or lost players.
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? Sinclair
Club: Castlefields
Captain: Steve Peach, Vice Captain: Ash Wellings
Players Signed: Jamie King
Players Left: Andrew Judson year off, Gary Neal year off, Josh Hale & Hayden Lewis
Aim for your team? Not won the County Cup for a long time so that’s one of the ones we want this season along with anything else we can win
Thoughts on the top of the table: Obviously SJB will be very strong again but we will fight them all the way
Dark Horses: Wrockwardine Wood
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: Bylet
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? Sinclair are the stand out one
Club: Hanmer
Captains: Dave Ellison, Mike Gilpin & Lee Peate
Players Signed: Ben Grocott, Elliot Mochan, Rhys Griffiths
Players Left: Rich Pullen, Jack Hewitt
Aim for your team? To keep our home form strong and hopefully pick up the odd away win
Thoughts on the top of the table: SJB or Castlefields
Dark Horses: Wrockwardine Wood
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: Hopefully not ourselves!
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? Possibly Sinclair again
Club: Hanwood
Captains: Jon Mansell, David Payne & Mark Shore
Players Signed: Matthew Parry, Charlie Hotchkiss, Jon Lyttle, Hayden Lewis
Players Left: Mark Parsons
Aim for your team? To be the top Shrewsbury based side this year
Thoughts on the top of the table: Not sure if they have signed anyone but still can’t see past Sir John Bayley.
Dark Horses: Can’t see anyone being actual dark horses but Meole Brace could break into the top 6
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: Again don’t know who anybody has signed but Wrockwardine Wood struggled against us last season so I’ll say them.
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? I’ve heard Sinclair have signed half of derby so if there any good Sinclair.
Club: Highley
Captain: Simon Rhodes
Aims: Our aim for Highley is to build on our great performances last year, try and focus on some even better home wins and stay in the top half of the table where our talented lads deserve to be.
Thoughts on the top: We all know the extremely talented pool contained within the top 4 clubs in the prem at the minute, but this year I think Castlefields are looking particularly imposing and therefore I think that they are the team on top this season, but you can never discount SJB or Wrockwardine Wood who are always hot in their tails.
Bottom: Bylet or Hanmer. Very very pleased that Bylet have been able to maintain a team in this amazing league of ours this season given they are our neighbours and friends and also given the difficulties that they have suffered in the off-season, however I think with Horsehay out of the league Bylet are likely to struggle to consistently compete this season (I hope that I am wrong and I wish them all the best this season!).
Dark Horses: Despite the niggles going on a Wrockwardine Wood in the off season, they have gained a couple of players and were not far off the mark last season – if they can settle from an early stage then they may be dark horses in this contest for the league this season.
Thoughts on who’s entering the playoffs: Sinclair are a classy Mid Shropshire team now with an established and very experienced cohort of players (most of whom have played in the prem in previous years) and a great home green – I think they are the team to watch vying for a place in the playoffs this season.
Wishing all teams a fantastic season and looking forward to seeing you all throughout the year
Club: Ifton
Captain: Dickie Jones
Players Signed: None but Leighton Roberts & Craig Griffiths both back full time
Players Left: None
Aim for your team? To come in the top three.
Thoughts on the top of the table: Can’t see past Sir John Bayley this time with Castlefields losing a few players.
Dark Horses: Woore
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: Can see both Adderley and Bylet struggling to avoid the spot.
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? Sinclair will be pushing again to join the league.
Club: Meole Brace
Captain: Chris Jones
Players Signed: Dan Jones, Jamie Brookes, James Weaver, Andrew Whitman
Players Left: None
Aim for your team? Top half finish
Thoughts on the top of the table: Sir John Bayley
Dark Horses: Castlefields or Wrockwardine Wood
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: Bylet
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? Prince Hotel or Shifnal
Club: Sir John Bayley
Captains: Reece Farr & Spencer Clarke
Players Signed: Nick Wyer & James Cosgrave
Players Left: Ayden Smith & Michael Cooper
Aim for your team? To retain the league title back off Castlefields
Thoughts on the top of the table: Again it’ll be between SJB and Castlefields but I’m sure Wrockwardine Wood and Ifton will look at changing things.
Dark Horses: Ifton
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: I can’t see Bylet surviving this year
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? Sinclair
Club: Wem USC
Captain: Curtis Metcalfe
Players Signed: Craig Dugdale, Connor Whitehall, Phil Jones
Players Left: James Weaver
Aim for your team? To finish mid table again and push to be in the top half.
Thoughts on the top of the table: Castlefields
Dark Horses: Wrockwardine wood
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: Bylet
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? Sinclair
Club: Woore
Captain: Dan Hand
Players Signed: Ian Howell, Dan Hazeldine, Kier Glover, Ian Booth, Dave Gourlay
Players Left: Chris Grocott, Jan Wakefield
Aim for your team? To establish ourselves in the league and cause a few upsets along the way.
Thoughts on the top of the table: SJB to win the league with Castlefields and Wrockwardine Wood to fight it out for second.
Dark Horses: Ifton to challenge the top three.
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: Bylet and Adderley to battle it out.
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? I can’t see past Sinclair after our two games against them last year. A side destined for the Premier League.
Club: Wrockwardine Wood
Captain: Liam Stevens
Players Signed: Matt Ealey, Joe Killen, Chris Grocott
Players Left: Phil Jones, Jamie King, Nathan Lacey
Aim for your team? We aren’t favourites by any stretch given we were 40/50 points off the pace last year, but our aim as it should be is to win the league. We have signed well and have a young, energetic and talented team aside from Willy. Perhaps more realistic sign of progress would be to close a big proportion of that huge gap and stay in the running into August/September.
Thoughts on the top of the table: I think it will be tighter between SJB and Castlefields than last year. Both are brilliant sides and will go into the season as red hot favourites. I don’t know if player movements are enough to close last year’s 13 point gap between them… so if pushed, will say Castlefields are favourites again – what they did last year was genuinely remarkable.
Dark Horses: Nobody from the perspective of winning the league or even breaking into the top four, the gap is too big between the best and the rest at the moment. I think Woore will have a solid first season – we played them in the county cup last year and they were a good side.
Thoughts on the bottom of the table: I think it’ll be a tight race between Bylet and Adderley. Hanmer will probably do enough on their green to keep their heads above water this year.
Who will be challenging for the playoffs from other leagues? Sinclair and Shifnal both looked like good sides last year. If they keep their players and sign a few then they I think they will be better than who finishes bottom.