Taylor Support Shropshire Premier Bowls League
Hall of Fame 1 (2019): Colin Beaman
Colin has been one of our top players for the 25 years of the league. He started in 1978 at Telepost, before moving to Battlefield in 1993, and was part of their league winning team the year after in the 1st season of the league. He moved to Meole Brace in 2003 after winning the Most Consecutive Wins in 2001. He helped them win the Alan Mayhew Trophy there in 2016, but moved to Hanwood in 2018 for a new challenge. Outside of the league he won the County Merit in 1995, as well as be the first Shropshire winner of the Spring Waterloo in 2011 and the Oceanico Masters in the same year. He is nearing 100 caps for Shropshire too.
Hall of Fame 2 (2019): Pete Farmer
Pete is top of the all time league averages for the Premier League, having won 430 games overall. He started his bowls in 1976 at Four Crosses, before moving to Childs Ercall and then Hadley USC in the Premier League. He won the first ever League Merit, and has added five since, a record. He helped Childs Ercall into the league in 1999, and won his first League Averages that season too. He has won that three more times, and the most consecutive wins 4 times too. He won them both the last two seasons, the first player to have done this. He also won 30 straight games over the 2017 and 2018 seasons, a record. He has also won two league titles with St Georges and 5 with Newport, as well as other Alan Mayhew Trophies and Pool A shields. Outside of the league he has won the County Merit 4 times, as well as reach the final of the All England and has won many other big titles.
Hall of Fame 3 (2019): Rich Goddard
Rich started bowling in 1970 at Castlefields. And after 39 seasons, he is still there! He has become one of the best players in the league and the county over that time. He has won 401 games in the league out of the 572 he has played. In that time he helped Castlefields win 10 league titles, as well as 7 Alan Mayhew Trophies and 7 Pool A shields. They also have won the BCGBA Club Championship three times during his time there. Individually he won the League Averages in 1996, and the League Merit the year before. He has also reached the final of the Waterloo and Isle of Man, as well as winning the County Merit twice amongst other top titles.
Hall of Fame 4 (2019): Andy Moss
Andy started bowling in 1986 for Woore, and still plays there now on a Tuesday night in the Whitchurch League. He started his Premier League career at Archibald Worthington, winning the Most Consecutive Wins there. He moved over to Chester Road in 2003, and helped them to three league titles on the bounce. In that period he won his first League Averages in 2004. In 2006 he won the League Merit, and then in 2010 and 2011 he was the first player to win the League Averages in Consecutive seasons. In 2011 he won 25 of his 26 games, winning 19 of them consecutively, setting records for them both. He has added another two most consecutive wins since then, and another League Averages. Outside of the League he has won the County Merit twice, and is the only Shropshire winner of the Autumn Waterloo. He has also reached the final of the All England twice, and the Isle of Man, as well as win the Meole Open and Talbot Trophy.
Hall of Fame 5 (2019): Tony Rhodes
Tony first started bowling in 1974 at Madeley Court. He moved to the Nabb in 1980, and then St Georges in 1983, where he has stayed since then. He has played for them in every season, winning the League Averages in 1997 as well as the League Merit the year before, after beating Derek Wright in the final at the old British Sugar. He has been a very consistent player for St Georges, helping them to 5 league titles, 6 Alan Mayhew Trophies and 6 Pool A shields. He has captained them recently too, as well as be one of their officials. He won the Mike Hinton Pairs with Dale Rudrum at Donnington Wood in 2011. He is still a top performer for them, and has won over 400 games from his near 600 games for the Dragons.
Hall of Fame 6 (2019): Keith Walton
Keith started bowling in 1967 at Meole Brace. He won our County Merit in 1988, and then the County Handicap in 1990 and 1991. He then moved to Castlefields in 1996, helping them to win 9 League titles, numerous County Cups, Alan Mayhew Trophies and Pool As and the Club Championship. He won the 1999 League Averages in this league, and has played 41 county games, as well as over 600 games in our league, the most ever by a player, and is still a regular in the Castlefields side. He is now a county senior selector along with our President Mick Jones and Chairman Mark Shore.
Hall of Fame 7 (2022): Spencer Clarke
Spencer has been an one man club in this league, playing his bowls at Sir John Bayley since the 1st season of the league. He has played 583 times for them, boasting an impressive 73% strike rate, winning 430 games. He has finished top three of the League Averages twice, and also won the Most Consecutive Wins in 2003. He captained the team to their first Premier League win in 2016, and also played a part in their two successes in 2019 and 2021, as well as winning the Alan Mayhew Trophy and Pool competitions. Of course he also won the Shropshire Merit in 2018 and 2019.
Hall of Fame 8 (2022): Norman Harvey
Norman has played all his bowls in the league at Sir John Bayley, playing 610 times for them until this season from 1994. He had his best season in 2001 winning 16 games. He has won around half of those games, and was a key part in their 2016, 2019 and 2021 wins in the league. He won the Alan Mayhew Trophy in 2002 and Pool A in 2015 with them. He has been chairman of the club, and helped them win the County Cup in 2006 and 2018, as well as many Senior Citizens titles in the last few years.
Hall of Fame 9 (2022): Mick Jones
Mick has won the league the most times, 10, captaining St Georges 4 of those 5 times, and then being a key part of Newport’s successive 5 wins, as well as many Pool As and Alan Mayhew Trophies. He won the Most Consecutive Wins in 2009, after finishing in the top three of the League Averages in 2001. He also won the Mike Hinton Pairs in 2014 with Pete Farmer, and finished runner-up in our Merit in 2004 to Martin Lloyd. He was man of the match in the 2015 Alan Mayhew Trophy Final when bringing the match home for Newport when last on. He donated a trophy for the Top 16 competition which became the Most Consecutive Wins award. He will become our third ever County President in 2023.
Hall of Fame 10 (2022): Derek Wright
Derek won our League Averages in 2003 with Wem USC, where he played most of his bowls in the league at. He helped them win the Alan Mayhew Trophy in its first season in 1996, the same year he reached our Merit Final. He did move to Chester Road in 2011 and stayed there for three seasons, in that time winning the Alan Mayhew Trophy in 2011, and the Mike Hinton Pairs in 2012 with Clay Flattley, after being runner up with Graham Dulson four years earlier. He has also won the Shropshire Merit back in 1994.
Hall of Famer 11 (2024): Dickie Jones
Dickie has played 529 times for Ifton Bowling Club before this season, captaining for the last 10 seasons, a joint number of record times in the league with Mick Jones. He has won 255 of those games, and has captained Ifton to the Pool B title in 2016, and to other Pool finals three other times. He also played in the Alan Mayhew Trophy win in 2009, and the Pool B in 2011. He played for Chester Road over 100 times, winning 57 of those. Outside of the league, his proudest team moment came in 2022 when captaining Ifton to the County Cup, while in singles, was winning the Shropshire Senior Merit in 1986 on Tilstock, beating Tony Dowley in the final. Without Dickie, Ifton wouldn’t have the success they have had over the years in the league, and potentially may not be here now.
Hall of Fame 12 (2024): Martin Lloyd
Martin has played his entire Premier League career so far at Chester Road. Overall he has played 589 times for them, winning 417 of those, a 70% winning record. His best season was in 2003 when he finished second in the League Averages by just 23 chalks to Derek Wright. He helped them win three league titles in 2003, 2004 and 2005, as well as the Alan Mayhew Trophy in 2011 and Pool A in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009. Individually, he won our League Merit in 2004 at the Bylet, beating Derek Wright, Tony Dodd, Rocky Jones and then Mick Jones in the final 21-18. It is my honour to induct Martin Lloyd into our Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame 13 (2024): Martin Williams
Martin has played his entire Premier League career at Wrockwardine Wood. He missed their first season in 1994, but since 1995 he has played in every campaign. Excluding the 2022 campaign when he only played 11 games, he only missed 20 games in 27 seasons of the league for the Wrockites. Overall he has played 676 times, winning 405 of those. His best season came in 2002, when he won the League Averages, winning 20 of his 26 games, to earn him a county call up. His proudest team moment came in 2022 when Wrockwardine won the league for the first time in a record breaking season, and he also has won four Pool Bs with the club. It is my honour to induct Martin Williams into our Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame 14 (2024): Ian Gaut
Ian is already a life member of the league, being a key person in forming and running the league, and becomes the first person to be both a life member and hall of famer! He has played in the league for every season, starting off at Donnington Wood, winning the League Merit in 1998, before moving to St Georges in 2001. He helped them win the league that season as well as the next, and then twice more in 2006 and 2007. He became joint captain of the club in 2010, leading them to three cup competition wins, as he enjoyed his best season in the league, winning 22 games which meant he finished second in the League Averages but did win the Most Consecutive Wins. He also been secretary of St Georges, and currently does that role, and without him, they wouldn’t have been the force they have been, winning trophies most seasons. Overall he has played at least 656 games and won 389 of those with an aggregate of over 1000. It is my honour to induct Ian Gaut into our Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame 15 (2024): Rich Lawson
Rich was playing at Donnington Wood when the league started in 1994, playing at least 180 times for them, winning 106 of those. He then moved to the Bowring, and helped them win the Mid Shropshire League in 2008 and then beat his old club Donnington Wood in the Play Off to come back into the league. In his first season back he won the League Averages, and followed this up with winning the Top 16 Competition for the Mick Jones Trophy. He was also captain of Bowring for a time, winning the Pool B in 2012 and 2018, until they had to unfortunately pull out the league in 2019. He won 177 of his 255 games there. He moved to Hanwood in 2019, and was captain for them last season. Overall he has played at least 566 games and won 367 of those, an aggregate of over 1500. It is my honour to induct Rich Lawson into our Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame 16: Paul Williams
Paul has played in every year of the league apart from the first year, when Castlefields weren’t in it, and in 1998. Until 2024, he has played all those seasons for Castlefields, winning the league 9 times as well as multiple Alan Mayhew Trophies and Pool As. He has played 623 games for the Fields, winning 411 of them. He won the League Merit in 1997 on Ercall Magna, beating Chris Ball 8 in the final. He also won the League Averages in 2001, winning 23 of his 26 games. He has now made the switch over to Burway for a fresh challenge, helping them to two top six finishes. Outside of the league he helped Castlefields win the BCGBA Club Championship. It is my honour to induct Paul Williams into the Hall of Fame.
Hall of Famer 17: Wayne Rogers
Wayne started playing at Craven Arms for 10 seasons in this league, winning 150 games there. He then moved to Burway and helped them into the league after a few unsuccessful attempts, helping them beat Hadley USC in 2012 for a place in the league. He then won the League Averages in his first season back, more than 10 years after his last season in it, winning 22 of his 26 games. He then stayed at Burway, helping them to the final of the Alan Mayhew and County Cup Finals, and winning the Pool B. He won 151 of his 203 games there, before making the move last year to Castlefields. Since then they won the quadruple last year, and one or two trophies this season. It is my honour to induct Wayne Rogers into the Hall of Fame.
