At November’s annual general meeting of the British Crown Green Ladies Bowling Association a new executive was charged with organising this year’s events. The new officers and management committee have been making excellent progress over the winter months with the plans for the coming season.
A new structure for county matches was also agreed at the annual general meeting and with competitions running throughout the season the BCGLBA is once again offering a very busy year. I am pleased to confirm unrivalled coverage of the Ladies events on Bowls Observer.
With last years Secretary and Treasurer retiring new officers were appointed to take the association forward. The new Secretary is Sue Ainscough, Anne O’Loughlin taking over the Treasurers responsibilities & Joan Wrigley taking over the running of the competitions.
First task of the new officers was the planning of the annual Christmas lunch & prize presentations. All those present were delighted to see the new sponsors of the association, Country Garden Roses, represented & the various competition winners from 2016 received their awards. The highlight of this was the presentation to Tracy Ryan of the Ladies Individual Merit & Nicola Boulton of the Champion of champions.
Outgoing President, Carole Taylor, and BCGLBA President for 2017, Evelyn Hastings, both paid tribute to the work done on behalf of the association by retiring Secretary, Jackie Rutter, and Treasure, Helen Clee.
The committee have been working hard throughout the winter and the introduction of the new two-tier county championship should ensure 2017 is another successful BCGLBA season.
On the competition front Joan Wrigley (competition secretary) has been working tirelessly to secure fantastic venues for our events.
Sue Ainscough – BCGLBA Secretary
The new officers, along with Development Officer, Jodie Faulkner, are charged with, not only, the management of the association this year, but also conducting merger talks with the BCGBA, the national governing body for the game. These talks have been making progress and one of the recommendations adopted was the change to the structure of the Ladies County Championship.
The Ladies County Championship will be played on the third Sunday of the month starting on 21st May and winners will be crowned on the 17th September. Arguably this year’s toughest group contains 2015 runner-up Yorkshire, 2016 runner-up Warwick & Worcester and reigning champions Shropshire.
The 2017 season starts with the Club Championship on Sunday 23rd April at Severnside & Old Shrewsbury bowling clubs in Shropshire. This famous bowling venue will be well known to most of the clubs attending and this should provide some close games.
The highlight of the individual competitions is the Ladies Merit held at North Lancashire’s premier venue at Fox Lane Sports & Social Club in Leyland. This will be held on Saturday 8th July and is widely appreciated as being one of the best bowling days of the year. Tracey Ryan proved to be too good for everyone last year and will be trying to qualify this event again. The local county qualifiers start early in the season.
The Junior Merit, which showcases the young stars of the game, will be held on Merseyside at Heswall Royal British Legion.
The Ladies season will conclude with the Country Garden Roses Champion of Champions at the famous Waterloo Hotel Bowling Green in Blackpool. This event, last year, saw Nicola Boulton claim the title for the fourth time. Competition organisers have been reminded that if they want their event included in this competition they should inform the BCGLBA executives as soon as possible.
BCGLBA 2017 Calendar
County Championship Matches –
Sunday 21st May Sunday 18th June Sunday 16th July
Semi Final – Sunday 20th August
Mavis Deardon Supplementary – Sunday 20th August (Venue to be arranged)
County Championship Final – Sunday 17th September (Venue to be arranged)
BCG Ladies Club Championship
Sunday April 23rd – Severnside & Old Shrewsbury BC’s. SY1 1TS
BCG Ladies Average Winners Classic
Saturday May 6th – Wombourne BC. Wolverhampton,WV5 9EZ.
BCG Ladies Veterans County Championship
Tuesday June 13th Centre Vale Park. Todmorden. OL14 7TD
BCG Ladies Junior County Championship
Saturday June 24th Owley Wood Recreation Club, Weaverham CW8 3LS
BCG Ladies Individual Merit
Saturday July 8th – Leyland S.&S.C. Fox Lane, Leyland. PR25 1HB
BCG Ladies Dorothy Piearce Memorial Pairs
Saturday August 12th – Grange Park S. C. Warrington. Cheshire WA4 1QH
BCG Ladies Junior Merit
Saturday September 9th – Heswall RBL Pensby Rd, Heswall. CH60 7RF
BCG Ladies Champion of Champions
Sunday September 24th Waterloo Hotel, Blackpool