Lancashire join the usual suspects in county semi’s

5th July 2022 Steve Davies News 0

The successful Warwick & Worcs County away team in 2015

Lancashire won the group of 3 to join the usual suspects of Warwick & Worcester (to save typing they will be known as W&W for the rest of this article), Yorkshire, and Shropshire in the BCGBA Endsleigh Insurance Senior County semi-finals.

In a line up predicted by many W&W will play Yorkshire and Shropshire will play slight surprise packages Lancashire to decide the two finalists.

After losing to Wales in the opening game by 20 points, a spectacular home win, by 67 points, for the Lancashire men against North Midlands on Bellingham’s number 1 green led to a nervous wait to see the result of the Wales and North Midlands game. A Wales win would have taken them through, but the Welshmen could only claim 9 of the 24 games which left them bottom of the group. Lancashire will be looking for their first title since 1987 play Shropshire in the semi-finals.

Shropshire had a close 13-point win against South Yorkshire, next games against Merseyside and Cumbria were more comfortable with 59- and 80-point wins. Merseyside beat Cumbria by 13-points and but could not live with the Shropshire men in the second game nor South Yorkshire in the last game.

The other semi sees the two counties who have won 9 of the last 10 titles.

bcgba

Warwick & Worcester 2018 BCGBA Endsleigh County Champions

Warwick and Worcester, I mean W&W, have won 53 of the 72 individual games contested in a dominating season so far. After beating Derbyshire by 73 points, they then beat Cheshire by 61 points before a right old demolishing of Staffordshire by 119 points (winning 21 of 24 games). Cheshire and Derbyshire also had wins over Staffordshire to qualify for the supplementary competition.

Yorkshire had a comfortable win over North Lancs and Fylde but handing out a shellacking to Potteries by (deep breath) 150 points. The third game against Greater Manchester and brought back memories of tough games between these two counties. Only 4 points separated them, and Greater Manchester had more single figure winners, but the Yorkshire men did enough to get over the line.

Shropshire are looking for their first title since 2009 will be favourites to beat Lancashire in the semi’s. W&W have won 6 of the last 9 but the semi against Yorkshire should be a very close game.

All bar the bottom placed teams in the groups, will join the Isle of Man in what I believe is one of the best days of bowls we have. Some are saying this is how the county championship should be decided rather than on a strict home and away basis. Whatever you feel about it the supplementary county championship will take place at Fox Lane, Leyland on 7th August which is also when the semi-finals take place.

Sunday 7th August

Warwick & Worcs v Yorkshire

Shropshire v Lancashire

Senior Supplementary County Championship 

Group 1: Cheshire, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire & Isle of Man

Group 2: Derbyshire, Potteries, Cumbria & North Midlands

About Steve Davies 172 Articles
Throughout his bowling career Steve has always supported the admin side of the game as well as a keen player of the game. As a club secretary, association secretary, county delegate on the BCGBA (National Governing Body) Management Committee, Media Officer for the BCGBA, Merseyside champion in 2002 and Merseyside County President (2014-15) Steve has always been keen to promote the game especially through the broadcast of the game on TV or Internet. Steve set up the LIVE BOWLS YouTube channel which became the Bowls Observer channel and, through the LDBA, runs national competitions. Seeing an avenue to report on and promote the game Steve set up the Bowls Observer on-line magazine.