Division 5 opening day preview

Winter League

The Winter League's second new hosting green opens its gates tomorrow for the first time to greet 7 new teams to winter bowling along with Thorpe Green 'C' in their 2nd season in the competition.

A lot of work has been undertaken on the Netherton Con green in anticipation of the extended bowling season which is fast becoming the norm for more and more bowlers in Huddersfield.

Of the eight Division 5 teams only one of them has experienced winter bowling before and that is Thorpe Green 'C' who had a good first season in Division 3 last year on their own green. A League reorganisation has seen them reappear this year in the new Division 5 but such is the flexibility of Thorpe Green's selection process that a rearrangement of bowlers in their three teams means it is impossible to judge what their chances are this year.

One would expect the Netherton Con 'B' team to excel on their own green but they will be well tested on this opening Thursday when up against the new Almondbury BC 'B' team. This may be a new team but does feature a lot of bowlers who played in the club's Winter League team last year when they only had one team. That means they will have more winter bowling experience than their opponents.

Among the 7 new teams are 'C' teams for Milnsbridge and Springwood as clubs are finding that once tasted the addiction kicks in and what was initially a trial season to judge appeal turns into expansion to satisfy growing demand. Indeed Almondbury BC and Brockholes have also added 'B' teams after an initial one-team season led to the increased demand which can only be satisfied by providing more bowling time for more and more bowlers.

It is an 11.30am start as we also welcome new team entries from the Rugby Club and the all-ladies team from Golcar C&BC. We hope that you enjoy your bowling in the League and maybe next year you too will be looking to add another team to your ranks as bowlers take advantage of the milder winters (hopefully again) and enjoy the unique experience of bowling on grass with the nuances and quirks that changing weather conditions can bring.