Winter League loses another host green

Winter League

The Winter League Management Committee met on Wednesday to the news that a second host green has had to withdraw from serving the Winter League for the coming season. With a previous announcement that Paddock I&C had withdrawn due to losing their catering team which is a key part of the service required by teams over the winter months. The latest setback sees Primrose Hill Lib having to withdraw their service due to a change in personal circumstances of a key individual. Nothing to do with catering services or the green but key to the smooth running of a weekly competition.

Thank you to Primrose Hill Lib for their support over the past three years when they have progressed, becoming a wonderful asset to the League and we are very sorry to lose them.

With losing Paddock I&C means that we are also without a Division 9 host. Primrose Hill Lib have looked after the Division 4 teams over those three years so we need a replacement for them as well.

On top of that, last season Lindley Lib and Netherton Con provided half the season each to support the new Division 10 teams as well as hosting other matches one day a week all through the season. That option is no longer available to us, so effectively we are now looking for host greens for three of our Divisions. Two new hosts have stepped forward and we are delighted to welcome Thorpe Green and Skel Central into the new world of Winter League bowling.

Thorpe Green have offered to run with two days a week and they are probably taking over the Primrose Hill Lib programme of Division 4 matches and staying on a regular Monday slot. A second day will see them also taking over the Division 9 set of fixtures for the new season and become the first Friday set of fixtures in the League programme.

Skel Central are working hard to get their new stand erected and active for the start of the season and they will be taking over the Division 10 fixtures which will continue to be played on their usual day of Mondays.

The real casualty of all this is the newly expected Division 11. At present we have four new teams that are lined up for the new Division along with two more teams that have expressed interest in joining them and two vacancies to make up the 8 teams per Division which works well for our hosts and provides for a 14-week match day season. To confirm that at present we do not have a host for the Division 11 teams. We would welcome any enquiries about filling this slot. If your club would like to make a £3,500 profit for running matches on 14 days between early October and mid-February then please contact the League Secretary. That profit target can be boosted to (at least) £4,500 if your club has a bar over the same time period.

Those discerning readers among you may have noted that there is no mention of the running of the Pairs KO competition, which has been held at Thorpe Green for the last two years. Thorpe Green will not be staging the Pairs KO competition this year but alternative arrangements are being put in place. The Pairs KO will be run in the 2026-27 season, as will the individual knock-out competition of the Winter Cup. More details on all that in due course, but we will be running both competitions in the new season.