Nordley aim to be in the mix for honours

Dell, who lifted the trophy for the first time in their history last year, start the defence of their title away to newly-promoted Bylet.

Nick Wyer will lead Dell’s charge and the skipper has understandably stuck with the squad that lifted the silverware.

And Wyer is hoping there will be further improvement from within the ranks with Steve Shaw tipped to build on the progress he made while Ashley Gregory and Aaron King should also kick on in their second season with the club.

“The aim is to carry on where we left off,” said Wyer.

“Our green has improved enormously over the closed season so hopefully this will help with consistency in our home games.”

Willenhall Nordley skipper Kevin Hocknull goes into the season gunning for double glory.

Success

After finishing second last year, Hocknull, whose side host top-flight newcomers Stile tomorrow, has made no secret of his desire to go one better, while he is also planning a serious push for cup success.

“We will be aiming to win the league, it’s as simple as that,” said Hocknull, who has added Mick Ledwidge to his ranks.

“We know it’ll be tough, as the Dell are strong and we expect M&B to be in the thick of things too, but I believe we have a squad to win the league, and the cup is firmly on our agenda too. The double is our aim for 2019.”

M&B Cheslyn Hay will include key new signings, Kevin Keary and Cliff Johnson in their line-up when they welcome Victoria Park.

Captain Aaron Tipper hasn’t made any bold predictions but will be looking for his squad to be up among the pacesetters after finishing third last season.

And he is tipping Neil Bromley to build on an impressive campaign.

“Neil surprised a lot of outsiders last season with his consistent form but we’re looking for him to kick on even further,” said Tipper.

Penn are hoping their impressive winter recruitment drive will reap a reward.

Captain Ben Dixon has bolstered his selection hand by signing Dave Rhodes, Rob Fuller, Stuart Jones and Ian Charles.

“We want to improve upon last year, both on and off the green,” said Dixon, who guided his side to fourth place.

“We are looking to bridge a 20-point gap between ourselves and the top, but with our new signings and other players now settling on the green, that is the challenge and our aim.

“Dave Rhodes will be a top end for us this year but we’re also looking forward to seeing Mark Jones kick on in his second year with us and prove he is one of Staffs’ best players.”

Penn host Windmill tomorrow.

There has been plenty of improvements going on off the green at Victoria Park during the winter and Nigel Egan is keen to see that replicated on the green.

Aaron Jones is the one addition to captain Egan’s pack.

“There have been lots of regeneration works done around the park during the winter including a new café/restaurant opposite the green,” said Egan.

“We want to improve upon our league position and we are looking for players like Ed Finnemore, Jim Stuart and Tim Jones to improve upon their stats from last time out.

“And as we haven’t won the cup since 1995, we are determined to have a good cup run this time around.”

Woodfield ended last season in seventh place and a similar return is the realistic aim for skipper Nick Newey, who is looking for Mick Hill to maintain his impressive form.

“Realistically, anything above seventh or eighth would be bonus territory,” admitted Newey.

“Mick Hill showed us the kind of form we know he is capable of in 2018, and we hope he can maintain and build upon that.”

Short Heath captain Lee Hulse is backing new-boy John Heath and Aimee Allcock to make an impression this year.

“I think the top four picks itself in my opinion, so the aim is to be ‘best of the rest’ and be consistent enough to finish fifth,” said Hulse, who has also welcomed Mark Bennett and Charlie Walton back to the ranks.

“We have full faith that John can make the step up in class from the lower division, while we also expect Aimee Allcock to continue her progression and prove she is one of the top ladies playing in the area.”

Glasscutters kick off with a home clash against Woodfield.

Craig Ainsbury is the only addition to a squad that will bid to improve on last year’s 10th-placed finish and avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.

“We want to have a significantly better season than last year and to stay up,” said captain Gary Cooper.

Tomorrow’s final opening-day clash sees Cradley S&S host Short Heath Liberal A.

The other promoted side Stile, have an equally tough looking opening day encounter as they make the difficult journey to last season’s runners up Willenhall Nordley.

Premier Division Preview

Action in the premier division of the Wolverhampton & South Staffs bowls league returns this coming Saturday with Dudley Dell looking to retain the championship title.

The 2018 winners begin with an away trip to newly promoted Bylet as they look to re-capture the trophy that they won last time out for the first time in their history.

(See Dudley Dell team photo in email attachment).

The other promoted side Stile, have an equally tough looking opening day encounter as they make the difficult journey to last season’s runners up Willenhall Nordley.

Elsewhere M&B Cheslyn Hay will include key new signings, Kevin Keary & Cliff Johnson in their line-up as they welcome Victoria Park, whilst Cradley welcome Short Heath to Colley Lane.

Glasscutters entertain Woodfield which will see an opening day challenge for their new signing Craig Ainsbury against his former team, while a new-look Penn side will begin the season with high hopes as they host Windmill.

St Georges Open

Ryan Prosser of The George bowling club is the new St Georges Open champion.

Prosser overcame his Warwick & Worcester county teammate Gareth Herbert 21-19 in the final to claim the coveted title. Chris Ward of Victoria Park was Staffordshire’s furthest runner before falling at the quarter final stage.