THREATS to parks bowling clubs and crown green bowling in general were high on the agenda when both the Worth Valley League and Skipton League held their annual meetings recently.

The fears come from Bradford Council’s cutbacks in greens maintenance, and a mass rally involving several leagues, including the Worth Valley, is planned at Idle Bowling Club on Friday, February 20 (10.15am).

The Worth Valley annual meeting was held at the Cross Roads Inn. No major changes were announced and the usual divisional set-up is due to continue.

The Veterans’ League on Mondays now boasts four leagues, with 12 teams in each section.

The league’s Federation District team have gone up a division and face games against Leeds B, North Yorkshire and South Lancashire, while the veterans’ team, winners of the Federation’s over-60s title last season, play qualifying games at Elland C&BC, starting on Friday, May 15.

The juniors continue in the Yorkshire ABA’s League in Division Two after their re-organisation.

Gargrave’s Alistair Keighley is the new president of the Skipton League, which held their annual meeting at the White Rose Club.

Despite the withdrawal of one or two clubs, including Oxenhope, the normal set-up remains in place but efforts to bring in other changes failed to receive the required votes.

The area hosts the Yorkshire ABA’s Ladies’ Inter-District on Sunday, June 14, while, the men’s event, to be held in Bradford on Sunday, July 26, sees Skipton paired with Castleford and Aire-Wharfe at Crowghyll Park.

Silsden’s David Scott lost in the Rose Bowl final at Huddersfield winter bowling venue Griffin Inn at the end of 2014, going down to wily veteran Ronnie Wormald (Brighouse) 31-25.

Mark Barker (Keighley) teamed up with Peter Hepworth (Bingley) to reach the final of the Guiseley Winter Pairs, only to go down 21-6 to favourites Andy Hodgson and James Hanson of Pudsey in gloomy conditions, despite the lights.

The local season kicks off shortly with the Silsden BC Four-Man team commencing on Tuesday, March 10, with the final on Sunday, March 22.

Meanwhile, Oakworth’s Roy Sanderson was installed as the 62nd president of the Yorkshire Crown Green Bowling Association at their AGM at Mirfield.

* Halifax Bowling League officials have had to relegate three extra teams to get a minimum of ten teams in each of the six Wednesday divisions for next season.

The unlucky trio are Denholme, Sowerby T&BC A and Pellon B. They finished third-from-bottom of divisions three, four and five respectively.