A message from Brian Toner the new Super League Co-Ordinator.
As the Super League enters its 3rd Season, it has evolved from an initial 3 Person Team in its Inaugural Season to a 4 Person Team last year with the format for both years being Pairs based on the Commonwealth Games format of 3 bowls per Player. This year there is a chance to create a more interesting and hopefully even more exciting Format, with the aim of keeping this innovative Competition fresh and making it inclusive to all the Clubs
2021 Season
Last year we had 18, 4 Person teams which totalled 72 Players playing the Commonwealth Games format of 3 Bowl Pairs. The Competition was scheduled to be played over 8 weeks, generally with 2 games per session. Due to various reasons, the schedule had to be amended, but the total number of games were played, utilizing both Heaton Hall and Southport, due to the requirement of needing two greens too accommodate 9 games per session.
Proposal
This year whilst looking to keep the same number of Players, 72, we would move to 12, 6 person teams and play a variety of Triples & Fours, not just Pairs.
The 12 Team League also has the advantage of only requiring 1 Green to be used, thus allowing Bolton to be brought into the Competition, whilst removing the need for the B Greens at both Heaton Hall and Southport, hopefully leading to a better Playing experience.
With 12 Teams, playing each other Twice would mean 22 Matches per team, and if we use the format of the First and Last 3 weeks each being a 3 match session, that allows us to Complete the League in 8 Weeks throughout the Season. This should help in scheduling considering the other commitments around County and National Competitions.
By having the 6 Person Team, this allows us to Introduce both Triples and Fours into the Format, as well as Pairs, but still following the Commonwealth Games Formats for these disciplines. It also allows for more cover during the Holiday season when the games can be just pairs.
The First and Last two Weeks, with the 3-game session, should then have a Pairs, Triples & Fours, with where possible all 6 Players being Involved. The following sessions can be a mix of Triples and Pairs, with the main Holiday Session, Commonwealth Games and National Finals only being Pairs.
The cost of registering and playing would remain the same, £5 for registering and £1 per game played.
In order to keep the prize fund at last year’s level, it will be essential for the league to attract Sponsorship and any suggestions would be appreciated.
Team Composition
Players divided into Pots
Pot 1 Middleton Cup Skips/3rds
Pot 2 Middleton Squad/ Alsop Skips/3rds
Pot 3 Ladies Top Tier
Pot 4/5 Men
Pot 6 Ladies
This hopefully ensures that there is a good mix within each Team.
Team Shirts/Colours
My suggestion would be to assign each Team a colour and allow the team to utilise existing Shirts, rather than having to purchase a completely new Strip.
However, given that there are 6 members per team, we could investigate if Bowls Trader and the like would provide a discount to make it more affordable for all.
Team Names, as in previous years are to be decided by Teams
Conclusion
I would ask that all players register their interest with me as soon as possible, and by no later than 31 Dec 2021.
At the time of registering, please indicate your preference as to the new proposed format outlined above or keeping the current format of 18, 4 person teams playing pairs