Deputy president is found

Outgoing county president Mike Beckett made the call at Monday’s annual meeting, which ended with a new vice-chairman in place and a deputy president for 2020 found – but no selectors elected for Shropshire’s veterans team.

“While at times you cannot beat experience, an organisation cannot move forward unless it also has new blood,” said Beckett, who received glowing tributes for coping with the loss of his wife Mary during his year in office.

“It is important that at both county and British level we need to be moving with the times.”

Beckett welcomed secretary Mo Corley’s decision to carry on for one more year, with a new £4,000 honoraria, to give the county time to find a successor and possibly restructure the post.

And he was pleased that Whitchurch League chairman Phil Scott was elected as county vice-chairman in succession to John Coxill, nominee Simon Fullard saying Scott was someone with the required commitment, drive and vision – and with age on his side.

Beckett was also instrumental in persuading country competition secretary Mike Potter to stand for deputy president during a near one-hour delay to proceedings at Bagley BC in Shrewsbury while the votes on County Cup and Shropshire Cup rules changes and a whole raft of Whitchurch League proposals were counted.

All were eventually passed before Wendy Icke, an officer of both Market Drayton-based leagues, formally stepped up to become this year’s county president, with Telford-based Potter – who has already served as president in 2015 – her new deputy.