Group Selection Explained

Above club level, there are annual competitions within the county.  Essex is split into 8 groups, with Braintree a part of Group 2. This group covers North West Essex.

Ashford Cup

This is a highly competitive tournament between the groups, specifically for unbadged bowlers.  There are six rinks of fours, playing in three round robin matches on consecutive Sundays, followed by a final later in the season.

Each season, the club captains nominate players for consideration, and it is down to the Group 2 Selection Committee to select a squad.  This is a prestigious tournament, particularly because it is widely considered to be the first step on the way to becoming a badged bowler.

Wally Ball

Four rinks of four compete in three consecutive Sunday round robin games, followed by a final later in the season.  This is for both badged and unbadged bowlers, although there is no nomination process, so it is selected directly by the Group 2 Selection Committee.  It is possible to be selected for both the Ashford Cup and Wally Ball in the same year.

Inter Group Knock Out

Six rinks of four, with every bowler in the Group eligible for selection.  No round robin, with the tournament starting at the quarter final stage, with matches on a roughly monthly basis.

For Your Information:

Group 1: Colchester area

Group 2: North West Essex (inc. Braintree)

Group 3: Chelmsford area

Group 4: Romford area

Group 5: Wanstead area

Group 6: Southend area

Group 8: Harlow area

Group 9: Grays area

(There is no longer a Group 7 after they disbanded in 2012).