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).