For the first time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago and counting, the West Cumbria Bowls League is looking forward to its first full season starting this April.
The league made a tentative start last year when a shortened season, beginning in mid-summer, saw only half of the matches completed.
Expectations are now high that 2022 will see the completion of a full season with each of the 10 teams meeting on a home and away basis, beginning on April 29 and concluding on August 26, with all fixtures being played on Friday evenings.
Workington A will be looking to defend their title with Whitehaven A expected to press hard along with Fitz Park, Keswick, who finished third last year.
On the county scene, Cumbria won the Alsop Cup last year and will be determined to defend it successfully.
But arguably the biggest success of the county season last year was that of the quartet from the Workington club, David Forster, James Park, Ian Williams and Stephen Cook who won the national fours at Leamington.
The 2022 fixtures for the West Cumbria Bowling League are as follows:
- April 29 – Cleator Moor v Vulcan Park (Workington); Fitz Park (Keswick) v Workington B; Workington A v Whitehaven A; Whitehaven B v Cockermouth; Maryport v Seaton.
- May 6 – Vulcan Park v Whitehaven B; Whitehaven A v Fitz Park; Seaton v Workington A; Workington B v Maryport; Cockermouth v Cleator Moor.
- May 13 – Fitz Park v Seaton; Whitehaven B v Maryport; Cockermouth v Whitehaven A; Workington A v Vulcan Park; Cleator Moor v Workington B.
- May 20 – Fitz park v Cleator Moor; Vulcan Park v Cockermouth; Whitehaven A v Seaton; Workington B v Whitehaven B; Maryport v Workington A.
- May 27 – Whitehaven A v Vulcan Park; Maryport v Fitz Park; Workington A v Cleator Moor; Seaton v Whitehaven B; Cockermouth v Workington B.
- June 3 – Workington B v Seaton; Vulcan Park v Fitz Park; Whitehaven B v Workington A; Cleator Moor v Whitehaven A; Cockermouth v Maryport.
- June 10 – Seaton v Cleator Moor; Workington A v Cockermouth; Whitehaven A v Workington B; Fitz Park v Whitehaven B; Maryport v Vulcan Park.
- June 17 – Whitehaven B v Cleator Moor; Maryport v Whitehaven A; Vulcan Park v Workington B; Workington A v Fitz Park; Cockermouth v Seaton.
- June 24 – Whitehaven A v Whitehaven B; Workington B v Workington A; Fitz Park v Cockermouth; Seaton v Vulcan Park; Cleator Moor v Maryport.
Second half of season:
- July 1 – Vulcan Park v Cleator Moor; Workington B v Fitz Park; Whitehaven A v Workington A; Cockermouth v Whitehaven B; Seaton v Maryport.
- July 8 – Whitehaven B v Vulcan Park; Fitz Park v Whitehaven A; Workington A v Seaton; Maryport v Workington B; Cleator Moor v Cockermouth.
- July 15 – Seaton v Fitz Park; Maryport v Whitehaven B; Whitehaven A v Cockermouth; Vulcan Park v Workington A; Workington B v Cleator Moor.
- July 22 – Cleator Moor v Fitz Park; Cockermouth v Vulcan Park; Seaton v Whitehaven A; Whitehaven B v Workington B; Workington A v Maryport.
- July 29 – Vulcan Park v Whitehaven A; Fitz Park v Maryport; Cleator Moor v Workington A; Whitehaven B v Seaton; Workington B v Cockermouth.
- August 5 – Seaton v Workington B; Fitz Park v Vulcan Park; Workington A v Whitehaven B; Whitehaven A v Cleator Moor; Maryport v Cockermouth.
- August 12 – Cleator Moor v Seaton; Cockermouth v Workington A; Workington B v Whitehaven A; Whitehaven B v Fitz Park; Vulcan Park v Maryport.
- August 19 – Cleator Moor v Whitehaven B; Whitehaven A v Maryport; Workington B v Vulcan Park; Fitz Park v Workington A; Seaton v Cockermouth.
- August 26 – Whitehaven B v Whitehaven A; Workington A v Workington B; Cockermouth v Fitz Park; Vulcan Park v Seaton; Maryport v Cleator Moor.
