2025: League & Club News
Sunday 7th September: President's Triples Finals
The final of the President’s Triples was played on Sunday 7th September between Moira Holroyd, Len Marshall (substituting for John Holroyd, who had played in the earlier rounds) and Kevin Vinter (all from Stamford Town) and Val Thompson, Graham Allen and David Donovan, from Bourne Town.
Kevin Vinter’s team established a lead from the start and, after scoring two 4s and two 3s, were 18 - 2 up at the half-way point. Although the Bourne team tried to recover, they were unable to catch the Stamford team.
The final score was:
Moira Holroyd, Len Marshall and Kevin Vinter 26 - 11 for Val Thompson, Graham Allen and David Donovan.
Saturday 6th September: Oddfellows Rosebowl Final
Congratulations to Oakham on winning the Oddfellows Charity Rosebowl competition for 2025. The final was played against Stamford Town Crusaders at Stamford Town Bowls Club on Saturday 6th September. The charity supported by this competition this year is Prostate Cancer. Thanks to Stamford Town Bowls Club for hosting this final.
Having battled against one another for dominance in the Stamford League all season, both teams knew they were in for a difficult match.
Kevin Vinter’s team, on rink 2, established their lead at the beginning of the game and they were 8 - 2 up after 5 ends. Although Oakham began to fight back, they managed to win only 7 ends (of which four scored 3 shots) and were never really in contention, with the Crusaders team winning by 24 - 16.
It was a different story on the other two rinks; Stuart Primarolo’s Oakham team forged ahead to be 17 - 0 up after 10 ends, at which point Len Marshall’s team rallied, winning 6 of the final 8 ends but, after picking up 6 shots in the 17th end, Oakham were the victors by 24 - 12. Colin Wagstaff’s Oakham team won the first 3 ends, then Jon Bailey’s team (Crusaders) fought back to overtake Oakham by 8 -7 in the 12th end. However, Oakham totally dominated the last 6 ends, preventing Crusaders from further scoring and winning by 23 - 8.
Results: Oakham 63 - Stamford Town Crusaders 44
(Individual rinks, Oakham teams first)
Eddie Owen, Matthew Murrant and Paul Murrant lost to John Holroyd, Ken Simmonds and Kevin Vinter by 16 - 24.
Ian Wilkinson, Ray Gregory and Stuart Primarolo beat Lesley Simmonds, Martin Bailey and Len Marshall by 24 - 12.
Nicola Elmer, Paul Jenkinson and Colin Wagstaff beat Brian Tuplin, Sue Seed and Jon Bailey by 23 - 8.
Duncomb Shield: 31st August 2025
Eight teams took part in the demanding final of this competition on Sunday 31st August at Bourne Town Bowls Club. Each triples team (selected from a team of 4) played in a round robin format against every other team, with six ends to each game - over 4 hours bowling with a total of 42 ends! There were some very close games and each team had its victories. Peter Cozens' team (Greetham Valley) led the field for the first four games, but was then overtaken by Kevin Vinter's team (Stamford Town) in the 5th game and by Julie Allen's team (Bourne Town) in Game 6.
Kevin VInter, John and Moira Holroyd, from Stamford Town, stormed ahead in the final 3 games with scores of 7-1, 8-8 and 8-3 respectively, finishing as winners of the Duncomb Shield 2025, with a total of 44 points. This is the second year in succession that they have won this competition. Runners-up were Julie Allen, Val Thompson, Alec March and Julian Wheel (from Bourne Town), who scored 6-3, 9-2 and 9-3 in the last three games to finish with a total score of 42 points. Peter Cozens' team was third.
Congratulations to all the teams who took part; their spirits were undampened by the occasional rain shower and the afternoon was enjoyed by everyone. Thank you also to Bourne Town for their hospitality and their warm welcome to the competitors and supporters.
Boor & Wainwright Shield Final: 30th August 2025
Blackstones D, from Division1, faced Market Deeping Regals, from Division 2, in the final of the Boor & Wainwright Shield competition this afternoon, played at Blackstones Bowls Club. Blackstones D had the home advantage, but Market Deeping Regals had the benefit of a handicap of 12 shots - 4 shots per rink. Blackstones D made steady inroads into this handicap, catching and overtaking Regals by the 7th end, with a score of 25 - 22 overall. Regals managed to equalise at 25 - 25 in the next end but, after that, the Blackstones team gradually pulled ahead, to finish with a final total score of 63 to Regals' 46.
Regals did not go down without a fight, holding Blackstones to very close results on two of the rinks. On rink 3, Regals were ahead for the first 8 ends, then managed a recovery after falling 5 shots behind by the 17th end. On rink 4, Regals led for the whole game until Blackstones equalised at 18 - 18 in the 20th end and then snatched victory by a single shot in the final end. Rink 2 was Regals' undoing, with Blackstones winning 14 of the 21 ends after preventing Regals from scoring on 7 consecutive ends.
Rink 2: Mal Mitchell, Darren Russell and Jon Earl - 26; Chris Bines, Malcolm Matthews and David Roberts - 12.
Rink 3: Rita Downs, Terry Smith and Darren Middleton - 18; Michael Smith, Paul Gillender and Trevor Cummins - 16.
Rink 4: Wayne Morris, Dusty Miller and Sam Downs - 19; Viv Evans, David Wilkinson and Julie Nolan - 18.
Blackstones teams listed first.
Thanks to Blackstones Bowls Club for hosting this event and making everyone so welcome.
National Finals at Skegness: 18th - 23rd August
Shirley pipped in national final
Local bowlers hoping to grab a title at the English National Federation championships at Skegness were disappointed when they failed in their bid for silverware.
However, Shirley Suffling, representing Ketton and Northants, came close in in the two-bowl singles.
She had earlier beaten Jenny Shaw (North Essex) and Nottingham’s Anne Patten and had one hand on the blue riband trophy in the final. But she couldn’t quite hang on against Northumberland’s Naomi Scott.
Suffling led 18-15 after 26 nail-biting ends but Scott suddenly found line and length on a tricky surface. It finally took 31 tension-packed ends for her to secure a 21-18 win.
Ketton’s Helen Tilley, Elaine Upton and Suffling lost in the semi-final of the two-bowls triples to Lincolnshire. Upton also lost 21-11 to Northumberland’s Karen Waite in the Senior singles.
Elsewhere Blackstone’s Stephen Harris held Russell Robinson to 14 shots apiece in the four bowl men’s singles semi-finals but conceded seven shots in two ends to the Derbyshire bowler who then went on to take the title against Wayne Burrage (Norfolk).
Stamford Town bowlers qualified in six events but by the end of play on Wednesday had failed to progress in any of them. Sue Seed was beaten in the Secretaries and Champion of champions singles and with Kevin Vinter in the Senior mixed pairs went down on the extra end against Hunts after tying 15-15 at 21 ends. Seed was also a member of the three-bowls triples with Chris Ford and Chrissie Baker that lost to Durham.
Like many, Town’s John Holroyd failed to come to terms with the vagaries of the uneven surfaces. With Neil Crees he was beaten 16-11 against Humberside in the Senior pairs ahead of a 21-12 defeat by Suffolk’s Matthew Smith in the two-bowl singles.
The only bright spot for Northants was the 95-91 win by Peterborough Parkway in the Durham Centenary Shield, landing the four rink triples team prize for the first time in the county’s history.
Monday 18th August
BUSY WEEK FOR BOWLERS
Bowlers who compete in the Stamford & District League are in for a busy schedule when they represent Northants in the English Bowling Federation national championship at Skegness from Monday to Saturday (August 18-23).
Among them are Sue Seed (Stamford Town) who has qualified in four events - Champion of champions and Secretaries singles, plus three-bowl triples and senior mixed pairs.
Clubmate John Holroyd is also through in two events (2-bowl singles and senior pairs).
Stephen Harris (Blackstones) also competes in a double-header (4-bowl singles and 3-bowl triples) while Ketton’s Shirley Suffling & Elaine Upton play in respective 2-bowl and senior singles and combine in the two-bowl triples with Helen Tilley.
Stamford League: Tuesday 12th August
Congratulations to Blackstones C who, having come top of Division 1 with 124 points, are this year’s Stamford League Champions for the third year running. Blackstones D are runners-up with 110 points. Ketton face relegation at the bottom of the division, as do Market Deeping Regals, who just lost out to Market Overton Tornadoes; the two teams had the same number of points but Tornadoes had the higher aggregate score.
The battle for Division 2 was a long-drawn-out saga, with the final positions decided only in two postponed matches played on Monday 11th August. The extremely hot weather had caused a total of 8 matches to be postponed. Langtoft were way behind everyone else, with three matches still to be played at the official end of the season. However, they have had an amazing run where they have been unbeaten for five consecutive matches, which has put them at the top of Division 2, with 103 points and one match in hand. Greeham Poachers are runners-up in Division 2 on 97 points; Greetham Valley Eagles narrowly missed out with 96 points.
The bottom positions in Division 2 were also not deceded until Monday evening: Carlby Corgis just managed to scrape enough points to avoid any possibility of relegation. Barnack Vikings still have one match to play (against Langtoft) but cannot improve on their position in the division and Oakham Delta trail them at the bottom of the table.
Things were much more clear-cut in Division 3, with Carlby Bees topping the division, after a gap of 10 years, with 110 points. Blackstones A had also trailed the other teams with games played and, like Langtoft, had a surge when they were unbeaten for three consecutive games, putting them in second position with 98 points. Market Overton Harriers and Greetham Anglians stand at the bottom of the table.
The competitions run by the Stamford League are now reaching their final stages and the finals will be played on the last weekend in August/first weekend in September. So far, just one final has been settled: Blackstones D will play Market Deeping Regals at Blackstones Bowls Club on Saturday 30th August in the final of the Boor & Wainwright Shield. All other competitions are awaiting the completion of semi-final matches.
President's Gala: Sunday 3rd August
This year’s Stamford League President, Michael “Dusty” Miller, held his Gala at Blackstones Bowls Club last weekend, Sunday 3rd August. Sixteen teams competed on a day which threatened rain but which, apart from one heavy shower, proved to be enjoyed by everyone.
The competition was won by one of the four teams entered by Blackstones Bowls Club, captained by Adam Warrington, who also captained last year’s winning team, but this time his fellow team members were Martyn Dolby, Mark Pye and Jon Earl. The team won all four of the games they played, scoring 32 out of a possible 40 points.
Four teams, with captains Shirley Suffling, Ally McNaughton, Peter Cozens and Graham Patrickson, tied for second place with 26 points. The Stamford Town team – John and Moira Holroyd, Neil Crees and Ken Simmons, captained by Graham Patrickson – were declared runners up based on their shots difference, after winning three games and drawing one. The “spider “ competition was won by last year’s President, Rita Downs.
The President’s chosen charity for this year is Prostate Cancer and, so far, over £1500 has been raised, so a big thank you to everyone who took part, to all those businesses and individuals who have donated either money or prizes, to President “Dusty” Miller and to the Blackstones Club steward and catering staff.
Wednesday 25th June
Gala drama
In a dramatic finish to the Ketton bowls club gala on Wednesday, home players took the top three spots in the 14-team triples event which raised vital club funds.
Shirley and John Suffling joined with Blackstones’ Paul Buckley to set a 27-point target in the event in which teams scored two points for a match win and a point for every end won.
But they slipped up in their last game against Roy Beard’s Barnack rink.
Needing a maximum 10 points from eight ends in their final section game to tie on points, the home rink of Paul Gallaway, Chris Middleton and Bob Warters duly obliged with a 14-0 win over visiting Houghton bowlers to snatch victory overall with a superior shots difference 28-13. Tony Dolby and Steve & Sheila Brown were third with 24 points.
Players from as far afield as Baldock, took part along with those from Carlby, Bourne and Houghton-on the Hill.
Entries are now available for the club’s next gala on Wednesday, August 27.
FOOTNOTE: Ketton became the first club to be guaranteed a player in the English Bowling Federation finals which start at Skegness in August, when both Shirley Suffling and Elaine Upton reached the final of the Northants Senior singles to be played at City of Peterborough BC on July 13.
In the semi-finals Suffling beat Miriam Hulbert (Stamford Town) 21-7 and Upton beat Linda Toms 21-17 at Burrows Court. Upton and John Suffling reached the final of the Senior Mixed pairs, defeating former winners Jane Needham and Martyn Dolby (Blackstones) 17-11.
Thursday 12th June
Market Deeping Royals have qualified for the quarter finals as second in Group A.
Tuesday 3rd June
Boor & Wainwright Shield Competition
All but one of the final matches in the round-robin group stage of this competition have now been played, with the following teams qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Group A: 1. Blackstones D, 2. Market Deeping Royals or Blackstones A (to be determined when Blackstones A have played their final match on 11th June).
Group B: 1. Market Deeping Regals 2. Barnack Vikings.
Group C: 1. Oakham A, 2. Greetham Poachers.
Group D: 1. Stamford Town Dragons, 2. Carlby Corgis.
Congratulations to all these teams. Details of the quarter final draw are on this website.
The results were clear cut in Group D, but in each of the other groups the qualifiers were not decided until the very last match on 2nd June. Blackstones D topped group A with 10 points from 6 matches, but the second qualifier Group A is yet to be decided. The top two teams in Group B were the only teams with 8 points from 6 matches, with their final positions determined by aggregate scores. Three teams in Group C scored 8 points from 6 matches, with Carlby Bees narrowly missing out to Greetham Poachers by just 3 shots difference in aggregate score.
Tuesday 29th April
National Titles for our Bowlers.
Ollie Jeapes and Martyn Dolby, representing Northants but qualifying out of Stamford IBC, retained their respective Under 25 and Over 60 national singles titles at Lincoln’s indoor stadium.
Another Stamford pair, Paul Dalliday and Simon Law, also claimed the men’s triples trophy, alongside Tristan Morton and, after a gruelling day, were losing finalists with Louise Harris in the mixed rinks.
For Jeapes it was a comfortable 21-16 win in the final while Dolby survived a 21-20 semi-final against North Cambs before beating home favourite Danny Brown 21-13.
Having already won the men’s Eversley Trophy for county executives - the women finished in a best ever second place in the equivalent Harry Carver Trophy - Northants set a new record of success.
For full results visit www.northantsbowlingfederation.co.uk
Sunday 20th April
Outdoor bowls clubs in the Stamford League, such as Wittering (see below), are preparing for the new season by opening their greens for practice before the start of the Boor & Wainwright Shield competition on Friday 9th May. As well as roll-ups, some clubs have arranged early-season friendly matches for additional experience for members in the run-up to the start of competitive bowling, as well as competitions over the holiday weekend. The sustained period of dry weather has left greens in much firmer condition than is usual at this stage in the year, with the promise of much faster rinks.
In the photo below, Wittering’s new President Dave Don casts the first jack of the 2025 season, with other club members looking on.
Back row: Ally McNaughton, Jim Mackay, Katie Bailey, Paul Bailey, Dave Roberts.
Front row: Billy Andrew, Mick Smith, James Henderson, Dave Pusch, Dean Wilkinson, Mike Anderson and Darren Middleton.