2024: Club News

6th August: Stamford League

All except two matches outstanding in Division 1 have now been played and most promotions and relegations (which will also depend on the number of teams entering the league next year) have been decided.

Congratulations to Blackstones C, who are once again league champions, for the seventh time in 10 years. They have a total of 114 points after beating Langtoft 9-1 in the last scheduled match of the season. Bourne Woods are runners-up with 100 points, in spite of losing 2-8 to fourth-place Blackstones D. Langtoft face relegation at the bottom of the table, but Oakham A (66 points), Wittering (65 points) or Greetham Valley Eagles (61 points) could all conceivably join them as they each have a match still to be played. Outstanding matches are between Greetham Valley Eagles and Oakham A on 9th August and Wittering and Langtoft on 16th August.

Market Deeping Regals top Division 2 with 119 points after beating Barnack Vikings 6-4, with Ketton in second place with 113 points after their 10-0 victory over Empingham Falcons. Ryhall and Barnack Saxons both face relegation after Ryhall lost 4-6 to Oakham Delta and Barnack Saxons beat Bourne Eau by 8-2. It was very close at the bottom of the table, with Bourne Eau on 68 points, Barnack Vikings on 67 points and Barnack Saxons on 66 points all immediately above Ryhall on 51 points.

In Division 3, Greetham Poachers top the table with 114 points, in spite of losing 4-6 to Blackstones A in their final match. Stamford Town Dragons will also be promoted, with 100 points; they lost their final match against Market Overton Harriers (who just managed to haul themselves off the bottom of the table) by 3-7, but this was enough to put Dragons out of reach of third-place Blackstones A.

Ketton Finals

Sheila Brown claimed two titles when Ketton Bowls Club staged its finals at the weekend and will represent the club in next season’s Northants Women’s Bowling Federation’s champion of  champions women’s singles competition

She beat the current county champion Elaine Upton 21-19 to claim the club title and also joined husband Steve to win the two-bowl club pairs beating John and Shirley Suffling in the final 18-12 over 18 ends. John beat Steve in the men’s singles 21-12.

Ketton is one of four clubs from the Stamford and District League - the others are Blackstones, Langtoft and Stamford Town - who will feature in the English Bowling Federation’s men’s and women’s individual championships at Skegness from August 19-24. 

Competing four women’s events, Ketton kick off local interest on the opening Monday with Carol Warters, Shirley Suffling and Helen Tilley ( substituting for Lynn Hulme who has sustained a broken bone in her foot) in the three-bowl triples.

EBF Championships: Skegness 19-24 August

The draws for Northants players in the opening rounds are as follows:

MEN

Two-bowl singles: Paul Dalliday (Parkway) v Cleveland, Thursday, 9.15am (second round same day at 3.15pm); Four-bowl singles: Ollie Jeapes (Parkway) v Northumberland, Tuesday, 4.45pm (second round, Wednesday, 9.15am); U25 singles: Ollie Jeapes (Parkway) v winner of Hunts or Notts, in second round on Thursday, 9.15am; Senior singles: Graham Agger (Whittlesey Manor) v winner of Hunts or Durham in second round on Wednesday, 11.45am; Secretary singles: Robert Heath (Yaxley) v Lincs, Tuesday, 11.45am (second round on Wednesday, 11.45am); Champion of Champions: Roger Stevens (Whittlesey Manor) v Derbys in second round on Thursday, 2.15pm; Pairs: Graham Agger & Peter Brown (Whittlesey Manor) v Humberside, Tuesday, 10.45am (second round, Thursday, 9.15am); Senior pairs: Dusty Millar & Martyn Dolby (Blackstones) v North Essex, Tuesday, 11.45am (second round, Wednesday, 2.15pm); Mixed pairs: Paul Dalliday & Michelle Coleman (Parkway) v Humberside, Tuesday, 9.15am (second round, Wednesday, 3.15pm); Two-bowl rinks: Michael Humphreys, Paul Buckley, Stephen Harris (Blackstones) v Durham or Lincs in second round on Wednesday, 9.15am; Three-bowl rinks: Adam Emery, Ean & Tristan Morton (Parkway) v Norfolk, Monday, 2.15pm (second round, Tuesday, 9.15am); Mixed rinks: Paul Dalliday, Michelle Coleman, Tristan Morton (Parkway) v Northumberland, Tuesday, 11.45am (second round, Wednesday, 11.45am; Under 25 pairs: Ollie Jeapes (Parkway) & Owen Aspinall (Blackstones) v Norfolk, Thursday, 10.45am (second round same day provisionally at 3.15pm).

WOMEN

Two-bowl singles: Jan McDougall (Crowland) v Humberside, Tuesday, 9.15am (second round, Wednesday, 2.15pm); Four-bowl singles: Angela Cox (Langtoft) v North Essex or Notts in second round on Thursday, 1.45pm); Senior singles: Chris Ford (Stamford Town) v Northumberland or Derbys in second round on Thursday, 12.15pm; Secretary singles: Angela Cox (Langtoft) v Lincs, Monday, 2.15pm (second round, Tuesday, 1.45pm); Champion of Champions: Elaine Upton (Ketton) v Suffolk, Thursday, 12.15pm (second round, Friday, 9.15am); Pairs: Pat Booth & Angela Cox (Langtoft) v Humberside, Wednesday, 3.15pm; (second round, Thursday, 10.45am); Senior pairs: Helen Tilley & Elaine Upton (Ketton) v Norfolk, Tuesday, 12.15pm (second round, Wednesday, 1.45pm); Two-bowl rinks: Carol Warters, Shirley Suffling, Helen Tilley (Ketton) v Norfolk, Tuesday, 2.15pm (second round, Wednesday, 9.15am); Three-bowl rinks: Carol Warters, Helen Tilley (sub), Shirley Suffling (Ketton) v Lincs, Monday, 2.15pm (second round, Tuesday, 9.15am).

30 July: Stamford League

We are now almost at the end of the Stamford League season, with the majority of teams having just one more match to play. The Stamford League competitions are also well under way, with the finals being played at the end of the month.

There are several matches outstanding in Division 1, but it looks likely that Blackstones C, with 101 points and 2 matches to play, will hold onto their lead at the top of the table after beating Market Overton Tornadoes by 9-1 and Wittering by 8-2. Either Bourne Woods (98 points) and Blackstones D (91 points) could conceivably be runners-up; each team has one match left to play and have had wins in their last two matches. Langtoft definitely face relegation, but it will be a close run fight to see who joins them – Oakham A (57 points) or Greetham Valley Eagles (55 points). Both teams have two matches left to play.

Things are much more clear-cut at the top of Division 2; Market Deeping Regals (113 points) and Ketton (103 points) both have one more match. They are certain to be promoted as third-place Carlby Corgis have played all their matches and no one can now catch the two top teams. Ryhall (47 points) face relegation but, again, it is difficult to predict who will join them.

In Division 3, Greetham Poachers will certainly be promoted, in spite of being beaten by Bourne Castle by 9-1 last Friday. They will probably be joined by Stamford Town Dragons (97 points) after their 8-2 victory over Bourne Castle on Monday. Third –place Bourne Castle have played all their matches so are no longer in contention. Greetham Anglians and Market Overton Harriers prop up the bottom of the division, both on 40 points, but Harriers have the better aggregate score so far.

Oddfellows Rosebowl Semi-Finalists:

Stamford Town Dragons v Market Overton

Stamford Town Crusaders v Wittering

Boor & Wainwright Semi-Finalists:

Market Overton Tornadoes v Stamford Town Crusaders

Greetham Poachers v Blackstones C

President’s Triples Semi-Finalists:

Empingham v Market Overton JW

Wittering AM v Market Overton RL

23 July: Stamford League

Blackstones C continue to hold the lead in Division 1 with 84 points and a match in hand, in spite of two 8-2 losses, against Stamford Town Crusaders on Monday 22nd July and Oakham A on Friday 19th July. Bourne Woods are close behind on 80 points after two 8-2 victories, against Market Overton Tornadoes and Stamford Town Crusaders. Crusaders are still in contention with 79 points, with Blackstones D still just in the running with 75 points after a 10-0 win against Langtoft, who look likely to be relegated next season.

Ketton, on 95 points, and Market Deeping Regals, on 93 points but with a match in hand, top Division 2. Ketton had a 6-4 win over Bourne Eau and a 7-3 win over Oakham Delta, and Regals had an 8-2 victory over Empingham Falcons followed by a bye. Barnack Saxons and Ryhall are both in the relegation zone, with 47 and 44 points respectively.

At the top of Division 3, Greetham Poachers have stormed ahead with 101 points after a bye followed by an 8-2 victory over Stamford Town Dragons, their nearest rivals. Dragons are on 89 points after beating Carlby Bees 10-0. Bourne Castle and Blackstones A, with 80 and 79 points respectively, could still take second place. Blackstones A have a match in hand. Greetham Anglians and Market Overton Harriers prop up the bottom of the division.

16 July: Stamford League

With the majority of teams having just 4 or 5 matches left to play this season, the probable positions of the teams in each division are not yet final by any means, but there are some solid indications of how the teams will fare.

Blackstones C continue to dominate Division 1 with 80 points and 2 matches in hand; they beat Bourne Woods 8-2 last Friday and had a bye on Monday. The next 4 teams are all in with a chance of second place; Stamford Town Crusaders have 69 points and a match in hand, Market Overton Tornadoes and Blackstones D are on 66 points and 65 points respectively, and Bourne Woods is on 64 points with a match in hand.

Market Deeping Regals (85 points) and Ketton (82 points) have opened up a gap at the top of Division 2 after Regals beat Oakham Delta 10-0 and Barnack Saxons 8-2, and Ketton had 8-2 victories over both Carlby Corgis and Barnack Vikings. These two teams look the most likely to be promoted. Third-place Carlby Corgis are on 68 points and could potentially be caught by Empingham Falcons on 62 points, but with a match in hand.

Greetham Poachers top Division 3 with 93 points, after a 10-0 victory over Carlby Bees and winning by 8-2 against Stamford Town Aztecs. Poachers have lost only one match this season, against Stamford Town Dragons – a record unmatched by any other team in the league. Dragons and Bourne Castle are in second and third positions, with 77 and 73 points respectively, with Blackstones A still in touch on 67 points with a match in hand.

National Finals Qualifiers:

Stamford League fully represented in  national finals

Bowlers from the Stamford and District League will compete in ten of the 21 disciplines when the English Bowling Federation hosts its national individual championships for possibly the last time at the Suncastle greens in Skegness from August 19.

Secretary of the Langtoft club Angela Cox plays in three events after claiming her  titles at the Northants Bowling Federation finals at the immaculate Blackstones green on Sunday, while Ketton will also feature in four of the ladies events.

Cox, who commutes from Holbeach to represent Langtoft in the League, beat Sue Seed (Stamford Town) in the 4-bowl singles and Carol Grief (Crowland) in the Secretaries' Singles before teaming up with clubmate Pat Booth to beat Wittering mother and daughter Mitch and Hannah Willoughby in the pairs.

Ketton, represented in six county final categories, won four of them. It was double domination in the two- and three-bowls triples, where Carol Warters and Shirley Suffling were joined respectively by Lynn Hulme and Helen Tilley to beat rinks from Yaxley.

Tilley also paired with Elaine Upton - winner of the Under 25 national ladies singles in 1986 - to win the Senior doubles against Crowland. Upton earlier won the champion of champions singles against Judy Arnold from Deeping bowling Association.

Federation president Martyn Dolby will give Blackstones colleague Dusty Miller his first taste of competition at the Skegness nationals, thanks to their last end defeat of defending county champions John Suffling and Bob Warters (Ketton) in the Senior pairs. Suffling also lost the Senior mixed pairs with Upton.

Another host club combination of Mick Humphreys, Stephen Harris and Paul Buckley will carry Stamford League hopes in 2-bowl triples, while Chris Ford beat Town colleague Elizabeth Wallace in the Senior singles.

Results: Men

Two-bowl singles: Paul Dalliday (Parkway) bt Stuart Agger (Whittlesey Manor) 21-11; Four-bowl singles: Ollie Jeapes (Parkway) bt John Earl (Blackstones) 21-6; Veterans singles: Graham Agger (Whittlesey Manor) bt Roger Stevens (Whittlesey Manor) 21-8; Champion of Champions: Roger Stevens (Whittlesey Manor) bt Neil Wright (Parkway) 21-19; Secretary singles: Robert Heath (Yaxley) bt Ally McNaughton (Wittering) 21-13; Pairs: Graham Agger & Peter Brown (Whittlesey Manor) bt Roger Stevens & Tom Newman (Whittlesey Manor) 20-19; Senior pairs: Dusty Millar & Martyn Dolby (Blackstones) bt John Suffling & Bob Warters (Ketton) 16-15; Mixed pairs: Michelle Coleman & Paul Dalliday (Parkway) bt Louise & Stephen Harris (Blackstones) 24-9; Senior mixed pairs: Jenny Mosley & Michael Gordon (Yaxley) bt John Suffling & Elaine Upton (Ketton) 16-14; Two-bowl triples: Michael Humphreys, Paul Buckley, Stephen Harris (Blackstones) bt Ollie Jeapes, Adam Emery (sub), Michael Jeapes (Parkway) 17-16; Three-bowl triples: Adam Emery, Tristan & Ean Morton (Parkway) bt Bob Goodall (sub), Steve & Gavin Jinks (City of Peterborough) 22-11; Mixed triples: Paul Dalliday, Michelle Coleman, Tristan Morton (sub) bt Michael Humphreys, Katie Bailey, John Earl (Blackstones) 21-13.

Results: Women

Two-bowl singles: Jan McDougall (Crowland) bt Chris Ford (Stamford Town) 21-18; Four-bowl singles: Angela Cox (Langtoft) bt Sue Seed (Stamford Town) 21-15; Senior singles: Chris Ford (Stamford Town) bt Elizabeth Wallace (Stamford Town) 21-6; Champion of Champions: Elaine Upton (Ketton) bt Judith Arnold (Deeping) 21-11; Secretary singles: Angela Cox (Langtoft) bt Carol Grief (Crowland) 21-10; Pairs: Angela Cox & Patricia Booth (Langtoft) bt Hannah & Mitch Willoughby (Wittering) 25-12; Senior pairs: Helen Tilley & Elaine Upton (Ketton) bt Chris Ryan & Jan McDougall (Crowland) 21-16; Two-bowl triples: Carol Warters, Shirley Suffling, Helen Tilley (Ketton) bt Kate Heath, Viv Hempsell, Karen Mercer (Yaxley) 22-12; Three-bowl triples: Carol Warters, Lynn Hulme, Shirley Suffling (Ketton) bt Hazel Bass, Gill King, Marlene Osborne (Yaxley) 22-6.

9th July: Stamford League

Two matches into the second half of the Stamford League, and the main contenders for the top spots in each division have staked their claims. The majority of teams have just six matches left to play, the exceptions being those teams which have had byes on 5th and 8th July, and the teams in Division 1 with postponed matches.

Blackstones D continue to lead Division 1 with 72 points and a match in hand, even after a bye last Friday and a 10 – 0 defeat by Stamford Town Crusaders on Monday. Bourne Woods, also with a match in hand, are 10 points behind them after beating Wittering 6 – 4 last Friday and having a bye on Monday. Market Overton Tornadoes and Stamford Town Crusaders are still just in touch, with 60 and 59 points respectively.

The top four teams in Division 2 have all played their full quota of matches. Market Deeping Regals top the division with 67 points after a 9 – 1 victory over second-place Ketton on Friday and an 8 – 2 victory over Carlby Corgis on Monday. Ketton hold on to second place with 66 points after beating Carlby Corgis by 8 – 2. Carlby Corgis are still in contention with 59 points, as are Empingham Falcons with 56 points.

Greetham Poachers have opened up a gap at the top of Division 3, with 75 points, after beating both Market Deeping Royals and Greetham Anglians by 8 – 2. Second-place Stamford Town Dragons are on 67 points in spite of losing 10 – 0 to Blackstones A, closely followed by Bourne Castle on 65 points after victories over Carlby Bees (6 – 4) and Market Overton Harriers (8 – 2). Blackstones A, on 59 points, have a match in hand after a bye last Friday, so could, in theory, still catch up.

9th July: Northants Federation Finals

KETTON CHALLENGE FOR SIX OF THE BEST

Ketton bowlers, currently celebrating the club’s 50th anniversary year, will contest six finals when the Northants Bowling Federation hosts its annual championships at the Blackstones green in Stamford on Sunday.

Indeed last year’s national pairs finalist Elaine Upton will feature in three of them. Previously she won the English Bowling Federation Under 25 county and national singles in 1986 and has continued to shine.

As well as the champion of champions singles against Deeping’s Judith Arnold, Elaine partners clubmate John Suffling in the Senior mixed pairs against Mike Gordon and Jenny  Mosley from Yaxley and joins Helen Tilley in the Ladies senior pairs. They will play Chris Ryan and Jan McDougall (Crowland).

Another Ketton pairing - Carol Warters and Shirley Suffling - feature in both ladies triples. In the two-bowl version they are skipped by Helen Tilley and in the three-bowl format, Lynn Hulme joins them.  Both opponents are different Yaxley rinks.

Completing the six Ketton finalists, John Suffling and Bob Warters defend their veteran singles against Michael ( Dusty) Miller and Martyn Dolby (Blackstones).

Stephen Harris will also be busy on his home green, reaching the finals of the mixed pairs with his sister Louise and the men’s 2-bowl triples with Mick Humphreys and Paul Buckley. Stephen Harris lost his delayed two-bowl singles semi-final against Paul Dalliday (Parkway), who will now play Stuart Agger (Whittlesey Manor) in the final.

Elsewhere Chris Ford features in the 4-bowl and Senior singles finals - the latter against Stamford Town colleague Elizabeth Wallace, while Angela Cox (Langtoft) challenges for the 4-bowl singles, Secretaries singles and pairs with Pat Booth. Wittering have representatives in the men’s Secretaries singles (Ally McNaughton) and the ladies pairs represented by mother and daughter Mitch and Hannah Willoughby.

All county winners will represent Northants in the week-long national finals at the Skegness Suncastle greens August from August 19-25.

SCHEDULE

10 am: Senior Mixed pairs -  E Upton/J Suffling ( Ketton ) v J Mosley, MGordon (Yaxley) (rink 1), ladies senior singles - C Ford v E Wallace ( both Stamford Town) (2), Men’s champion of champions singles - R Steven’s ( Whittlesey Manor) v N Wright ( Parkway) (3), ladies 4 b singles - S Seed ( Town) v A Cox (Langtoft) (4), men’s 4b singles - J Earl ( Blackstones) v O Jeapes ( Parkway) (5), men’s 2b singles - S Agger (W Manor) v TBC (6).

12 noon : Ladies Secretaries singles - C Grief ( Crowland) v A Cox (Langtoft) (1),  Men’s secretaries singles - AMcNaughton ( Wittering) v R Heath (Yaxley)(2), ladies 2b singles - J McDougall (Crowland) v C Ford (Town) (3), mixed rinks - MColeman, P Dalliday, T Morton ( Parkway) v M Humphreys, K Bailey, J Earl ( Blackstones) (4), men’s veteran singles - R Stevens v G Agger (both W Manor)(5), ladies 2-b triples - C Warters, S Suffling, H Tilley (Ketton) v K Heath, V Hempsell, K Merton ( Yaxley) ( 6).

2pm: ladies C of C singles - J Arnold ( Deeping BA) v E Upton (Ketton) (2), men’s 3b triples - F Richardson, S& J Jinks ( City of Peterborough) v A Emery, E & T Morton ( Parkway)(3), men’s veteran pairs - D Miller, M Dolby (Blackstones) v J Suffling, B Warters (Ketton) (4), mixed pairs - M Coleman, P Dalliday (Parkway ) v L & S Harris ( Blackstones) (5).

4pm: Ladies 3b triples - C Warters, L Hulme, S Suffling (Ketton) v G King, MOsbourne, H Bass ( Yaxley) (1), men’s 2b triples - O & M Jeapes, A Emery (Parkway) v M Humphreys, S Harris, P Buckley ( Blackstones) (2), ladies pairs - M & H Willoughby (Wittering) v PBooth, ACox (Langtoft) (3), men’s pairs - G Gger, P Brown v R Stevens, TNewman ( all W Manor) (4), ladies senior pairs - H Tilley, E Upton (Ketton) v C Ryan, J McDougall (Crowland) (5).

Thanks to Bob Warters for this report. See also photos in gallery below. 

2nd July

We have reached the half-way point in the Stamford League, with all teams having played 8 matches (with the exception of four teams in Division 1 with postponed matches still to be played).

Blackstones C top Division 1 with 60 points and a match in hand, after an 8-2 victory over Langtoft and a 10-0 win over Wittering. Bourne Woods have moved up into second place with 56 points from 8 matches, having beaten Blackstones D 8-2 and Greetham Valley Eagles 10-0. Market Overton Tornadoes have dropped to third place with 50 points after losing to Oakham A 3-7 and Stamford Town Crusaders 2-8.

In Division 2, Ketton still top the table with 57 points, after having a bye last Friday then beating Empingham Falcons 8-2. Market Deeping Regals have moved up into second place with 50 points, having beaten Barnack Vikings 6-4 and Ryhall 8-2. Not far behind, Carlby Corgis have now dropped to third position with 47 points, having had a bye on Monday after beating Barnack Vikings 10-0 last Friday.

Now that all the teams in Division 3 have played their 8 matches, Greetham Poachers and Stamford Town Dragons both have 59 points, with Poachers just edging ahead on aggregate. Greetham Poachers had victories over Blackstones A (6-4) and Market Overton Harriers (8-2) and Stamford Town Dragons beat Market Overton Harriers (10-0) and Bourne Castle (6-4). Bourne Castle have slipped to third place on 51 points after their loss against Dragons followed by a bye on Monday. Blackstones A are close behind on 49 points.

30th June: Ketton 50th Anniversary Gala

Ketton Bowls Club celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala tournament, inviting its founder chairman to present the prizes.

Tony Brooks, aged 90 next month, is the last survivor of a handful of bowlers who met for the first time at the village’s Methodist Chapel hall in September 1974 to form a committee to launch a bowls club.

A half century later he was delighted by the progress the club had made and was able to recall how local men were diverted from their regular jobs at the cement works to help build the green. Others created moulds at Blackstones to make benches to surround the green, some which are still being used.

“We had a lot of help but it involved a lot of work by the village bowlers. In fact we had to move tons of earth and rock as the land on which the green is built used to slope 11 feet from one side to the other.”

The legendary David Bryant was among those who visited the green, when a sprinkler system was installed in the 1980s.

Tony, who lives in Bourne, brought with him his wife Pam, a former Ketton Ladies player, to whom he has been married for 66 years, his daughter Julia, a former Essex county player ( his son currently plays for Cornwall) and student grand-daughters Georgia and Olivia.

Among those invited were Andy Cox, secretary of the Peterborough League and president and secretary of the Stamford and District League, Rita Downs and Nina Rawlins who presented club chairman Bob Warters with a plaque to commemorate the occasion.

Twenty-two teams from both leagues contested the £200 prize-money and it was Ketton’s most local rivals Empingham, who emerged unbeaten after 28 ends played over four sessions of seven ends.

Scoring 29 points (two for each win and one for every winning end) Malcolm Mann, Steve Wheatley and Mike Ramsden edged Paul Murrant’s Oakham rink (25) into second place with Alfie Hynes (Bourne, 24) third and Martyn Fletcher fourth on a 22-point count back from Ketton’s Helen, David and Ron Tilley.

Bill Egan (Houghton-on-the Hill) won a bottle of champagne from a 44-player ‘spider’.

Results: 29 pts - M Ramsden ( Empingham), 25 P Murrant (Oakham), 24 - A Hynes (Bourne), 22 M Fletcher (Langtoft), H Tilley (Ketton), 21 - A McNaughton(Wittering), 19 - D Kirkwood (Houghton), L Toms ( Burrows Court), G Pearson ( Houghton) 18 - S Suffling (Ketton), J Holroyd (Stamford), A Cox ( City of Peterborough), S Brown (Ketton), A Oliver ( Market Overton), 17 - D Russell (Blackstones), 16 - A Patterson (Deeping Assn), 15 - V Hempsell (Yaxley), P Pheasant ( Ketton), D Richardson ( Carlby), 10 - T Vincent (Houghton), 9 - L Hulme (Ketton), B Kelman ( Ketton).

Thanks to Bob Warters for this report + photos.

25th June

We are now almost halfway through the Stamford League season and there have been some changes after this week’s results.

The bubble finally burst for Market Overton Tornadoes on Monday evening, with a 10 – 0 defeat by last season’s champions, Blackstones C. Tornadoes’ success story has been the talk of the league after they won their first five matches following promotion to Division 1. They still top the division with 45 points from 6 matches, but Blackstones C are now a close second, on 42 points, with a match in hand. Bourne Woods are also contenders for the top position, lying in third place with 38 points.

Ketton have widened the gap at the top of Division 2 with a 9 – 1 victory over Bourne Eau last Friday, 21st June, and an 8 -2 win over Barnack Saxons, bringing their points total to 49 over 7 matches. Carlby Corgis are now in second place, on 37 points, after 8 -2 victories over Empingham Falcons and Ryhall. Market Deeping Regals are just behind them on 36 points, but with a match in hand. Ketton and Carlby Corgis both have byes this coming week, which may give other teams a chance to catch up with them.

It is still very close at the top of Division 3. Greetham Poachers, on 45 points, have just lost poll position to Bourne Castle, on 47 points, but Poachers have a match in hand. Poachers’ 9 – 1 defeat last Friday by Stamford Town Dragons broke their unbeaten record for this season. Dragons hold on to third position with 43 points, but they, too, have a match in hand. Bourne Castle have a bye on Monday 1st July, so everything could change again.

18th June

The majority of teams have now played 4 or 5 matches, depending on whether or not they have had byes. So far, there have been only two postponements: Langtoft v Wittering and Blackstones D v Greetham Valley Eagles, both in Division 1.

Market Overton continue to top Division 1, with 37 points out of a maximum 40 points after 4 matches. Their nearest rivals are Bourne Woods, on 26 points, and Blackstones C and Stamford Town Crusaders, both on 24 points, although Blackstones C have a match in hand.

In Division 2, Market Deeping Regals and Ketton have opened up a gap at the top of the table, with 34 points and 32 points respectively, after 5 matches. Barnack Saxons, with a match in hand, are in third place with 26 points.

At the top of Division 3, Greetham Poachers have also won all of their 4 matches, scoring 36 out a maximum 40 points. Following closely behind are Bourne Castle, on 35 points, and Stamford Town Dragons, on 34 points, both totals being from 5 matches played.

All the club competitions are now underway; the following teams have won their preliminary matches in the Secretary’s Pairs and will go forward to the quarter final round:

Rita Downs and Martin Dolby (Blackstones)

Dave Hopkins and Dave Roberts (Wittering)

Ally McNaughton and Dave Pusch (Wittering)

Peter Cozens and John Cox (Greetham Valley)

Richard Lambert and Jonny Abbott (Market Overton)

11th June

With three out of sixteen matches now played by most teams, some gaps are beginning to open up in each of the three divisions. Although it is still very early in the season, there have been some notable successes.

In Division 1, newly-promoted Market Overton Tornadoes have maintained their success rate, scoring a remarkable 28 points out of a possible 30 from their first three matches. Captain Richard Lambert said it was a dream start to the season. Nearest rivals, Greetham Valley Eagles, Blackstones C and Bourne Woods, all have 14 points but they also have a match in hand.

Ketton top Division 2 with 24 points out of a possible 30. This team is an amalgamation of Ketton Kestrels, who were relegated from Division 1, and Ketton Kites, who were third in Division 2 last year. Market Deeping Regals are in second place with 18 points and Empingham Falcons have 16 points with a match in hand.

Greetham Poachers top Division 3 with 26 points; they narrowly missed promotion to Division 2 for this season. Close behind them are Stamford Town Dragons with 24 points, followed by new team Bourne Castle with 19 points.

One match has been postponed: Greetham Valley Eagles v Blackstones C from Friday 7th June. Other teams have matches in hand because each team has two byes during the season, and one set of results is still to come in at the time of writing (Wittering v Langtoft).

4th June

Stamford League

The first match of the Stamford League was played on Monday 3rd June. Each of the 3 divisions has 9 teams, so each team will play 16 matches over the season.

Newly-promoted Market Overton Tornadoes made their mark in their first match in Division 1, beating Langtoft by 72 – 38 and gaining the maximum 10 points; Blackstones C just edged ahead of them on aggregate after beating Blackstones D by 83 - 34. The other two winning teams were Bourne Woods (8 points) and Stamford Town Crusaders (6 points). Oakham A had a bye.

The only other team to achieve maximum points was Ketton in Division 2, beating Market Deeping Regals by 52 – 40 and topping the table. Empingham Falcons and Barnack Saxons both won by 8 – 2, and Bourne Eau by 7 – 3. Oakham Delta had a bye.

In Division 3 the four winning teams (Greetham Poachers, Market Overton Harriers, Stamford Town Dragons and Bourne Castle) all won by 8 – 2, with Greetham Poachers just pipping Harriers to the top of the table by 1 shot on aggregate. Blackstones A had a bye.

League Competitions

Following the success of the Secretary’s Pairs Competition, new last year, the Stamford League has introduced another new competition for this season: the President’s Triples, with the trophy donated by League President Rita Downs. This gives a total of four competitions in addition to the compulsory Boor & Wainwright Shield: the Duncomb Shield, the Oddfellows Charity Rose Bowl, the Secretary’s Pairs  and the President’s Triples.

Details of all the draws for these competitions are on the Stamford League’s information website at stamfordbowlingleague.co.uk, with the results tables set up on the Mb Results website at bowlsresultstwo.co.uk/stamford .  Details of all League matches, including player records and rink results, can be found here.

28th May

Boor & Wainwright Shield Competition

All but two 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, to be played by Sunday 14th July:

Group A: Blackstones D and Greetham Poachers (positions to be decided when Greetham have played their final match).

Group B:  1. Stamford Town Aztecs,  2. Stamford Town Crusaders.

Group C:  1. Market Deeping Regals,  2. Market Deeping Royals.

Group D:  1. Market Overton Tornadoes,  2. Blackstones C.

Congratulations to all these teams, and particularly to the only team with an unbeaten record – Market Deeping Regals. Details of the quarter final draw are still to be finalized once the outstanding two matches have been played, and will be on the Stamford & District Bowls League website at stamfordbowlingleague.co.uk .

The results were clear cut in Group D, but in Group B,  Stamford Town Crusaders finished on the same number of points as Ketton, qualifying in second place with a better aggregate score. Similarly, in Group C, Market Deeping Royals qualifed with a better aggregate score than Oakham A. The final positions of the top two teams in Group A is yet to be decided.

Tuesday 21st May: Stamford League Boor & Wainwright Competition

The final matches of the Boor & Wainwright Competition should have been played on 20th May, but a number of matches postponed from 3rd May, because of the rain, have still to be played. This means that there is still some uncertainty as to which teams will go forward to the knockout stage of the competition.

In Group A, there is still one result to come in from a match played on 20th May, and two matches which were postponed: Greetham Poachers v Greetham Valley Eagles and Bourne Eau v Blackstones D. This means that any two of the top three teams – Greetham Poachers, Blackstones D and Empingham Falcons – could still qualify to go through to the next stage.

In Group B, Stamford Town Aztecs, with 8 points from 6 matches, will definitely qualify on their aggregate score. Ketton also has 8 points from 6 matches. Just one postponed match, between Stamford Town Crusaders and Stamford Town Dragons, remains to be played. The winner of this match will also have 8 points from 6 matches, so the second qualifier will be decided by aggregate scores, as will the final positions in the group.

Market Deeping Regals top Group C with an unbeaten record and 12 points from 6 matches. Market Deeping Royals, with 8 points from 6 matches, will qualify in second position with a higher aggregate score than Oakham A, who also have 8 points from 6 matches. There are still two outstanding postponed matches: Bourne Woods v Blackstones A and Carlby Corgis v Greetham Anglians. None of these teams can equal the points scores of the qualifiers.

Finally, Market Overton Tornadoes will qualify from Group C, with 8 points from 5 matches. Blackstones C could equal this points score if they win their outstanding match against Langtoft. However, if Langtoft win this match, Barnack Vikings, Blackstones C and Langtoft will all have 6 points from 5 games, so once again, aggregate scores will determine who qualifies and in what position.

The importance of aggregate scores this season is unprecedented; it emphasises the pressure on teams to maximise their scores in every match.

The Stamford League begins on Monday 3rd June, after a short break for the Bank Holiday and school half terms. This should also give teams time to play their postponed matches so that the draw for the Boor & Wainwright knockout stage can be made.

Tuesday 14th May: Stamford League Boor & Wainwright Competition

The results for the Boor & Wainwright competition are now beginning to take shape. After the postponement of the majority of matches on Friday 3rd May because of wet weather (only 3 out of 11 matches could be played), followed by a match-free Bank Holiday Monday, the majority of teams have now played 4 out of their 6 matches (5 matches for group D). Some teams still have games in hand as they have either had byes or they have not yet been able to play their postponed matches. 

The teams are ranked within their groups according to points gained (2 points per overall win, 1 point per overall draw), then according to their aggregate scores.

In Group A, three teams have won 3 out of 4 matches, giving them each 6 points: Greetham Poachers, Empingham Falcons and Ryhall. Blackstones D have 4 points from 3 matches, with one match in hand, so they could still join this group. Probably the most exciting match was between Greetham Valley Eagles and Bourne Eau; the overall result was a draw, with scores on the three rinks being 23 – 22, 23 – 23 and 22 – 23.

Similarly, in Group B, three teams also have 6 points each from 4 matches: Ketton, Stamford Town Crusaders and Stamford Town Aztecs. Aztecs, from Division 3, had a stunning win over Crusaders, from Division 1, with Aztecs using their +30 handicap advantage to score a total of 83  shots to Crusader’s 60.

Market Deeping Regals top Group C, with an unbeaten 10 points from 5 matches, putting them well ahead of Market Deeping Royals with 6 points from 4 matches. Bourne Woods have a game in hand, and could match Royals’ points total.

The picture is less clear in Group D, with the results from Monday 13th May still to come in. Langtoft, Barnack Vikings and Blackstones C all have 4 points from 3 matches, and Market Overton Tornadoes could join them. Blackstones C and Langtoft still have a postponed match to play, so anything could happen in this group.

The final matches of the competition will be played this weekend, on Friday 17th May and Monday 20th May. There is then a gap in the bowling schedule before the Stamford League starts on Monday 3rd June, which should allow time for all the postponed matches to be completed by the end of this month.