Lindfield Bowling Club

Lindfield become National Champions!

Outstanding news from Leamington as Lindfield's over-60 mixed double rink team held their nerve to beat Durham's Hundens Park 36-30, to become 2016 National Champions in the Tony Allcock trophy.

The team formation was again changed, with Ian having Shirley Foxwell lead with Carol Watson at 2 and Terry Hughes at 3. In Tom Palmer's team Sue Willmott returned to play at 2 with Margaret Atkins leading and Roger Green at 3 as before.

In the final, Ian's rink had a nip-and-tuck game, going 10-9 ahead after 10 ends, but they only scored one shot in the last 6 ends, however Terry and Ian always found a way to minimise the damage, and they ended up losing 16-17. Tom's rink again scored more freely, after reaching 12-10 up after 11 ends they took control of the second half of the game, won 6 ends in a row to stifle the opposition's chance of scoring, and eventually won 20-13, handing Lindfield a win by 6 shots overall.

The trophy was handed to Roger as team "organiser" by the Bowls England President, Michael Jennings together with a cheque for £1,000 for the club.

For the record, Lindfield won 8 matches, beating four teams from Sussex and then the champions from Kent, Wiltshire, Northamptonshire and Durham. Statistics tell it all:- Shots for 348 – Shots against 221.

It's been a fantastic year for Lindfield's bowlers, who qualified for Leamington in five events (men's pairs, men's over-55 pairs, men's triples, mixed fours, Tony Allcock trophy), but made hasty first-round exits in three of those events. The Mixed fours team (Jennie, Carol, Ian, Keith) provided some solace by reaching the quarter-finals, but to come home with silverware is more than any of us would have dreamed of. Well done Lindfield!

Leamington update: We're in the final!

Lindfield have reached the final of the Tony Allcock trophy! In a tense semi-final against Kingsthorpe BC from Northants, Ian Watson's rink (Shirley Foxwell, Terry Hughes, Sue Willmott) were always behind and eventually lost 11-18, but Tom Palmer's rink (Margaret Atkins, Carol Watson, Roger Green) kept scoring heavily to win 27-16, giving Lindfield an overall win by 3 shots. Lindfield now play Hundens Park from Durham in the final, today at 2:30pm. Good luck Lindfield!

Lindfield reach semi-finals!

Lindfield have reached the semi-finals of the Tony Allcock (over-60 double rink) trophy! This afternoon in a closely fought game against Box BC from Wiltshire on "B" green, the rink of Shirley Foxwell, Carol Watson, Ian Watson and Keith Holman took control of their game early on, and kept their noses in front to win 21-18. Tom Palmer's rink (Margaret Atkins, Sue Willmott, Roger Green) shrugged off an early deficit and steadily improved as the game went on, to register a 22-13 win, with Tom turning round several heads to Lindfield's advantage. The game was played in good spirits and sadly in some appalling weather - steady rain and chilly winds. Lindfield now play Northants club Kingsthorpe in the semi-final, tomorrow (4th Sep) at 09:30. Good luck to our team!

Yesterday Lindfield's run in the National Mixed Fours came to an end at the quarter-final stage. The quartet of Jennie Sandford, Carol Watson, Ian Watson and Keith Holman bowled convincingly well in the morning to register a 21-14 win against Chris Daniels' rink from Boscombe Cliff (Hampshire), but then struggled to make an impact on the superb Wiltshire team skipped by Mel Biggs, with Lindfield eventually losing 16-23.

Tom Palmer and Sue Willmott are club champions!

Lindfield's bowlers were treated to an excellent Bank Holiday 'Finals' weekend of bowling, which saw the weather range from strong winds and heavy rain to bright sunshine and wonderful late-summer warmth. In the men's Championship final David Glossop put up a very good fight, but was pipped by an on-form Tom Palmer (who won all four of his finals), who claimed his first Championship win having reached the final for the fourth consecutive year. David found one winning bowl on each end to put himself into a good position at 17-15 ahead, but then Tom bettered anything that Dave sent down, and picked up 3 jack-high shots on the last end to win 21-17.

In the ladies' Championship a weary Carol Watson (playing in her fourth final of the weekend) succumbed to a sustained barrage of consistent draw bowling from ladies' captain Sue Willmott, with Sue scoring two consecutive 4's to finish the game off and claim her first Championship title since her previous success in 2009.

Willy Bollschweiler capped an excellent year's bowling by first beating last year's winner Adam Harding in the men's Handicap Singles, 21-18, then storming off to a convincing 21-6 win over Frank Morris in the men's Backbone final. There was success for Mick O'Donnell in his last year with the club, as he teamed up with John Bartlett to win the men's Handicap Pairs title, ending the good run of form enjoyed by their opponents Ray Hewitt and John Foster. John Bartlett had joined forces with Tom Palmer on the previous day, to beat Willy and Jennie Sandford in the Aussie Pairs final.

Carol Watson and Sue Willmott gave a wonderful demonstration of draw bowling in the final of the ladies 100 Up singles, with Sue eventually winning by the narrowest possible margin, 101-99. Frank Morris was to be unlucky again, this time not quite managing to edge past Tom Palmer in the Butfoy Mixed Singles, seeing his long-held advantage sliding slowly away as the game went on, with Tom finally winning 105-95.

In the men's Veterans John Foster fought hard but couldn't quite hang on to his good friend Ken Eldred, and the ladies Backbone saw an entertaining and closely fought game between Audrey Kite and Shirley Nelson, Audrey eventually holding her nerve to win 21-20. Shirley had the consolation of winning the ladies Two Wood, registering a convincing win over Sue Willmott. In the men's Two Wood Tom Palmer looked to be on course for an easy win, 16-4 up against Peter Colbourne, only to see Peter start a thrilling comeback and level the scores at 20-20, but Tom just clung on to win by one shot.

The ladies pairs provided equal entertainment, the relatively inexperienced duo of Carolyn Worth and Janet Hawkins dropped a "hot-shot" against Lesley Dooge and Carol Watson but still managed to chip away at the score deficit, and eventually overturn it, to win by 5 shots. There was some solace for Lesley and Carol as they teamed up with Norma Smith to win the "Betty Mac" triples against Audrey Kite's team, in a very tense final, and in the new 2-wood Triples final Dave Glossop's trio managed a last-gasp, last-bowl win over Ron Langridge's triple, after Ron's team had been in control of the game up until the last 3 ends. Finals weekend ended with trophy presentations from Club President Ron Langridge and Chairman Richard Harding, the usual feast of cakes and plentiful cups of tea, and as always a friendly, welcoming atmosphere which is so often the hallmark of Lindfield Bowls Club.

Leamington update

Disappointment from the Nationals so far, as the Lindfield trio of Adam Harding, Ian Watson and Keith Holman lost in the first round of the triples, 20-13 to Worcestershire. The Sussex representatives got off to a bad start, dropping 5 on the first end, and were always playing catch-up thereafter, but never quite managing to pull even with their opponents. There was some comfort from the afternoon, which saw Lindfield's triple play stay on 'E' green to play a trio from Middlesex in the preliminary round of the Home Counties Triples finals - this time Holman's team played well and came away with a convincing win.

In the Over 55 Pairs Ian and Keith lost in the first round 23-12, but will return on Sunday 28th to play a pair from Yorkshire in the main pairs event.

Schedule for Finals Weekend: Sunday 28th and Monday 29th August

The running order for Sunday 28th August is as follows:

8th August: Lindfield ladies raise £1036 for charity

Congratulations to Sue Willmott on her excellent Captain's Day (6th August) which was played in the right spirit, in wonderful weather, with good bowling and good fun and a superb result in raising over £1,000 for the Evening Argus Charity. Well done to all Sue's supporters and helpers who made the day such a success!

Lindfield win County Pairs and Triples

A hot and breezy county finals day at Popes Mead saw Ian Watson and Keith Holman play a game of mixed fortunes against Hollingbury's Carl Blinco and Richard Moses in the final of the county pairs. Ian and Keith found the line and length right from the start and took an early lead, going 10-1 up after 5 ends, then 15-3 up, before Blinco and Moses rallied, and picked up shots through positive shots which often yielded the right results. The Hollingbury duo got back to 16-19, only to drop 3 on the penultimate end, which gave Moses the unenviable task of trying to kill the last end, in the hope that a replay would give them the 6 shots needed to force an extra end. After managing to kill the last end once, Ian and Keith then surrounded the jack and covered the back positions, and left enough gaps for the luckless Hollingbury bowlers to find, giving Lindfield a 26-16 win. This was the fourth time that Ian has won the county pairs, having had previous success in 2007 with Dave Richardson, and in 1996 and 1995 with Alan Clarke.

Ian and Keith then teamed up with Adam Harding to play against Rob Taylor, Alex Paine and Mark Strong from Preston, in the triples final. This was a close and challenging game played in hot late summer sunshine, on a rink that demanded concentration and a heavier drawing weight than looked plausible. The tight heads changed hands regularly, and after 8 ends the scoreboard read 4-4, then Preston edged away to take an 8-5 lead, only to drop two consecutive 3's which not only let Lindfield back into the game, but gave them the momentum they needed to take control of the match. Lindfield went into the last end 15-10 up, and never looked in any serious trouble, with woods just in front and just behind the jack, and Mark Strong was left trying to kill the end, eventually playing too much weight and missing the line, to hand the Lindfield trio a well-earned 15-13 win.

Watson and Holman reach Leamington in five competitions

After claiming a tense one-shot win against Hollingbury in the National Over-55 pairs, Ian Watson and Keith Holman joined forces with Jennie Sandford and Carol Watson to beat Mick Law's team from Popes Mead, and qualify for Leamington in the Mixed Fours competition. They will also be featuring at Leamington in the men's pairs, the men's triples, and the Tony Allcock over-60's double rink.

Tony Allcock team through to Leamington

After the south-east area final against Peninsula BC from Hoo (Kent), Lindfield's Tony Allcock team are through to the final rounds at Leamington Spa. Played at Bletchingley BC in Surrey on Saturday morning, the game saw the rink of Shirley Foxwell, Carol and Ian Watson and Keith Holman storm away to an early lead, and go on to register a convincing victory by nearly 20 shots. Tom Palmer's rink (Margaret Atkins, Sue Willmott, Roger Green) struggled with a trickier rink, and scrapped hard to keep the scores tight as their opponents gradually took control of the game, but they only lost by 10 shots in the end, with Tom regularly drawing his team out of any serious trouble.

This week sees two further games which could send Lindfield teams to Leamingon - Keith Holman and Ian Watson play their area final in the over-55 pairs, while they team up with Jennie Sandford and Carol Watson in the Mixed Fours against Mick Law's Popes Mead team. Success in both games would see Watson and Holman qualify for Leamington in an amazing FIVE disciplines this season.

Tony Allcock and Top Club update

In the 5th round of the Top Club Lindfield men travelled to White Rock in Hastings but on a green which was more straw-coloured than green and very fast, were only rewarded by a win by Adam Harding in the 4 wood singles. With the fousome and triple being beaten, spirited performances by Dave Glossop in the 2 wood and Roger Willmott and Terry Hughes in the pairs gave Lindfield a glimmer of hope but it was not to be. Home advantage was a key factor but we wish them well in the next round. Having beaten Uckfield, West Hoathly, Lewes and Peacehaven, this was a Sussex semi-final.

Lindfield cruised into the next round of the national 'Tony Allcock' over-60's mixed double rink competition and are once again the last Sussex representative standing. The Lindfield fours were Margaret Atkins, Sue Willmott, Roger Green and Tom Palmer and Shirley Foxwell, Carol Watson, Terry Hughes and Ian Watson.

Norfolk bowling club, having beaten Hurstpierpoint in their last game, came with high hopes but could not handle the green nor the Lindfield teams. They were beaten 47 shots to 25 having conceded on the 20th end, but it was over really well before that. Lindfield will next play "Peninsula BC" from Rochester in Kent on a neutral green, with the winners then going on to the All-England Finals at Leamington in September.
The green was full, with all seven rinks being used by the double fours, Nellie Mercer and Border Leagues. The green which Norfolk did not seem to like was sadly not such a problem to the other visitors, the ladies losing their close-fought Nellie Mercer game on the last wood of the match. Additionally several supporters turned up as well as Pebbles the club cat (pictured), so it was a full house.

Men's county comps update

The trio of Adam Harding, Ian Watson and Keith Holman are through to the Sussex men's county triples final, after beating Carl Dyer's team from Sidley Martlets. In a rather unusual semi-final played at Popes Mead (Crawley), Dyer's Bexhill-based team took a 9-0 lead over the Lindfield triple, then never scored again, as Holman led his team to a convincing 19-9 victory. They now face Preston's trio of Rob Taylor, Alex Paine and Mark Strong.

Holman and Watson teamed up to claim another convincing win in the semi-final of the county pairs, beating Peacehaven's Ted Giles and Steve Ireland 26-10. They now face former England star Richard Moses in the final, to be played on Sunday 7th August at Popes Mead. Keith plays the semi-final of the county singles at Lewes on Monday 18th July at 6pm, against Michael Stone of Sidley Martlets.

There was disappointment this week for the Abergavenny team, playing the quarter-final against a full strength Uckfield team, Lindfield's home four of Willmott, Hughes, Watson and Holman lost by 1 shot to Adrian Wainwright's team, while Tom Palmer's away team (Elford, Green, A.Harding) struggled to make an impact at Uckfield, giving Uckfield a place in the semis.

Lindfield's good run in the Edward Rowland single rink competition came to an end this week against Ringmer, the quartet of Arthur Mortenson, Peter Elford, David Glossop and Adam Harding did well to reach 14-14 after 15 ends, but couldn't hold on to any shots after that.

Lindfield played host to the semi-finals of the county fours on Friday 15th July, both games were very one-sided, with Michael Stone's Bexhill quartet beating Ollie Ovett's team 26-5 after just 12 ends, and Mick Page's Chichester team seeing off Tarring Priory by 15 shots in the other game.

News round-up

Don't forget that our club hosts the Men's Fours semi-finals this coming Friday evening (15th July). You are very welcome to come along, see the action and spend money over the bar. The line-up will feature the teams from Sidley Martlets (Carl Dyer), Hove & Kingsway (Dave Ovett), Tarring Priory (John Schools), and Chichester (Derek Leach).

Lindfield feature well still in the final stages:

SINGLES
Carol Watson reached the Ladies singles semi finals, but sadly her run ended at Preston.
After a great run in the Men's "Unbadged" Peter Gacsall went out in the quarter final at Worthing. He held a match winning position only to see it snatched from his grasp and lost 19/21.
Keith Holman is through to the singles semi-finals after beating Simon Tooley from Chichester, 21-16, and he will now face Michael Stone at Lewes on 12th July.

PAIRS
Congratulations are due to Keith Holman and Ian Watson on reaching the semi-finals, they play Steve Ireland and Ted Giles at Sidley Martlets on 14th July at 6pm.

LADIES' DOUBLE RINK
The ladies having beaten Sidley Martlets and Gildredge Park lost to Rottingdean - but the men now play Uckfield in the quarter-finals on Wednesday 13th at 6pm.

NATIONAL COMPETITIONS
Unfortunately Adam Harding and Jennie Sandford lost in the mixed pairs but the foursome of Jennie, Carol Watson, Ian Watson and Keith Holman are still progressing, having beaten David Hubbard's team last week at Worthing.

In the Men's TOP CLUB 4th round, Lindfield beat Peacehaven 4 -1, both Tom Palmer and Keith Holman won their singles, Chris Reynolds, Roger Green and Keith Foxwell won the triples, and Adam's four had a big win. Terry Hughes and Roger Willmott were slightly behind in the pair when Peacehaven conceded. We travel to White Rock, Hastings next.

Competition updates

NATIONALS:
Men's Top Club
After beating Uckfield, the squad traveled to Lewes and won 4 games to 1, despite this looking easy it was a very close encounter, Keith Holman won the singles after picking up consecutive 4's on the first two ends, the pairing of Terry Hughes and Roger Willmott coming from well down to win. Tom Palmer won the 2 wood on an extra end and Ian Watson's four won, but the triple lost by a single shot.

The next challenge was at home against West Hoathly which was a much closer affair with Tom winning the 2 wood very quickly and Keith Holman winning a tight singles match, both the four and pair took a beating but the triple clung on to win a close game. The next challenge is on Saturday 9th against Peacehaven, who took Lindfied out of the National Double Fours by one shot on the extra end. Such things add a little spice to proceedings.

Tony Allcock Mixed Double Fours
Lindfield are now once again just one game away from being Sussex representatives in this competition. Having beaten Rottingdean and then a close match with Newick, Lindfield beat Northiam with a comfortable looking score of 48 to 24 but in reality at times looked easier to lose than win.

COUNTY:
Keith Holman is heading for quarter-final spots in the singles, in the Pairs with Ian Watson and the Triples with Ian and Adam Harding.
Peter Colbourne's run in the Champion of Champions singles came to an end when he lost to Preston's Rob Taylor 21-18 in a close-fought game played in steady rain and driving winds.
We are still going in the Abergavenny Double-Fours, having beaten Preston, Buxted Park and Newick.
Regretfully we have no survivor in the Fours BUT you can see the quarter and semi-finals of this played on our green this Friday and the following Friday evenings.

EDWARD ROWLAND:
Peter Elford's four of Adam, Dave Glossop and Arthur Mortenson did well to beat Peter Carter's Newick four in the Edward Rowland by a good margin.

Much more has been going on but we can only report what we know or see. In both National competitions mentioned above we have used a number of different players due to availability problems. They are not "closed shops".
To have a strong club, we need new bowlers coming through if we are to continue bringing success or even competing in these matches.
The Club needs members to evolve from roll ups and Friday League to play in club friendlies and club competitions, this will add to the playing strength for mid week leagues and selection in county and national competitions.

Mixed fortunes for Lindfield teams

Lindfield's men are still going in the national Top Club competition after a tense 3-2 win against a strong Uckfield team. Adam Harding gave a strong performance in the 4-wood singles to beat Andy Clews, while Roger Willmott and Terry Hughes both bowled well to keep Guy Thornley and captain Dave Carr comfortably at bay in the pairs. The triples was a tense affair, with the trio of Peter Elford, Roger Green and Chris Reynolds narrowly edging out Adrian Wainwright's triple, 14-12. The 2 wood singles went down to the last wood of the 21st end, with Phil Soper just getting the better of Peter Colbourne 14-12, while Lindfield's four of Peter Gacsall, Paul Sandford, Alan Gardiner and Mick O'Donnell never really got going against David Bissett's team. Lindfield are now away to Lewes in the second round, on 11th June.

The ladies fared less well, losing to St Francis in the 2nd round of their Top Club competition. Meanwhile the men endured more nail-biting in the national Double Fours, eventually losing to Peacehaven on an extra end. Both rinks were too close to call, with Roger Green's team eventually winning 16-15, and Keith Holman's rink losing 20-19, and enduring a frustrating extra end in which nothing went the way of the home team, and Peacehaven just managed to hang on to the shot bowl.

LBC receives Clubmark accreditation

Lindfield Bowling Club joined a select group of bowls clubs to be awarded Clubmark accreditation in Sussex.

The club was recognised by County Sports Partnership, Active Sussex, as continuously providing high quality opportunities to new and potential bowlers, for outdoor flat green bowls and the chance to try indoor bowls during winter months.

Clubmark is the universally acknowledged accreditation scheme for community sports clubs. It shows that a club provides the right environment to ensure the welfare of members and encourage everyone to enjoy sport and stay involved throughout their lives.

Mick O'Donnell, Lindfield Bowling Club's Clubmark Coordinator, said: 'We are delighted to be in the first group of bowls clubs in Sussex to achieve Clubmark accreditation status. This achievement recognises the fantastic work by our coaches and volunteers who make this a club to be proud of.'

Brett Crowhurst, Development Manager at the Bowls Development Alliance said, 'The club is to be congratulated on achieving their Clubmark accreditation status which highlights the excellent work that is taking place at the Lindfield Bowling Club.'

Active Sussex is licensed by Sport England to award Clubmark status to sports clubs. Anthony Statham, Sport Development Manager, said 'Active Sussex was delighted to support Lindfield Bowling Club through the Clubmark process. They have demonstrated a real commitment to developing their club and delivering high quality opportunities for people in their community.'

Anyone looking to take up bowls will be given a warm welcome at Lindfield Bowling Club who are always looking for new members. They offer newcomers both young and old the chance to take part in coached sessions; for children on Saturday mornings at 10am and adults on Wednesday evenings at 6pm.