NORTHAMPTON WEST END claimed victory in the Jubilee Vase for the first time on Friday 3rd May. Abington had won the first two outings of this now-annual fixture - which for both clubs doubles as a warmup for the Monday Triples League - but trailed a distant second on the A-half of the green this time.

 

Abington A barely had a response to West End A's superior technique in wet-weather play. Abington B at least held up their side of the event with three winning rinks, but even factoring that in, the final aggregate difference was minus 26. Truly, the Abington A-team was massacred.

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Individual rink of the night from an Abington perspective was Trevor Aston, Conor Dolby (on his Abington debut) and B-captain Phil Reeve, who took five on the final end to finish 19-7. Of course, the main thing was the spirit of the occasion, and another chapter in the long existence of two storied clubs. May this fixture continue for many more years to come.

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*TWO Abington players are toasting an early success; Tony O'Leary and Rob Archer, who booked their place in this year's Dave Jones Memorial Singles final on the Thursday. Also in its third year, this 3-wood singles comp will again have a new champion. Last year's runner-up O'Leary emerged from a particularly tough section of the draw while Archer played through a nasty shoulder-ache, which has been plaguing him since early in the year. He'll be hoping that has cleared by September, when the final is played.

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08/04/2024: THE 2024 SEASON inches ever closer. Bowls England have published the draws for their national competitions. Links on our 'County/National Comp' pages have been amended.

 

The year's first club comp has also been drawn. The Dave Jones Memorial Cup, named for our much-missed 2021 men's champion, is a 3-wood singles contest that provides Abington's bowlers with an early slice of competitive action. As well as being the only Abington singles comp fully open to all members, male or female.

 

In fact, last year's champion struck a major blow for the women's contingent, Gill Crossley defeating FOUR former men's singles champs to become the inaugural winner of Dave's trophy. She'll begin her defence against our newest member, Malcolm Paul, who has transferred from Northampton Express.

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* Fixture lists for friendlies and triples leagues have also been published on their respective pages. The first official play of the year will be the traditional Our Day game on Saturday, 20th April, though the green will open the evening before, for those who just can't wait a moment longer! See you all very soon.

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12/02/2024: THE DRAWS FOR Bowls Northamptonshire's competitions have now been published, and can be found here. Links on the 'County/National Competitions' pages of this website have been amended.

 

Entry for Bowls England's competitions remains open. The deadline for these is Friday 1st March. Don't delay if you haven't already registered.