Hi everyone……

Hi everyone and firstly our apologies that the website has not been at its best for the past few weeks. The good news is that everything is now fixed and we look forward to providing you with the best service possible going forward.

First up early in the new year will be the AGM. In the recent past this has usually taken place on the last Friday in February each year. However please note that the 2026 AGM is scheduled to take place approximately one month earlier on Friday 30th January from 7pm for a prompt start at 7:30pm. This earlier start is designed to give everyone a bit more time to put all the formal arrangements in place prior to the commencement of the league season at the beginning of April.

Before then however there is the small matter of Christmas and New Year, and may we wish everyone a really happy Christmas and our very best wishes for 2026.

More Success in 2025!

Following on from our article last week regarding the success of two of our men’s teams we are pleased to report that there is further good news regarding one of our ladies’ teams.

The Tuesday B team has won the Warrington Ladies Evening Bowling League Division C Challenge Cup with victory over Grappenhall B. Well done to all the team and to the captain Linda Ogden who in addition to her cup success finished top of the Division C averages with 13 wins from 14 games.

Closing Main

Congratulations go to Anne Lamming and Kevin Thompson who were the winners of the Closing Main which took place at a wet and windy green on Sunday 5th October. Well done also to runners up Margaret Gray and Adrian Lee.

Our thanks go to Derek Ryder and Bill Gray for organising the main and also to Jane Middleton and Vicky Lock-Thorpe for the buffet which was sponsored by the bowling committee members.

The Closing Main marks the conclusion of the 2025 season and the green is now closed until the commencement of the 2026 season next March.

Success in 2025!

Now that the season is almost done we are pleased to report that two of our men’s teams have enjoyed a successful 2025 with promotion for both.

Firstly well done to Croft men’s Monday night A team who were the winners of the Warrington and North Cheshire Bowls Association Section B by 8 points from runners up Grappenhall A. A special mention goes to Rob Gee, Rob Whelan and Chris McDermott who all appeared in the leading players chart as shown below. Well done to them and to the whole of the squad under the captaincy of Andrew Hart.

Congratulations also to the Croft Seniors Tuesday B team who ended the 2025 season as runners up in Division C.

A special mention goes to Brian Clarke, Tom Gittins and Rob Lean who won 41 of the 47 games played between them as shown below. Well done also to the rest of the squad under the captaincy of Dave Sawyer.

Warrington and District Senior’s Bowls League

As you probably know several of our members play in the Warrington and District Seniors’ Bowls League throughout the summer months and a few of them will be taking part in events during the final week of the season.

First up on Monday 29th September is the Battle of the Sexes charity match which takes place at Woolston Social Club on Manchester Road commencing at 1pm. This year’s sponsored charity is the St Joseph’s Family Centre in Warrington which provides a range of services for local families. The match itself will consist of six pairs and eight singles matches all played to 15 up and spectators are very welcome to attend and bring along a raffle prize if possible. Play will commence at 1pm and everyone is welcome.

The season concludes with the Player of the Year competition which takes place at Grappenhall Ex-Servicemen’s Club on Tuesday 30th September and Wednesday 1st October when the most successful players from each of the three divisions during 2025 will compete for their respective trophies. Once again play will commence at 1pm each day and everyone is welcome to attend.

Chairman’s Trophy

The Chairman’s Trophy took place on Sunday 14th September and well done to the winners Jane Middleton and Adrian Lee and to the runners up Jill Hillam and Brian Wilson.  Thanks also to our Chairman Chris McDermott for providing the buffet and to all the ladies who baked cakes for the occasion.

Our final mixed pairs competition for 2025 is the Closing Main which will take place on Sunday 5th October. If you wish to take part then please make sure that you have added your name to the entry form which is located on the notice board in the pavilion.

Finally our thanks go out once again to the Monday morning volunteers for all the hard work which goes into keeping the green and surrounding areas in great shape throughout the year. Their hard work ensures that we all benefit from a terrific playing surface set in wonderful surroundings, and if you are able to give two hours of your time on a Monday from 10am until 12 noon then please go along to the green where you will be made very welcome.

Winter Bowling 2025/2026

We’ve just received this message regarding the arrangements for winter bowling from our events coordinator Rob Gee. Please reply to Rob directly if you are interested in joining the winter bowling group. Thanks.

‘Good Morning everyone, I’ve been on the phone to Chantelle this morning and I’m pleased to announce that it’s a thumbs 👍 up for Winter Bowling this year. Toilets will once again be opened up for us on a Monday Night and Subs are as follows: The youngsters, myself included will have to pay £52 , those of a certain age , I think it’s 60 years of age and over its £36 . This entitlement is Bank Park and Victoria and St Elphins. I don’t need any details for those who have joined us in years gone by, but any new characters wishing to try their luck then forms have to be filled in which I’m picking up this week . All subs need to be paid to Mr Gee before the end of September please. Also after meeting John Bradshaw last night , he’s also continuing the success of last year in running the Sunday morning competitions on Victoria. Cost last year was £6 to enter. Also Damian Morrison is running an open competition on Victoria but a date has yet to be confirmed.

Please send me a text or ring 07539214111 if you are interested in joining the success of winter bowling and once again thanks to everyone for your continued support.’

Green Bookings for September and October 2025

Please note that the green will be closed for social bowling on the following dates during September and October at the times shown as follows;

Sunday 7th September between 2-4pm for a private event booked by Terry Lee.

Wednesday 10th September between 6-8pm for an evening with the Cubs. Please note that volunteers are still needed to help on the night.

Sunday 14th September between 9:30am-5pm for the Chairman’s Trophy mixed pairs competition. The entry form is available on the notice board in the clubhouse.

Wednesday 17th September between 6-8pm for an evening with the Cubs. Once again volunteers are still needed to help on the night.

Sunday 5th October between 9:30am-5pm for the Closing Main mixed pairs competition. Look out for the entry form which will be posted on the notice board in the clubhouse shortly.

Brian Lythgoe Memorial Trophy

The Brian Lythgoe Memorial Trophy took place on Sunday 17th August and our congratulations go to the winners Janet Bevin and Steve Caunce who defeated Norma Massey and Jimmy Potter in a closely fought final. Our thanks as ever go to everyone who helped to make the day a success and we now look forward to the next mixed pairs competition on Sunday 14th September when members will compete for the Chairman’s Trophy. Look out for details which will be displayed on the notice board in the clubhouse shortly.

Paul Reynolds Memorial Competition

The Paul Reynolds Memorial Competition took place on Saturday 2nd August with 32 entries competing for the Yamas Trophy. Congratulations to the winner Chris McDermott who defeated John Durrands in a well contested final, and also a big thank you to organisers Rob Gee and Steve Caunce for all their hard work on the day.

Everyone agreed that the event had been a great success and it is very much hoped that the competition will become an annual event along with the Danny Woodward Jnr trophy which was held for the first time in May.

President’s Trophy

Croft Bowling Association’s annual President’s Trophy mixed pairs competition took place on Sunday 20th July and our congratulations go to the winners Jackie Tattersall and Mike Hadfield. Well done also to runners up Jo Walker and Chris McDermott. Thanks to everyone for all your help and hard work in making the day a success.

The next regular mixed pairs competition will be the Brian Lythgoe Trophy which will will take place on Sunday 17th August. Before then however the Association will be holding the inaugural Paul Reynolds ‘Yamas’ Trophy which will take place on Saturday 2nd August. Details of both competitions are currently displayed on the notice board in the clubhouse.

Horseshoe Trophy

Croft Bowling Association’s annual Horseshoe Trophy competition took place once again on Sunday 22nd June and despite some indifferent weather over 50 members had an enjoyable day of bowling. Congratulations go to winners Linda Billing and Mike Hadfield and well done also to runners up Jill Hillam and Chris McDermott who put up a good fight before eventually losing 8-3 in the final.

Our thanks go to Henry Coakley from the Horseshoe for kindly sponsoring the event by way of a very enjoyable buffet and also for presenting the trophy and the prize money. Henry’s contribution to the Association was invaluable and we look forward to further successful events in partnership with the Horseshoe in the years to come.

Thanks also to committee member Vicky Thorpe for baking some excellent cakes and to our former chairman Derek Ryder for running the event with the help of Bill Gray.

The next mixed main competition will be the President’s Trophy which will be held on Sunday 20th July. Please look out for the entry form which is currently displayed on the notice board in the clubhouse.

Danny Woodward Jnr Memorial Trophy

The inaugural Danny Woodward Jnr Memorial Trophy singles competition was held on Saturday 31st May and will become an annual event which is open to all members. Mr and Mrs Danny Woodward Snr kindly donated towards buying the impressive trophy and came along to present the prizes to the winners.

A very pleasant afternoon of competitive bowling, in lovely weather conditions, was enjoyed by all. The event was organised and run very efficiently by Rob Gee, who also very kindly provided some additional prizes.

The winner was Steve Grimshaw, beating Janet Bevin in a closely contested final. The losing semi-finalists were Adam Taylor and Mike Hadfield. Besides the prize money, £100 was raised for Prostate Cancer UK which was greatly appreciated by Danny’s parents.

Well done Rob for organising the event and to Chris for helping on the day.

Green Bookings 2025

Please make a note of the following times and dates when the green will be unavailable for social bowling. Thanks.

Wednesday 18th June – closed for maintenance until noon.

Sunday 22nd June – Horseshoe Trophy 9:30am – 5pm.

Wednesday 25th June – WI match 9am – noon.

Sunday 20th July – President’s Trophy 9:30 – 5pm.

Wednesday 23rd July – Croft 1 Ladies 13:00 – 17:00.

Saturday 2nd August – Paul Reynolds Trophy – times tba.

Latest news from Joan Stott

Our new season commenced with the first of our mixed pairs mains which took place on Sunday 6th April. Our congratulations go to the winners Jill Hillam and Steve Grimshaw and well played also to the runners up Carol Bond and Mike Waite.

The second mixed main took place on Sunday 18th May when members played for the Sharpe Trophy. Once again our congratulations go to the winners Sue Dibben and Rob Gee who beat runners up Jane Middleton and Adrian Lee in an entertaining final.

Our next mixed main competition will take on Sunday 22nd June when members will compete for the Horseshoe Trophy. The entry list is already on the notice board in the Pavilion and it will remain there until a few days before the competition when it will be taken down to enable the draw to be carried out. If you have added your name to the entry list only to find that you are unable to play on the day then we would ask that you advise the organisers as soon as possible please. As you can appreciate this will greatly help with the smooth running of the competition and reduce delays at the start of the day itself.

By now most of you will have noticed our new all-weather shelter which has kindly been donated by Steve Caunce. Our sincere thanks go to Steve for his generosity in providing the Association with the shelter and also for supplying the picnic tables in the new seating area along with our former chairman and now Association president Derek Ryder. Also a big thank you goes to our Monday morning volunteers for helping to set everything up – a great job by everyone.  As always our thanks go to our green keeper Jim Potter for his hard work throughout the winter months to provide us with yet another superb playing surface this season.

Finally if you feel that you can spare two hours of your time on a Monday Morning to help with all the maintenance work that is needed to keep everything looking so good then please go along to the green from 10am where you will be made most welcome.

CROFT BOWLING ASSOCIATION -UPDATE APRIL 2025

The Association held its Annual General Meeting on Friday 28 February 2025 at Croft Memorial Hall. The meeting commenced with a minute of silence to remember those members that we have lost over the previous twelve months. The evening was well attended and everyone enjoyed the cheese, wine and general chat once the meeting had concluded.

2025 has brought about quite a number of changes to the Committee. Derek Ryder announced his retirement as chairman and he was thanked by a number of members during the evening for all his hard work in support of the Association over the past nine years.

Chris McDermott was subsequently elected as the new chairman and Steve Grimshaw as deputy chairman at a special committee meeting a few days later. They are joined by new committee members Sue Dibben, membership secretary, Carol Walsh who takes over as our new treasurer and Mike Hadfield who is responsible for social media. New committee member Adam Taylor and existing committee members Gail Grimshaw, secretary, Joan Stott, Anne Lamming and Dave Sawyer complete the lineup for 2025.

As usual during the winter season quite a lot of work was carried out by the Monday morning volunteers including the construction of a covered seating area and the siting of a new picnic area next to the pavilion. The volunteers do great work and would welcome as much help as possible during the coming months – so if you feel that you could give two hours on a Monday morning from 10.00am to 12.00 noon to help then you would be made very welcome by the team. Thanks also to our green keeper Jimmy Potter who has produced a brilliant playing surface once again for the new season.

Finally don’t forget to check all the latest information here on our website and also on Facebook – and here’s wishing everyone an enjoyable season in 2025.

Green Opening 2025

Good news that the green will re-open after the winter break on Saturday 22 March at 10am. Everyone is welcome to come along whether it be for social bowling or simply to practice for the new season. Best wishes to everyone for the 2025 season.

Annual General Meeting 2025

Don’t forget that the 2025 AGM will be held at Croft Memorial Hall on Friday 28 February. The hall will be open from 7pm to ensure a prompt start at 7:30pm. One important matter that we need to bring to your attention at the AGM relates to our proposed Facebook profiles. In that respect we will shortly be starting to use Facebook as an extra tool to communicate with members and the wider community. There will be a Facebook page entitled ‘Croft Bowling Association’ which will be public facing and visible to everyone. This will be used to publicise the club and inform people about events etc. There will also be a Facebook group entitled ‘Members of Croft Bowling Association’ which will be a private group open to members only.  This will be used to announce news, results, fixtures, cancellations etc. Members will need to request to join this group.

It is anticipated that photographs may be published on these Facebook forums. However if it is your wish that you don’t want your photograph to be published then a slip similar to the one shown below will be available for you to sign and hand in to the Membership Secretary on the night.

Name ………………………………  I do not wish my photograph to be published on social media or the website for the foreseeable future.

Signed …………………………….

Mixed Mains competition dates for 2025

6 April – Opening Main (Mixed Pairs)

18 May – The Sharpe Trophy (Mixed pairs)

22 June – Horseshoe Trophy (Mixed Pairs)

20 July – President’s Trophy (Mixed Pairs)

17 August – Brian Lythgoe Trophy (Mixed Pairs)

14 September – The Chairman’s Trophy (Mixed Pairs)

5 October – The Closing Main (Mixed Pairs)

 Our first update for 2025

The Association sends its best wishes to all its members for 2025.

To start the year we will be holding our Annual General Meeting at Croft Memorial Hall on Friday 28 February 2025 with doors opening at 7pm for a prompt start at 7:30pm. This will be followed by cheese and wine and an opportunity to catch up with friends.

The first competition of the new season will be the Opening Main which will be held on Sunday 6 April. All of the competitions that the Association organises throughout 2025 will be played on a mixed pairs basis and everyone is welcome to take part. An entry list will be available to sign at the meeting or on the notice board in the pavilion and this will be taken down a few days before the competition to enable the draw to be made.The opening date for the green will be announced at the AGM to enable those who wish to practice to do so.

As always a big thank you to our green keeper and the Monday morning volunteers for all their hard work keeping everything in such good order. If anyone has time and is free on a Monday morning to offer help from 10.00am to 12.00am then please come along and join the team – you will be made very welcome and your help would be very much appreciated.

We now look forward to seeing everyone on Friday 28 February 2025. From Joan Stott.

A Birds Eye View

A big thank you to our intrepid aviator Steve Grimshaw for two fantastic photos of the green as you’ve never seen it before! Unless of course you’ve been lucky enough to be a passenger with Steve in the past! The photos were taken on the day of our latest mixed main which was the Horseshoe Trophy held on 23rd June, and we hope you enjoy these unique views of our green and the clubhouse. Thanks once again Steve.

We would like to thank Jim Logan for his help in providing us with some great photos for the website. Our photo stock was relatively low until recently and Jim’s hard work has helped enormously.

Please contact Dave Sawyer if you would like us to include any topical association news on this page.

END OF SEASON CAPTAIN’S REPORTS FOR 2023

(Please note that these reports will shortly be archived on the Men’s Teams previous reports page)

 CROFT A – MENS THURSDAY EVENING 

CAPTAIN: DEREK RYDER 

 The Thursday night ‘A’ team in the Newton and District Bowling Association league had a poor season finishing at the bottom of section ‘A’.

 It is not yet known whether the team will be relegated to section ‘B’ until such time as it is confirmed how many teams will be taking part in the 2024 season.

 A couple of long established players have left the team for 2024 and we now have 15 players for a side of 10 of which 2 of them are emergency only players giving a core team of 13. It may be that there may be times when the team might struggle for a team of 10 because of holidays etc.

 CROFT A (1) – LADIES TUESDAY EVENING 

CAPTAIN: JANET BEVIN 

 As we went to only 2 sections this year instead of 3, we had a much longer season, playing 22 matches. We won 11 and lost 11 resulting in us coming 5th out of 12 teams. Well done to our team as we were quite short of players some weeks for various reasons – and we will be happy to welcome 2 new players next year – Vicky Thorpe and Sue Dibben. 

 Viv Rush once again represented us in Player of the Year and played extremely well as usual.

She reached the Semi Final and collected her prize money at the Presentation Evening – well done Viv.

 Several of our team attended the Presentation Evening and buffet at Monks and thoroughly enjoyed it although, unlike last year, we didn’t collect any trophies this time!

 A big thank you to all our team who are so supportive and helpful.

 B TEAM – MENS TUESDAY AFTERNOON 

CAPTAIN: JOHN GREGORY​

 Last season was an excellent year for the Croft B team, winning nineteen out of the twenty-four matches. This allowed us to finish second in the division and hopefully gain promotion after being relegated the season before. Three matches stand out in the memory. On a rainy cold afternoon we won at Rainhill, followed by a spectacular second half display at the Red Lion, after being well down. The jewel in the crown must be an away win at Butts Park, the runaway winners of the league, in one of the closing matches of the season which helped us to the runners up spot.

 I would like to thank all the members of the team who played and loyally supported home and away, creating a great team spirit and a big thank you to Barbara who looked after us with refreshments. 

 CROFT 2 – LADIES THURSDAY AFTERNOON 

CAPTAIN: ANN WAITE / VICE: VIV RUSH

 The B team had a fair season and finished in a reasonable position in the league.

All games were enjoyed, and we look forward to next season.

 CROFT B – MENS MONDAY EVENING 

CAPTAIN: PAUL REYNOLDS

The Croft ‘MondayNighters’ ‘B’ team enjoyed another winning season by claiming Division ‘D’ in the Warrington Monday Night League. This achievement carried on their success from 2022 where we had won Division ‘E’. 

During our drive to winning the Division the team put together a run of 16 consecutive wins from game one through to game 16, showing to all that we were a team full of togetherness and a winning determination second to none! Steve Caunce and Frank Wilson had a battle royale for the Average winners with Steve claiming top spot with 14 wins from his 16 played and with Frank just missing out with 13 from his 16 played.

To my team: A well done everyone, let’s all hope 2024 sees us bringing along the same determination that has brought us the success we’ve enjoyed over the last 2 seasons, and I’d like to also add, on behalf of the team, a very special thank you to all those who came and lent their support both around the green and back in the Pub at de-briefing time during the season, it’s always very much appreciated!!!

CROFT C TEAM – TUESDAY MORNING 

CAPTAIN: SAM HUGHES/JIM LOGAN

 A disappointing season as far as results go. We had a very slow start to the campaign losing our first 8 matches which proved difficult to recover from. The team however finished 10th in Division C winning 7 matches out 24 in all. Special mention should be given to Phil and Frank who won 12 and 11 games respectively. Our results were all the more disappointing as it was Eric’s last season in charge as Captain and the team were desperate to do well for him. All members of the team would like thank Eric for his leadership in running the team for 20 or more years during which time we can recount many memorable moments. We would also like to thank Audrey for her support and providing the refreshments for the team. We wish them both well for the future.

 CROFT A TEAM – FRIDAY NIGHT 

CAPTAIN: SAM HUGHES

 Having gained promotion from Section D to Section C our main objective in 2023 was to establish ourselves as a genuine competitor in our new section. Thanks to the efforts of all team members, we won 9 matches from 18, finishing mid-table in 5th position with 102 points. Special mention must go to Jim Thomason and Rob Gee who both won 11 games each. However, the highlight of the season was beating the eventual champions King & Queen home and away. The team also reached the semifinal of the Stan Bann Cup and received £55.00 in prize money. Overall, it was a credible performance with all team members making a valuable contribution which we hope to build on in 2024.

 CROFT 1 – THURSDAY AFTERNOON

CAPTAIN: JANE MIDDLETON

 Croft 1 afternoon team has had the very good fortune to have gained 5 new team players in 2023, which helped us to again promotion to Section 1. We won 11 games out of 14 for which we received £65 at Presentation Night.

 CROFT A – TUESDAY AFTERNOON

CAPTAIN: PAUL CADDICK

 The season turned out to be highly successful finishing fourth in very competitive league in which many ex-county representatives are playing.

 As in previous seasons the team started slowly but due to having a larger squad of players, we soon started to gain momentum and picked up points regularly and finished strong winning the last eight games of the season.

 Leading aggregates for the season:-

Danny Woodward       7.08

John Durrands            ​6.59

Paul Caddick                6.55

Steve Grimshaw         ​4.36

 Hopefully we can keep the same squad of players together and perhaps a couple of new players would also help to improve our position for the 2024 campaign

 CROFT A – MENS MONDAY NIGHT 

CAPTAIN: ANDREW HART / VICE: STEVE GRIMSHAW

 Our first season in the top division in Warrington proved successful with us finishing in 6th place.

Just surviving in the Premiership is an achievement in itself.

 Our best performance was beating St.Oswalds at home 9-3 with some famous named top Warrington bowlers sent home sulking after receiving a battering at Croft.

 Our best performers over the season were Ross Hackett, Danny Woodward, John Durrands, Adam Taylor, Andrew Hart and Adrian Steele who all averaged over 17 chalks, with Ross achieving an incredible average of 19.3 chalks.  However, everyone played their part and contributed to help us achieve a very respectable league position.

 Well done to all our players.  We look forward to another season in the topflight, and with the addition of Rob Gee to our squad this coming season, we hope to further improve our league position. 

 CROFT B – MENS THURSDAY NIGHT 

CAPTAIN: CHRIS MCDERMOTT/VICE: STEVE GRIMSHAW

 Success in the Premiership is all about survival ……and we survived, just, finishing 3rd from bottom.

It was another tough season in the topflight with all our players having to be on top form to achieve a team win.

 A couple of great away wins, at Lane Ends and at Windle, certainly helped us to survive.

Our outstanding players this season were Adam Taylor and Danny Woodward who were our only two players that achieved positive averages.

 Nevertheless, everyone contributed so may I thank all our players, including the ones that stood in at the last minute when we were short – you know who you are.

 If anyone fancies the challenge of playing at the highest level then please come forward and join us – you would be made very welcome.

 We all look forward to another season in the top division when we can hopefully take advantage of our wonderful green and improve our league standing.

 Having teams in the top divisions of different leagues, combined with our fantastic green and facilities, is making Croft stand out from the crowd – we now need to reflect that achievement with our results on the green.

 CROFT B – LADIES TUESDAY EVENING

CAPTAIN: LINDA OGDEN

 We had an enjoyable season finishing mid table. We tried to find new players but neither of them actually took up bowling. We will have to try again this year. 

 Our players of the year Linda Ogden and Sue Charlton attended the league player of the year competition at Crossfields. 

 Thanks to Croft Bowling Association for providing us with a green and surroundings that in the words of one of my players we can be proud of.