The greens are now closed for the winter. They are scheduled to reopen in early April 2025.
In the meantime the club will be running Short Mat Bowling sessions in the clubhouse - watch this space for further information.
Club Finals - 2024
The results of the Club Finals can be found below.
Photographs of all our new trophy winners
Club Night 2024
Final Table 2024 - Congratulations to Bonny Babies who are champions for 2024
Pickering League
Pickering League May Gala 2024 Results
Congratulations to RLS1 and RLS2 on being runners up in their divisions. As a result RLS2 will be promoted to Division 1 for the 2025 season joining RLS1.
Stratford Herald League
Congratualtions to RLS-B on being Champions off Division 1 and to RLS-D on being runners up in the same division, the two teams having the same number of points but RLS-B having a better shot difference.
Congratulations to Club Member Matt Swift
Matt played his first game as a classified DBE bowler during the Bowls England National Championships. Matt on the far right represented DBE South in a match against DBE North.
Silverware Galore for RLS Lady Members at the 2024 Bowls England National Championships
A successful season for several of our lady members (see previous "News" reports below), saw them qualify to represent Warwickshire at this year’s National Championships which took place at Victoria Park between Thursday 15th August and Sunday 1st September. As detailed below, thanks to a string of exceptional performances, several of our County winners went on to acheive success at the National level too (reports are in chronological order as played during the Championships).
Women’s Fours – Many congratulations to Michelle Meadowcroft, Ellie Hamblett, Emily Kernick and Kirsty Richards, the new Bowls England Women's Fours Champions ! Over the first three days of this year's National Championships, they beat a rink from Driffield Recreational Club in Yorkshire (25-13), a rink from Potton BC in Bedfordshire (31-3), a rink from Clock House (Upminster) in Essex (20-12) and then a rink from Kings in Devon (18-8), to reach the semi-final. A commanding 30-7 win over a rink from Victoria Park BC in Kent then saw them reach the final, where they faced a rink from Clevedon in Somerset, skipped by the England International Stef Branfield. Always in control, our ladies ran out 22-9 winners to take the title, the first time that a rink from RLSBC has ever won the competition and the first time since 1949 that a team representing Warwickshire has won. A magnificent performance from our ladies ! VERY WELL DONE TO YOU ALL.
Women’s Junior Singles – Emily Kernick began the defence of her 2023 title with a 21-6 win over Evie Mills from Braintree BC in Essex and then beat fellow England Junior International Chloe Brett from Brampton in Huntingdonshire 21-3 in the next round. Three more rounds the following day saw her defeat Chloe Holmes of Norwest BC in Somerset (21-12) and then Yasmina Hasan from Southey BC in Surrey (21-17) to face Ruby Hill from Cleethorpes BC in Lincolnshire in the semi-final. Unfortunately, in a very tight contest, Emily just lost out 18-21, but a great achievement to reach the semi-final stage.
Women’s Champion-of-Champions – Emily Kernick was one of only 16 players from accross the country to qualify to play at the National Championships in this competition. Unfortunately, Emily lost 15-21 to Diane Double from Sutton BC in Surrey in her opening match.
Women’s Senior Fours – Many congratulations to Dawn Horne, Anita Cowdrill (substitute Caroline Edwards), Jenny Wickens and Janice White on being this year's Bowls England Women's Senior Fours Runners-up.
They won their first-round match 26-3 against a rink from Lowestoft Railway BC in Suffolk and then beat a team from Ramsey BC in Huntingdonshire by 25 shots to 17. From the quarter-final onwards, Caroline Edwards played as a substitute for Anita, who was unavailable and after defeating a rink from Barton Le Clay in Bedfordshire 15-10, the team were back out on the green just 45 minutes later to face a rink from Polegrove BC in Sussex in the semi-final. A very close match ended tied 14-14 after 18 ends, but the RLS quartet won through to the final on the extra end.
Against a rink from Alton Social BC in Hampshire (winners of the title in 2018 and runners-up in 2021), the RLS four were always slightly trailing in a low scoring and very tight final match, but took a 12-11 lead on the penultimate end.
Unfortunately, 2 shots for Alton on the final end saw them take the trophy by 13 shots to 12. However, to finish the competition as runners-up is a magnificent performance from our ladies, so VERY WELL DONE TO ALL FIVE OF YOU !
Dawn, Anita, Caroline, Jenny and Janice would like to thank all the many supporters from both the club and County, who took the time to come along to support them in all of their games played at the Championships.
Women’s Junior Pairs – Many congratulations to Lily-Mae Adams (Welford BC) and Emily Kernick, winners of the Bowls England Women's Junior Pairs title for the second consecutive year.
After winning their opening match 30-3 against a pair from Berkshire, Lily-Mae and Emily then beat a pair representing Herefordshire skipped by Hannah Smith, by an impressive 25 shots to 1. In the quarter-final they won 22-11 against a pair from Worcestershire that were the 2022 champions and then, in a very tight contest, defeated a rink from Hertfordshire 16-13 in the semi-final.
In the final they faced a pair from Surrey and retained their trophy with a deserved 19-13 win. Many congratulations on this great achievement, but unfortunately, having turned 25 years of age in July, Emily will be unable to defend the title next year as she will no longer be classified as a "Junior" !
Women’s 2-Wood Singles – Emily Kernick played Morgan Merryweather from Island Bohemian BC in Berkshire in her opening match and unfortunately narrowly lost, 12-13.
Success for RLSBC Ladies at County Finals Weekend
Warwickshire Women’s BA held their finals weekend at a very hot and sunny Nuneaton BC over the weekend of Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th August with club members involved on both days.
In the “Top Club” final, RLS faced Welford in a repeat of last year’s final. In the singles match, Emily Kernick took on Moira Parsons in what proved to be an epic match of high quality, lasting 29 ends. Emily was consistently a few shots ahead, but Moira pegged her back, first to 5-5, then 10-10. However, Emily then pulled ahead to lead 20-13, just one shot away from victory, but 7 shots from Moira over the next 4 ends took the match to 20-20 before a single from Emily secured the first point of the match for RLS with a 21-20 win. At that time, the overall match was finely balanced, with the triples and rink both very close, but Welford having the better of things in the pairs. However, in the fours, Chris Leigh, Michelle Meadowcroft, Jenny Wickens and Heather Mills took shots on 6 of the final 7 ends to finish 22-10 winners and put RLS 2-0 ahead. Having been 12 shots adrift at the halfway point, Dawn Horne and Kirsty Richards, clawed their way back in the pairs to restrict Welford to a 22-14 win and although that took the overall score to 2-1, with a net 5 shot overall advantage in favour of RLS from those three matches plus a strong finish in the triples by Caroline Edwards, Anita Cowdrill and Janice White which saw them leading 16-11 with just one end remaining to play, Welford were then unable to win and conceded, giving RLS an overall 3-1 win, thus avenging last year’s defeat. The photo below shows the team with their trophy.
In individual competitions, Emily Kernick (left) faced Maureen Edwards (Rugby Thornfield) in the final of the 2-Wood Singles competition. After exchanging shots over the opening few ends, Emily gradually eased ahead and with an unassailable 17-4 lead after just 15 ends, her opponent conceded.
In the Champion-of-Champions 4-Wood singles final, Anita Cowdrill faced Alison Boyd from Nuneaton BC. In a tight contest, neither player was able to pull out a significant lead, with some excellent “saving” shots played by both finalists. Unfortunately though, in the end, for the second year running, Anita had to settle for the Runners-up shield as she just lost out 17-21.
Lastly, in the Fours final, Michelle Meadowcroft, Bonny Claridge (as a substitute for the unavailable Ellie Hamblett), Emily Kernick and Kirsty Richards were always in control against a Welford rink skipped by Tracey Wheeler and ran out very comfortable winners, ahead 29 shots to 7 when Welford conceded with 3 ends still to play. The photo (right) shows the team being presented with their trophy by WWBA President, Caroline Harris.
Many congratulations to all our 2024 County Champions (including those who's finals were played last month [see reports further down the "News" page]).
Ladies "Top Club" Update
An excellent performance from Emily Kernick in the singles tie, saw her so nearly take the first point of the tie against Cleethorpes' Amy Pharaoh, a 4 times Commonwealth Games medalist and 9 times National Champion-of-Champions winner, but a narrow 18-21 loss restricted Cleethorpes to a shot advantage of just 3. With the RLS triples well ahead at that time, and Fours too, despite the Pairs trailing, the match was finely balanced. However, in the end, despite a convincing 22-9 win for Michelle Meadowcroft, Anita Cowdrill and Kirsty Richards in the Triples match, a strong final few ends from the Cleethorpes team saw them take the Fours match 19-12 and the Pairs game 30-8, to secure a 3-1 match win, and dash the RLS hopes of a third appearance at the National Championships in the past 4 seasons. A disappointing end to the 2024 campaign but many congratulations to the team on reaching the last 16, which was still an excellent performance.
County Competition - In their recent semi-final match against Nuneaton, the team recorded a convincing 4-0 win to set up a repeat of last year's final, against Welford. In 2023, it was Welford that took the title and having already beaten Welford this season in the National competition, the team will be looking to avenge last year's defeat. The match will be played at Nuneaton BC on Sunday 11th August, commencing at 10am, as part of the WWBA Finals Weekend. Please come along to lend your support to the team if you are able to.
2024 County Titles for RLS Members in Ladies' Senior Fours and Junior Singles
Many congratulations to those RLS members who have lifted the trophies in two of this year's ladies' county competitions that have already been played to a conclusion.
In the Senior Fours, following wins over teams from Nuneaton, Lillington, Nuneaton (again) and Stratford, the RLS quartet of Dawn Horne, Anita Cowdrill, Jenny Wickens and Janice White faced a rink from Coventry Avenue skipped by LIz Wooding in the final played at Lillington on 13th July and took the title with a controlled 17-6 winning margin. This is the second time in the last 3 years that they have taken the title. Dawn, Anita, Jenny and Janice will now represent Warwickshire in this competition at the National Finals in August.
At the other end of the age range, in the Under-25 "Junior" Singles competition, Emily Kernick has retained the County title that she won last year, beating Ellie Hurst (Warwick Boat Club) 21-7 in the final (also played at Lillington on 13th July). As with the Senior Fours team, Emily will represent Warwickshire in the Junior Singles competition at the National Championships, where she will be hoping to retain the National title that she won last year.
Early Rounds of County and National “Top Club” Competitions (Updated 22/July/2024)
Our ladies “Top Club” team has enjoyed great success in these competitions in recent years and their quest for silverware in 2024 has got off to a great start once again this season.
In the first round of matches in the WWBA County “Top Club” competition, although our second team was narrowly beaten on shots away at Stratford after a 2-2 draw, our first team beat Coventry Avenue 3-1. Following a convincing 4-0 win over Stoke in their quarter-final match, the team faced Nuneaton in the semi-final on 16th July, recording a convincing 4-0 win. The team will now face Welford in the final (see item above)
In the BE National ladies “Top Club” competition, wins over Lillington (4-0) and Coventry Avenue (3.5-0.5) in June were followed by a 3-1 win over Welford in early July in the final of the Warwickshire section of the draw. In the first round of the regional stage of the competition, a knock-out phase which will see the final eight teams play at the National Championships in August, the team played Kingscroft BC (the winners from the Leicestershire section of the competition), in a repeat of the match played at exactly the same stage of the competition last year, where we narrowly lost on shots after a 2-2 draw. This year, a 3-1 win saw them avenge last year's defeat and advance to the last 16 of the competition (see item above).
Emily Kernick Takes Women's Under-25 Singles Crown at British Isles Championships
Congratulations to Emily Kernick, who was crowned Women’s Under 25 Singles champion at the British Isles Bowls Championships held at Leamington on 26th and 27th June. By taking the 2023 Bowls England Women's Under 25 Singles title last August, Emily automatically qualified as England’s representative in this year’s British Isles Championships, where she was pitched against the corresponding winners from around the UK and Ireland. In her opening match, Emily beat Ireland’s Hannah Cochrane 21-7. She then defeated Chloe Greechan, representing Jersey, by 21 shots to 12 in the semi-final before taking the title with a 21-13 win over Wales’ Lowri Powell in the final.
It was a busy week for Emily, who was then part of the full England Women’s team that faced Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Jersey in a British Bowls International Series over the following three days, 28th to 30th June. With the competition played on a league basis, and involving matches across all the disciplines (singles, pairs, triples and rinks), Emily played 8 full matches over the three days as the England squad proved the strongest, to finish top of the Women’s table with 135 points. Scotland were second with 123 points and Ireland third, with 93 points. (For info, the Men’s International Series which was taking place alongside the Women’s event, was also won by England, with the team finishing just 3 points ahead of second placed Wales.)
County Badges Awarded
Congratulations to Caroline Edwards and Clive Radford who have both recently been awarded their full County badges. Caroline was presented with her badge by County President Caroline Harris when WWBA hosted Bedfordshire at Lillington and Clive was presented with his by President Aubrey Brookhouse when WCBA played Northamptonshire, both matches taking place on 6th June.
Club Coaching
The club are very pleased to announce that three further members qualified as Coach Bowls Level 1 coaches on Sunday 14th April.
Our congratulations go to Christine Leigh, Clive Radford and Gill Allibone on their achievment.
Using the Greens
Important information:
1) Members must use the rinks and greens as defined on a daily basis as for club use by the greenkeepers.
2) As the greens will be heavy at the start of the season you should all complete warmup exercises, restrict jack lengths and move the mat regularly forward from the ditch to ensure even wear.
3) Do not stand within 1 metre of the ditch to protect the edges of the green.
4) As we do not want greens to be closed due to damage please deliver your bowls from as low a position as possible. Do not drop bowls from the waist as this will damage the green. Do not drop the bowls from the bank on the green!
5) We all may occasionally deliver a wood that marks the green and if this happens please flatten the area returning any grass to where it belongs!
6) Please make use of all rinks on the green not just those in the centre.
7) Greens must be played in the direction that they are laid out by the greenkeepers. Any specific requirements must be discussed well in advance with the head greenkeeper who will cooperate if at all possible.
I do hope that you have an enjoyable season.
Best wishes
David Wigman - Club Chairman
Members Indoor Bowling Success
It is great to be able to return to playing on the club greens but it is also great to be able to recognise the success of some of our members who regularly bowl at indoor clubs during the winter.
This winter a number of club members have notable achievments and are to be congratulated.
Emily Kernick who plays at Solihull IDBC won the 'Player of the Series' award playing for England in the Home International Under 25 Series in Belfast. Emily also qualified for the EIBA National Finals in Nottingham where she reached the semi-finals of the 2-wood ladies' singles and was the runner up in the 4-wood ladies' singles - both great achievements.
Dawn Horne and Anita Cowdrill who play at Avon Valley IDBC also reached the EIBA National Finals where they sadly lost at the last 16 stage of the ladies' pairs competion.
In the Avon Valley club competitions Dawn and Anita won the Ladies' Pairs competition and together with Debbie Bloxham who plays outdoors at Stratford BC they also won the Ladies' Triple Competition.
Anita then went on to win the mixed pairs competition and finally became Ladies Club Champion in the 4-wood singles.
These are all great achievments.
Anita is pictured with the four trophies. She will soon need a Trophy Cabinet at home!
Club Members called up for England Trials
Several Warwickshire players have been called up for Bowls England Trials on Saturday 18th May at Royal Leamington Spa.
For Senior Trials Andrew Walters (Welford), Emily Kernick and Kirsty Richards (both Royal Leamington Spa) have been named. Emily Kernick will also be considered for the Junior squad as well. Avenue Leamington's Daniel Ellicott and Lily-Mae Adams (Welford) will have Junior Trials.
On the Sunday Trials for the Under 18 squad will feature Amy Williams (Sherwood Park) while Lewis Gardner (Three Spires) and Thomas Mills (Rugby) will be taking part in the Junior Performance Day.
Congratulations to you all and we hope that the trial goes well.
New Members
If you are an experienced bowler that is looking for a new club you have found the perfect place - take a look at our membership page and give us a call.
If you have never bowled before now is the time to give it a try - people of all ages and those with disabilities can play the sport. It is a sport that can be played by multi-generations of your family - why not look at our membership page and give us a call to discuss or to arrange to give it a go?
We look forward to sharing our love of the sport with people of all ages and abilities.
South Warwickshire Short Mat League
The club telephone number below will only be answered when a member is in the clubhouse - if you wish to contact the club please call on 01926 744916 / 07787228545 or email: dgw.rlsbc@virginmedia.com - Thank you
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