2020 - 2021 News
Club Competition Finals
There will be two finals days held this year, Sunday 19th September and Sunday 26th September.
We still have a few matches to complete in some competitions, so details are yet to be finalised for these two days. Please keep an eye on this site and our social media streams for updates.
Updated: 15/09/21
Sad News
It is with great sadness that we have to report the passing of one of our members Kevin Mason. Kevin had become a respected and very much liked member of the club in the relatively short time he'd been with us. Although new to the club, he was well known to some of our members for a long time and will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Kevin's family and of course all of his friends at this sad time.
Kevin was a valued member and always supported us in club competitions, gala days, friendlies and other club events.
We will inform members of funeral arrangements when available.
Sue Johnson Cup
The Sue Johnson Cup reached the final stages on Sunday with the Semi Finals and Final being played.
Despite the weather forecast suggesting it would be fine, unfortunately, the semi finals were played in the rain. This however did not affect the quality of the bowling as all four bowlers performed well.
Alan Jeyes just got the better of Stuart Haugh in one semi final and Martyn Fearn beat Robert Butlin in the other.
The weather improved just in time for the final between Alan and Martyn allowing for a really competitive match. After some very close ends and the lead changing hands on numerous occasions, Martyn finally got the better of Alan. The final score was 12-8 to Martyn.
Both Martyn and Alan now progress into the County Novice Singles competition to represent Earls Barton Bowls Club.
This brought to a close a fantastic competition that has been thoroughly enjoyed by everyone that played in it. A massive thank you to Melvyn for organising and his family for sponsoring the competition.
Updated: 02/08/21
Neil Wins Champion of Champions Final (Northamptonshire)
Neil Gould was playing last night in the final of the Champion of Champions (Northamptonshire). On a scorching hot night at Kettering Lodge, Neil was up against one of the top bowlers in the county - Tony O'Leary (Abington).
Neil got off to a great start taking an early lead. He was able to maintain that through the middle stages with some consistently good bowling and gradually extended his lead. With the scores at 17-7 in Neil's favour, and holding three shots, Tony was left with few options. He attempted a weighted bowl that unfortunately took out his own bowl from the head and left Neil with the 4 shots required to win the game. Final score 21-7 to Neil.
Cue wild celebrations and Neil dancing on the green ..... only joking of course but this really is a fantastic result, well done Neil.
Neil now goes on to play an 'All England Round of 32' match against an opponent (tbc) from Leicestershire. This match must be played on a neutral green by 10th August. The winner of this match would then progress to the final stages to be played at Leamington Spa.
Updated: 23/07/21
Champion of Champions
For those that don't know, the Champion of Champions competition is a national competition for all club champions to enter. It is played off on a regional basis to start with followed by one National Round. The 16 winners of that round progress to the national finals at Leamington.
Our own Neil Gould entered this year after winning the club championship in 2019 (seems a long time ago now !).
After three very tough games and strong opponents, Neil has progressed to the regional final. The game against Tony O'Leary (Abington) will be played on a neutral green (Kettering Lodge) on Thursday 22nd July at 6:30pm.
Route to Final
Round 1 vs Steve Bunker (21-12)
Quarter Final vs Jack Tobin (21-18)
Semi Final vs Connor Cinato (21-20)
All the best in the final Neil
Updated: 19/07/21
Manfield Cup Win *Provisional*
Following the cancellation of last year's Manfield Cup due to Covid, this year's competition was even more eagerly anticipated than usual. Saturday 3rd of July finally arrived and off we went to our four locations:
Team 1 vs Higham Ferrers at Geddington
Alan Jeyes
Richard Paintin
Mike Bottwood
John Purcell
Team 2 vs Heyford at West End
David Knight
Phil Wright
Stuart Haugh
Martyn Fearn
Team 3 vs Finedon at Kettering Lodge
Neil Gould
Dean Gould
David Rust
Rob Butlin
Team 4 vs Brackley at Burton Latimer
Scott Fleming
Paul Hyde
Ian Butcher
Melvyn Johnson
The weather was forecast to be awful but thankfully we all escaped with just the odd shower and nothing to hinder the bowling. After our matches we all sat down for the traditional meal and as is usually the case, results from other greens started to filter through from the various clubs. We quickly got three of our results through, all winning rinks with a healthy shot difference. With just the one result to come (Neil's) we were looking good. It was worth the wait, Neil's rink had won by a huge margin and gave us an overall shot difference of +106 shots. The second placed team (Northampton Express) finished with a shot difference of +78 and third (Corby Forest) with +54. Note: These are preliminary results and we await final confirmation from Bowls Northamptonshire.
This meant that for the fifth time in the clubs history, Earls Barton are the Manfield Cup winners. What a day and what a result, well done to everyone involved. There is still lots to play for this season so let's keep the momentum going.
Finally, a massive thank you to James Butts for hosting the matches at our own club on the day, Sadie for providing the catering and David & Jackie for staffing the bar.
Updated: 05/07/21
National / County Competition Roundup
Top Club Win
Last night saw our National Top Club team take on Rushden Town in the second round.
A win in the 2 Woods along with a very convincing win in the Pairs and Triples was enough to see us through to the quarter finals. This is yet another fantastic result for Earls Barton.
Next up is an away match against our friends from Burton Latimer on a date to be decided.
Updated: 05/07/21
Melvyn Reaches the Semi Final
Thursday night saw two members of our bowls committee competing in the Secretary and Treasurer's quarter finals at Kislingbury.
Unfortunately, Phil Gibson (Club Secretary) came up against a home bowler (Kevin Mawson) and just came up short losing 21 - 14.
This left Melvyn Johnson (Competition Secretary) to keep the flag flying for Earls Barton. After a very close match Melvyn came through winning 21 - 19 against I.Loasby from Kettering Athletic.
Melvyn now moves on the semi finals against Kevin Mawson. The match is to be played at Roade bowls club on Sunday 18th July at a time to be decided.
Well done Melvyn and good luck in the semi.
Updated: 05/07/21
National 2 Fours Win
Last night saw our National 2 Fours team take on a strong Burton Latimer team in the second Round. The fixture, originally due to be played away was switched to home at the request of Burton.
At the half way stage both rinks were evenly matched with only a few shots splitting them. The second half of the match saw EB slowly build up a few shots lead and eventually went on to win by a seemingly comfortable margin of 33 - 22.
This was an excellent result for the team and sees us progress to the Quarter Final stage where we will face Wellingborough 'B' in a home draw. The tie must be played by 18th July and details will be published as soon as we have them.
Updated: 02/07/21
Top Club Win
A great team performance saw us come away from Corby Forest with a win in the first round of the National Top Club Competition.
A win in the 2 Woods, a fine win in the Triples (having been well down at one point) and a very tense last end win in the Fours (following an exceptional last bowl from Alan Jeyes) saw us come away with a 3-2 win overall.
Earls Barton now progress to round two against Rushden (away) on Sunday 4th July at 6pm.
Updated: 28/06/21
Triples League: Disappointing Result
A really disappointing result for Earls Barton last night with a home defeat to Byfield in the Monday Night Triples league.
Not helped by the miserable weather, EB never really got going and slipped to a 4-1 defeat, Scott Fleming with the only winning rink. We are back on the road next Monday (28th June) at West End 'A' looking for a much better performance.
Updated: 22/06/21
County / National Competition Roundup
County Pairs (Round 2)
Abe Harkness & Tim Harte lost to J.Marlow (Wellingborough)
Neil Gould and Dean Gould beat L.Donaldson (Finedon Town)
Neil and Dean will be playing away in Round 3 on Wednesday 23rd June.
County Singles (Round 3)
Paul Hyde beat I.Totton (Corby Seagrave) 21 - 20
Martyn Fearn beat Mark Turner (Kettering MB) 21 - 18
Both Paul and Martyn have now reached the Area Final stage and these matches must be played by Friday 2nd July
County Mixed Pairs (Round 2)
Jayne Wiggins & Scott Fleming lost to Paul & Tina Broderick
National Champion of Champions (Area Quarter Final)
Neil Gould beat Jack Tobin (Burton Latimer) 21 - 18
Updated: 21/06/21
County Pairs Update
A mixed night for EB in the County Pairs last night with 5 of the entries losing.
Well done to Abe Harkness & Tim Harte and Neil Gould & Dean Gould for winning through to Round 2.
They will both be playing again in Round 2 on Friday night 6:30pm.
Abe will again be playing at home with Neil away against an opponent tbc.
Updated: 17/06/21
County / National Competitions
A selection of matches over the next few days
County Pairs (Round 1) - Wednesday 16th June
David Rust (Home)
Neil Gould (Home)
Abe Harkness (Home)
Adam Dally (Home)
Scott Fleming (Away at Thrapston)
Ian Butcher (Away at Kettering Midland Band)
Paul Hyde (Home)
County Singles (Round 3) - Saturday 19th June
Paul Hyde vs I.Totton (Corby Seagrave) - at Earls Barton 14:00
Martyn Fearn vs Mark Turner (Kettering MB) - at Earls Barton 10:00
National Champion of Champions
Neil Gould vs Jack Tobin (Burton Latimer) - at Earls Barton 10:00
Updated: 16/06/21
Rushden League Results
Good results for both Barton teams this week with convincing wins.
Barton Knights beat Rushden Raiders at home 4-1
Barton Saxons beat Irchester 'B' away 5-0
Updated: 02/06/21
County / National Competition Roundup
In the County Triples, Paul Hyde's team (Adam Dally and Melvyn Johnson) came up against Jamie Walker's triple from Northampton West End. For those that don't know, Jamie has been a member of the England team for a number of years now and is a current member of the Commonwealth Team set to represent England in 2022.
Despite this, Paul and his team put in another good performance but were eventually beaten 25-8. Paul, Adam and Melvyn have done fantastically well to reach this stage and should be very proud of their achievements.
County Singles Round 1
Rob Butlin lost to S.Melville (Corby Forest) 20-21.
Phil Wright lost to C.Wigfield (Desborough) 4-21.
Ian Butcher lost to P.Crouch (Desborough) 12-21.
Martyn Fearn beat Jess Scott (Finedon Town) 21-2.
Paul Hyde, Scott Fleming and Neil Gould all received a walkover to round 2.
Good luck to all players through to round 2
Executive Triples
Neil Gould's triple (Richard Paintin and Phil Gibson) won their Round 1 match against K.Thatcher (Rushden Town) 27-18.
Mason Cup
Neil Gould won his Round 1 match against W.Hill (Kettering Lodge) and will now play in the Area Final.
Champion of Champions
Neil Gould won his Round 1 match against Steve Bunker (Higham Ferrers) 21-12 and now advances to the quarter final stage of the Northamptonshire area.
Updated: 31/05/21
Triples League: Another Narrow Defeat
Last saw EB suffer another agonising defeat to Desborough. Prior to last night, Desborough had won 2 from 2 without dropping a rink. EB managed to take a rink from them but unfortunately lost the other two and also the aggregate by an agonising 1 shot (48 - 49). The overall point score finished EB 1- 4 Desborough.
It was a great team performance with both losing rinks claiming important shots towards the end but unfortunately it wasn't quite enough.
We have a week off next week due to the Bank Holiday so the next match is 7th June away at Express 'A'.
Updated: 25/05/21
Club Competitions
Melvyn's random number generating gadget made it's debut on Sunday for the club competition draws. Everything went very smoothly this time so a big well done to Melvyn and his assistant Phil Gibson.
Please check the Competitions pages throughout the week as the draws will start to appear there (when I get time !).
Updated: 24/05/21
County Triples Update
Congratulations to Paul Hyde's team (Melvyn Johnson and Adam Dally) on another fine win in the Area Final of the County Triples. Playing over at Islip, Paul's team came away with a convincing 20 - 4 win.
This win sees them move into the latter stages of the competition with a quarter final match on Wednesday 26th May. This match is to played on a neutral green (Rushden) against an as yet unknown opponent.
Good luck to Paul and his team .... you can do this !
Updated: 22/05/21
Club Competitions
The club competition draws will be made on Sunday 23rd May at 13:30. Before this takes place, please check the entry list to ensure that we have you entered in the correct ones.
There have been many entries across all competitions so please take a minute to check as we wouldn't want to disappoint anyone.
If you spot a mistake please contact our Competition Secretary (Melvyn Johnson) as soon as possible. Please only contact Melvyn for mistakes, not to confirm if everything is correct.
Updated: 19/05/21
Triples League: Narrow Defeat
Another good performance by EB resulted in a narrow aggregate loss (45 - 51) to Kingsthorpe 'A' away from home. With just the 3 rinks again, we managed 1 win and two losses giving an overall points loss of 4 to 1.
Fortunately the rain held off all match and an added bonus was being able to have a sociable drink afterwards in the bar. things are slowly getting back to normal !
Next up, is a very tough match against the early league leaders Desborough at home on 24th May.
For a round up of all the results, fixtures and tables please see the official website.
Updated: 18/05/21
Triples League: A home win to start
An excellent team performance saw EB get off to a winning start in the Monday Night Triples League against a strong Abington 'A' team at home. In the changed format (due to Covid restrictions) of just 3 triples, we had 1 winning, 1 losing and 1 tied rink. In a very close scoring game EB took the aggregate and the additional 2 points by just a single shot (43 - 42). This meant the overall score was 3.5 to 1.5 in EBs favour.
This was a great start for EB in what is undoubtedly going to be a very tough season against some top teams. Let's hope we can keep the momentum going in the next match away at Kingsthorpe 'A' (Monday 17th May).
For a round up of all the results, fixtures and tables please see the official website.
Updated: 11/05/21
Monday Night Triples - UPDATE
The Northampton Area Triples League committee have made the following decisions
- The League will run the whole season with 3 rinks.
- The League will commence as originally planned on Monday 10th May. (Please see fixtures). If you are unable to start on the 10th May, please follow normal procedure for cancelling a game.
- After quite a lot of feedback from clubs, it has been decided that there will be no match meals for the duration of the season
- The clubs should try and continue to serve drinks to players from the bar and if possible offer a bar service that allows members to socialise outdoors following the government regulations. Hopefully towards the end of June these restrictions will be lifted and we can carry on as normal
Updated: 21/04/21
Memberships Due
Please note that all membership fees are now due and you should be receiving a letter through the post in the next few days. Please could you make your payments via bank transfer where possible.
If you have not had your letter or have any questions please contact our Secretary Phil Gibson in the first instance.
Updated: 14/04/21
County Competition Draws
The draws for all County Competitions have now been made. Please visit the Bowls Northamptonshire website to view details.
Note: A page appears to be missing for the 4 Wood Singles North section.
Good luck to everyone that has entered a competition this season.
update: 29/03/21
County / Championship Competition Changes
Bowls Northamptonshire have release an update regarding County Competitions for the upcoming 2021 season. There are some important date changes so if you have entered any of the county competitions, please visit their site for full details.
Bowls England have also released an update to Championship Competition formats. Details of these changes can be found on the Bowls Northamptonshire website.
Updated: 11/03/21
2021 Fixtures
Following the recent announcements from the government regarding the proposed relaxation of restrictions, we have now been able to confirm the fixtures for the upcoming 2021 season.
Please visit the Fixtures page for full details and start saving the dates in your diary ....... it won't be long now !
UPDATE: The Northamptonshire Area Triples League fixtures have now been published
Added: 03/03/21
Rushden League
We are still awaiting confirmation from the league organisers regarding fixture details etc. for this coming season.
Melvyn is happy to continue as one of the captains but Dean is no longer able to continue in his role of captain.
If you are interested in taking up this position could you please contact our secretary Phil Gibson.
Added: 12/02/21
Youth Policy
At the 2019 AGM we had a proposal from one of our members suggesting that the club should have a youth policy in order to attract new, younger members and perhaps affiliate with local schools.
The proposal was discussed by the committee early in 2020 but then schools closed and we were all hit by the pandemic.
We have discussed the proposal again and have concluded that we require a "champion" to take this forward. If you are the person or persons to take on the roll and plan the way forward please contact our secretary Phil Gibson initially.
Added: 12/02/21
Zoom Committee Meeting
For the first time in the clubs history the committee will be holding their meeting via Zoom. Due to the current situation that we all face, we are unable to hold the meeting in the conventional way. However, with much to discuss and lots to plan ready for the upcoming season, it was decided to take advantage of the technology that most of us have become familiar with over the last year.
Who knows how it'll work out but we'll give it our best shot :-)
The meeting is to be held on Saturday 6th February at 10am.
Added: 04/02/21
Short Mat Bowls
The popular short mat bowls is returning again this winter. We are hoping to have two sessions a week with the first two sessions on Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd of October.
We are asking people to arrive by 18:30 for a 19:00 start.
Covid restrictions apply within the clubhouse so please bring your mask and be ready for sitting down at a table when not playing.
Our table service will continue. Please check in on arrival and use the sanitiser.
Play this year will be in pairs at present and, as previously we will draw out the teams on the night.
Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday and Thursday
Added: 20/10/20
Green Closed
Please note that the green is now officially closed.
Best wishes to everyone and stay safe, see you all next season.
Added: 08/10/20
Gala Day - part 2
Saturday (26th September) saw us play out the final end of season gala day in winter like conditions. The event was once again well supported with 10 sets of triples (all socially distanced throughout). This brought an end to what has been a very strange and difficult season. None of the usual fixtures have been played for obvious reasons, but despite this, we have have seen lots of bowling and plenty of laughs along the way.
The season really has been a success and that is all down to the fantastic support of the members, old and new. We also managed to attract several new members, a big welcome to you all once again. There are too many people to mention individually here but a massive thank you to everyone who has helped throughout the season.
We'll be putting the green to bed on Saturday 3rd October. If you are able to help, please be at the club from 9am. The more people we get the quicker it'll get done.
Oh, by the way, well done to Team C (David Knight, Robert Butlin and Martyn Fearn) who won the gala day.
Added: 28/09/20
Covid Cup Final
Congratulations to Robert Butlin, the first winner of the Covid Cup. Robert overcame Martyn Fearn in a closely fought final, marked by John Purcell.
The final, played over 21 ends was a low scoring affair with only one or two shots separating the two players right up until the 19th end. Robert picked up 3 shots and this proved to be decisive in the end.
The final brought an end to what has been an outstanding competition. The earlier group stages were played out in good spirits and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. A massive thank you to Melvyn Johnson for organising it, our president George Blackwell for sponsoring it, all of the many markers, the supporters and of course all of the players for making this competition such a success.
Added: 21/09/20
Green Re-Grading
On Monday 14th September, the inspectors arrived to grade the bowling green. We are extremely please to announce that the green was given a 'A' grading. This is of course is just reward for our green keeper Phil Wright and the many people that have assisted him throughout the season.
A lot of hard work has gone on not only to the playing surface but also the club house and surrounding area. I think we can all agree that the club has never looked better.
Added: 17/09/20
Super Sunday
Today saw three club finals played out on a glorious Sunday.
Really well done to all of the finalists.and congratulations to our winners.
Novices Singles
Winner: Robert Butlin
Runner Up: Sal Valentine
Skeel Harrison
Winner: Alan Jeyes
Runner Up: Tim Harte
Aussie Pairs
Winners: Phil Wright & Stu Haugh
Runners up: Kevin Mason & Mick McGannon
Added: 13/09/20
2 Woods Final
The first final of the season was played this evening (07/09/20) between Paul Hyde and Martyn Fearn. Despite the weather not being great we had a good turn out of members to support the players.
After an early exchange of ends the scores were level and the match was well poised. Martyn then pulled away in the middle and despite a determined effort from Paul it was too much to do and Martyn was the eventual winner.
Well done to both players and thanks to Ian Butcher for an excellent job marking.
Added: 08/09/20
Gala Day Triples
The draw for the Gala Day Triples has now been made. If you have entered, please have a look now to see which team you have been drawn in and find out your start time. There are two start times, 11am and 12pm.
Please note, there will be no food served on the day (other than bar snacks) so please bring your own if you wish to do so.
Please also remember that we we should all adhere to social distancing guidelines at all times.
Added: 26/08/20
Committee Meeting
The next committee meeting will be held at the bowls club on Thursday 10th September 2020 at 6:30pm.
Minutes from the previous meeting are now online.
Added: 24/08/20