For those of you wishing to test yourselves beyond club competitions there’s an array of county and other competitions. Some need to be entered now (by the end of October); others are less pressing.
Middlesex county – entries close end of October – the 2025 finals were held 26-27th July at Ladygate; Sunbury had some quarter/semi-finalists but no finalists.
South Middlesex – entries close sometime in May – the 2025 finals day was held on 21st Sept at Fordbridge Park. Jen & Nathan won the Mixed Pairs; others lost in semis.
North West Surrey – entries close sometime in April – the 2025 finals were held on 24th Aug at West Byfleet.
In addition, Bowls England also run some National Championships directly. These are played within each county to determine area finalists. National Bowls Championships
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The following deals with the main Middlesex county competitions only. The entries are collated by our Club Secretary, David, and submitted to the county by each club. Entry forms are available here .. Middlesex Competitions
Most competitions follow a format of each round having a play by or play on date. The exceptions are the 2-woods Singles and 2-woods Pairs competitions, which are played on a specific day.
All the rounds upto quarter-finals are played at a district level. This comprises some clubs we are familiar to visiting – Ashford, Bishop Duppas, Cambridge Park, Fordbridge Park, Hampton, Staines, Stanwell, Strawberry Hill with the addition of Masonians for the men. So no trips around the north circular!
The play by/on dates are much stricter than our own flexible club competitions and the default time to play is generally 6pm unless you mutually agree a different time. The first named player is deemed the challenger and is tasked with contacting their opponent to confirm/arrange the game, with the game taking place at their club. As such they need to arrange a marker if it’s a singles competitions. The quarter and semi finals are generally both played on a specific date, as does the final. Some competitions start before others so if you enter a few different ones and win then then they may start to overlap others. Just be aware when making holiday plans. The person completing an entry form is deemed to be the main contact for any competitions involving more than a single player, eg. Triples. You don’t have to name who else is in the team and you can arrange different players to step in as required.
As a guide here are some significant dates from this year ..
15th June – Men’s 2-woods Singles at Ashford (Alan & Nathan played); Women’s 2-woods Singles at Cambridge Park (Eileen, Karen & Tracy played)
22nd June – Women’s 2-woods Pairs at Hayes (Anita & Tracy and Eileen&Karen played)
22nd Jun – Men’s quarter/semis at Uxbridge – Unbadged Singles
6th July – Men’s & Women’s quarter/semis at Ashford – Women’s Triples (Andrea/Jen/Sandy qualified)
13th July – Men’s & Women’s quarter/semis at West Ealing – Champion of champions; Senior Fours
19th July – Women’s quarter/semis at Bush Hill – Unbadged Singles (Karen & Tracy); over-55 Singles; over-55 Pairs (Eileen & Karen)
26th-27th July – Men’s and Women’s finals at Ladygate – most competitions
13th Sept – Mixed Pairs quarter-semi finals at Broomfield
20th Sept – Mixed Pairs finals at Ashford
Results are generally forwarded by the winner – women can use an online results form; Men rely on txt/whatsapp/email being sent to the district secretary. All results must be submitted within 24hrs.
Most, but not all, county competitions also qualify as a national entry, so county winners or qualifiers get to play in the National championships at Leamington Spa, which are held over three weeks in August. The 2025 championships were held 13th-31st.
All the dates, draws, player contacts are brought together in a booklet – the Middlesex Bowling Association yearbook. There is now one booklet comprising Men’s and Women’s competitions with mixed entries (eg. Mixed Pairs) compiled under the Men’s section. Most of the information is also available online .. Middlesex Bowls Association joint website
I’m happy to field any queries in the first instance.