Bullen Cup – 3 July 2026
In the first round of the Bullen Cup we have been drawn at home to Haughley.
The match will start at 6.30pm on Friday, 3 July, and the team selected by Gerry Squirrell will be as follows:
- Sean Leeder, Gerry Squirrell (Captain), Aaron Carter
- Adrian Chinnery, Paul Hayward, Angie Mondon
- Malcolm Baskett, Henry Gooderham, Derek Green
- Sue Deeves, Paul Salmon, David Crimmins
Please come along and support the team if you can.
June 2026
It doesn’t seem like 2 minutes since we were opening the green but unbelievably we’re now at the halfway point of the bowls season. We’ve made a good start to most of our leagues and are top or challenging for top spot in several. Let’s hope we can keep it going and bring home a title or two. Our forays into the cups have been less successful but there are still honours to play for in several competitions. We also have a few bowlers in the hunt for County honours – good luck to all those battling it out in the forthcoming Area finals.
Our recent committee meeting was focused on getting ready for the various events that we have at the Club in the coming weeks. The first of these will be the County Senior Cup Semi-final between Laxfield and Ipswich Bowls Club at 6:30pm on Friday evening. If you’d like to watch a match featuring some of the best bowlers in the County please come along, the weather forecast is warm and of course the bar will be open!
The Area D Ladies finals will be the next event at the club just two days later on Sunday 28th June, starting at around 10am. Both Sue Deeves and Angela Mondon will be competing for places in the County Semi-finals and they would appreciate some support on the day. We’re also looking for volunteers to run the bar and the BBQ throughout the day – if you’re able to help out, please let me know – hopefully we can spread the workload so that everyone can take some time out for part of the day to watch the bowls. Lyn and Pauline will be selling freshly made rolls and cakes, so if anyone fancies baking a cake please let Lyn know on 01449 741253 so that she can coordinate arrangements.
Two weeks later on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th July we will be doing it all again for the Mens Area D finals. There will again be some Old Newton representation on the green and of course we will be looking for volunteers to help throughout the day, so please let me know if you can assist on one or both days, even if it is only for an hour or two.
Just a quick reminder to those of you that have entered club competitions – some of the Prelim rounds close on 5th July, so you need to have your game completed and the result entered onto the website by then. If I hear nothing, I will automatically put the second drawn player through to the next round. The closing date for the next round is 26th July – games come thick and fast at this time of the year.
Our next committee meeting is planned for 7pm on Wednesday 29th July – if you have anything that you would like to raise, please let me or any other committee member know.
Enjoy your bowls,
Paul, Chairman, 07890 057377
May 2026
The season is underway and generally we’ve made a good start in our leagues, despite the best efforts of the local Rooks who’ve tried to make a mess of our green. Thank you to everyone who came up and assisted with repairs to the green – it was much appreciated and the surface is now starting to improve again.
Once the last game is played each day it is essential that the ropes are replaced over the green. I’ve found the best way to avoid tangling them is just to move them to one side, or if the whole green is in use and this is not possible – lightly coil them on the ground at one end – if the rope is hung in coils, the CDs tend to spin around it in the wind. It’s likely that we will be irrigating for the foreseeable future so it’s important that the sprinkler is placed back on the green and pegged down at the end of each day.
I have a few forthcoming events for your diaries:
Friday 29th May, 6pm will be the last of our Friday Night Club Roll Ups, but there is nothing to stop any member bringing up a friend for a taster roll up at anytime.
Saturday 30th May, 5pm we have a Fish & Chip Roll Up evening – just turn up on the evening – no need to book in advance.
Wednesday 17th June, 7pm – next committee meeting – if you would like anything raised please let me or any other committee member know.
Friday 19th-Monday 22nd June – Club tour to Hunstanton. Shaun is still looking for players for these games, so if you fancy going up for just a day, please let him know.
Sunday 28th June – Ladies Area D Finals being staged at Old Newton – we will be looking for help on this day, and we will hopefully have some ONBC bowlers to support as well – further details to follow nearer the time.
Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th – Ladies County Semi’s and Finals at Kessingland Bowls Club.
Sunday 5th July – Guinness Cup at Stanton – if anyone would like to enter a block into this competition, please contact Cam Clarke of Stanton on 07495 797067.
Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th July – Area D Mens Semi’s and Finals at Old Newton – again, we would be grateful of any help on these days.
Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July – Mens County Semi’s and Finals at Stanton Bowls Club.
Saturday 15th August – Stowmarket President’s Day – if you would like to enter a block, please see our club noticeboard for details.
Remember you can always check the Diary HERE on our website.
ONBC Club Competitions
After this month’s committee meeting on 22 May we held the draw for this season’s club competitions. You can find the draws and play by dates HERE.
To ensure the club competitions run smoothly please respect these rules:
If you are the first drawn player, you need to arrange the match with your opponent at least 2 weeks before the closing date for the round. All games need to be played by the closing date for the round – there will be no extensions. If you have too many games to play, prioritise those that are most important to you. The best way to enter a result is on the website. Tap Enter ONBC Results and then tap ONBC Knockouts and fill in the form. Otherwise, please phone/text or WhatsApp the result to me. If I hear nothing I will assume the game has not been arranged and I will put the second drawn player through to the next round. If you have difficulty in arranging a fixture let me know at least a week before the closing date.
Well that’s about it for this month. Let’s continue our good form in the leagues and good luck to those of you bowling in County or League competitions. Enjoy your bowls, the season doesn’t last long!
Regards,
Paul, Chairman, 07890 057377
April 2026
I’d like to start this month’s newsletter with a thank you to everyone who helped and supported at our recent inaugural Duck Race night. It was a well attended night that was enjoyed by all, and it raised a staggering £1000 for club funds. I would particularly like to thank the main organiser, compere on the evening, and duck producer, Adrian Chinery. This night was his brainchild, and I’m sure it’s set to become a regular in our calendar.
The bowls season is now within touching distance, so I thought I’d share details of events at and involving the club over the next few weeks. Whenever we’re playing at home the bar is open, so even if you’re not playing, why not come up and support your teammates.
7pm, Saturday 11th April – Fish & Chip Bingo evening. Adrian Chinery will be your caller. There is no need to pre-order food, but please let me know if you’re coming so that we can gauge numbers.
9am-12pm, Sunday 12th April – Maintenance Morning. Many hands make light work, so please could all members come to the club to assist. There will be jobs for people of all abilities – both indoors and out. This is our chance to get the green and our facilities up and running for the start of the season.
6pm, Friday 17th April, first friendly vs Brandon (Away). Shaun is captaining this game and has spoken to those who will be involved.
From 17th April – the green is open for practice roll ups.
5pm, Saturday 18th April – Fish and Chip roll up. There is no need to book ahead – just turn up on the evening.
6pm, Thursday 23rd April, friendly vs Haughley (Away). Dad is captaining this game and will be contacting those that had previously registered an interest with Shaun.
6pm, Friday 24th April,friendly vs Combs Ford (Home). I will be captaining this game and will be contacting those that had previously registered an interest with Shaun.
2pm, Sunday 26th April, Opening Drive. All are welcome to the official opening of the green. The only requirement is to bring a plate of savoury or sweet food for the post-game tea.
6pm, Monday 27th April, final pre-season friendly vs Haughley (Home). Shaun/Meg are captaining this game.
2pm, Tuesday 28th April, first Tuesday afternoon league vs Haughley B (H).
6pm, Tuesday 28th April, first Area D triples game vs Stanton.
6.15pm, Wednesday 29th April, first Wednesday evening game vs Walsham le Willows (A).
6.15pm, Thursday 30th April, first Bury League games vs Ixworth (H) and Hopton (A).
6pm, Every Friday in May – club roll ups for all. Also, an opportunity to bring any friends or family who would like to try our sport.
6pm, Monday 4th May – club friendly – all are welcome to turn up on the night.
5pm, Saturday 30th May, Fish and Chip roll up for all members – all are welcome – just turn up one the night.
19-22nd June – Club tour to Hunstanton – please speak to Shaun for details if you’re interested in going.
Please note, we will not be producing fixture booklets this year as all the fixtures can be found on our website. If you wish to have a printed version, a link is HERE.
I’d like to thank members Dianne and Andrew Clarke for the work that they’ve done in producing such a professional and user-friendly website – I’m sure you will find it a valuable source of information throughout the season.
If you need to book a rink for League, club or County competitions, or maybe to practice, there will be a facility to do so on our website. On evenings when we have a team bowling at home it is essential that you do this, or you may find there are no spare rinks to play your match.
The grass on our green is now growing fast, so I will shortly be sending out the green cutting rota to those that have helped out in the past. If you feel able to help with green maintenance at weekends – please let me know. I have quite a few names, so you should only be called on two or three times across the season.
Entries to Stowmarket League competitions will be on our noticeboard within the next few days, and Bury competition entries won’t be far behind. These are great introductions to competitions so why not enter one or two. There will be singles, (including U25’s – it would be great to see some of our youngsters in these), pairs and triples competitions, in both the Stowmarket and Bury competitions. We’ve had a good record in these over recent seasons, so let’s keep that going.
I think that’s it for this month. I look forward to seeing you at several of our forthcoming events.
Good luck for everything that you bowl in during 2026,
Paul, Chairman, 07890 057377
February 2026
At last the nights are starting to draw out, which can only mean that outdoor bowls are just around the corner. The wet weather has made it difficult to maintain the green over the winter, and we’ve struggled with worm casts and moss but our maintenance team are as active as ever and are confident that the green will be in good order by the time the season starts.
We have enjoyed social events over the winter such as the bingo evening held this month, which was great fun. And there are lots of forthcoming events, the first of which is our inaugural Duck Race night which is being held at 7pm on Saturday, 28 March, at Old Newton Sports and Social Club. Tickets for the event will be £5 each, payable on the night, but if you’d like to come along please let me know so that we know the number that we’re catering for. There will be a buffet on the evening and we will also be holding a draw – so prizes would be welcome.
The next event will be a Spring Fish & Chip bingo evening at 7pm on 11 April. This will be followed by maintenance morning which this year is being deferred to a Sunday – 12 April at 9am, due to many members wanting to watch the East Anglian derby.
We’re hoping to open the green on Saturday, 18 April, for a Fish & Chip roll up from 5pm. I’ll advise nearer the time as this date is provisional depending on whether the green is fit.
Our Opening Drive is then planned for 2pm on Sunday, 26 April. Everyone is welcome – there will be no need to pre-register, but please bring a plate of savoury or sweet food for the tea which we will hold after the bowls.
Our league games start mostly during the last week of April – the majority of our fixtures can now be found on the Stowmarket and Bury League websites and here under Fixtures & Results. We are also looking to line up one or two early season friendlies – more details to follow nearer the time.
On each Friday in May we will be holding open nights for new members from 6pm – I welcome all existing members to join us for a roll up on these evenings. We hope to attract some new members as we did last year. If you have any friends or family interested in giving the sport a go, please bring them along. We plan to hold another Fish & Chip roll up from 5pm on Saturday, 30 May.
During June and July we have several large events being held at the club – the Ladies Area Finals, and the Men’s Area Semi-Finals and Finals. I will send out more details about these nearer the time, but as always we will be looking for some help to run these events which should be good fundraisers for the club.
If you’re bowling indoors, enjoy the rest of your season. I look forward to seeing you all soon at one of our social events or, if not, on the green in April.
Paul Salmon, Chairman, 07890 057377