Club Competitions 2026

The Datchworth Bowls Club Internal Competitions took place on the extended weekend of 22nd to 24th August 2026.

A total of 13 internal club competitions were fought out in good weather.

Saturday saw 7 matches played with Derek Henley acting as the Umpire on the day until he played at 4.00pm when Jim Smith took over.

At 10.00 am The Triples, Ladies Singles and Men's Singles were played

The Triples saw Jean Lyme, Clyde Martindill and Graham Akers overcome Rachael Jones, Richard Harper and Steve Chamberlain by 19 shots to 15, despite being 8 shots to 15 behind after 12 ends, but the winning the last 6 ends to triumph.

In the Ladies Singles marked by Jim Smith, Ann Edwards beat Jan Smith by 21 shots to 16.  With the score at 16 shots each, Ann won the last three ends to triumph.

In the Men's Singles marked by Les Parsley, Keith Smith overcame George Campbell by 21 shots to 15 George came back from 2 shots to 8 down to lead by 13 shots to 11, only for Keith to then win 5 of the last 7 ends to triumph.

At circa 1.30 pm the Men's Pairs and Ladies 2 Woods were played.

The Men's Pairs saw Ian Green and Keith Smith take on Alan Curtis and Graham Akers with Ian and Keith starting very strongly and leading by 11 slots to 1. However Alan and Graham picked up a 5 and a 3 to close within 2 shots, but then Ian and Keith won the next 3 ends to open up a gap and despite a hard fight by Alan and Graham, Ian and Keith ran out winners by 19 shots to 15.

The Ladies 2 Woods marked by Steve Chamberlain saw Jan Smith play Barbara Williams, with Barbara starting strongly and opening up a 9 shot lead. Jan fought back but Barbara maintained her lead and eventually won by 16 shots to 9.

At circa 4.00 pm the Men's 2 Woods and Ladies Pairs were played.

The Men's 2 Woods marked by Les Parsley saw Derek Henley take on Keith Smith After already playing twice, Keith's feeling for the pace of the green proved to be too strong for Derek with Keith eventually running out the winner by 17 shots to 6 but not before Derek had tried some tactics by bringing the mat up.

The Ladies Pairs saw Maureen Blunt and Jan Smith take on Rachael Jones and Chris Hills. Although Rachael and Chris won the first 2 ends to lead by 3 shots, Maureen and Jan then had a strong spell which saw them leading by 16 shots to 5 and then by 20 shots to 10 after 14 ends. The game looked all over but then Rachael and Chris picked up a single shot on each of the next 2 ends and then 5 shots to see them go into the last end 3 shots behind. However they were only able to pick up another 2 shots and lost the match with Maureen and Jan winning by 20 shots to 19.

Cakes, Teas and Drinks were consumed throughout the day ending with a Fish and Chip Supper. There were a good number of Spectators in attendance watching the games throughout the day.

Sunday saw 5 matches played with Steve Chamberlain acting as Umpire on the day until 4.00pm.

At 10.00 am the Four's and Arnold Memorial were played.

The Four's saw Dickie Jackson, Jean Lyme, Ian Bartlett and Les Parsley overcome Barbara Williams, Roger Tomlinson, Jan Smith and Keith Smith by 16 shots to 9. Les and his team started well and were leading by 8 shots to 2 but were then pegged back to 8 shots to 6. However they re-grouped and ran out winners by 16 shots to 9 with every player having made an impact.

The Arnold Memorial marked by Jim Smith saw Graham Akers take on Terry Metcalf with Graham winning by 21 shots to 10. However the score does not quite reflect the game with Terry at one time being 14 shots to 9 down but holding 4 shots only for Graham to draw the shot with his last wood. Graham the continued to win 6 of the next 7 ends by just 1 shot to win the match.

At circa 1.30 pm the Mixed Pairs and Handicap Singles were played.

The Mixed Pairs saw Maureen Blunt and Rob Hazeu take on Jan Smith and Keith Smith. The game was very tight with Maureen and Rob holding a 10 shots to 7 lead after 13 ends but then Jan and Keith picked up 3 shots then 2 shots to lead by 12 shots to 10 and eventually won by 15 shots to 11.

The Handicap Singles marked by Jim Smith saw Ian Bartlett take on Graham Akers with Graham having to give Ian a 5 shot start. Ian started strongly and increased his lead from 5 shots to 0 to lead by 11 shots to 2. Despite every effort by Graham, Ian continued to play well and eventually won by 21 shots to 11.

At circa 4.15 pm the 4/3/2/1 competition marked by Jim Smith was played between Keith Smith and Peter Hills.

Keith again was very comfortable with pace of the green and opened up a significant lead in the first 5 ends. Peter continued to battle on and although reducing the deficit over the next 11 ends the gap proved too great with Keith running out the winner by 91 shots to 69.

Cakes, Tea and Drinks were consumed throughout the day and an excellent Buffet was served after all the matches were finished. There were a good number of spectators in attendance watching the games throughout the day.

Thank you to all the ladies who were responsible for keeping players and spectators fed and watered throughout the weekend. 

Monday saw the final Club Competition to be played.

This was the Yardstick marked by Peter Hills and contested by Jim Smith, Alan Curtis and Keith Smith. Jim Smith started well and was in the lead by 1 shot after the first end. The game remained tight throughout the 21 ends but Jim Smith eventually won with 38 shots with Keith Smith on 37 shots and Alan Curtis on 32 shots.

This concluded the 13 Club Finals played in 2026

I am also pleased to say that 24 different Members took part in these Finals and will receive a Winner's Trophy or Runner's Up medal.🏆🏅

My thanks to everyone that assisted me throughout this weekend and to everyone that took part in these Competitions, include all those that did not reach the finals.

Jim Smith

DBC Competition Secretary