Dear members,
It is an honour and privilege to serve as President of the Suffolk County Women`s Bowls Association. I extend my sincere thanks for the trust and support you have shown during my Junior and President Elect years.
As we look ahead to another exciting year of bowls, I am reminded of the strength and dedication, and sportsmanship that define our association. Whether you are a long-standing member or new to the game, I hope this year brings you enjoyment, camaraderie, and success on and off the green or rink.
I look forward to meeting many of you throughout the year and celebrating the achievements and spirt that make our county so special. Let us continue to support each other and work together to promote and grow this wonderful game of bowls.
Wish you all a fulfilling and enjoyable year.
Warm regards,
Lesley Dyer, SCWBA President 2026.
Donna Mills, Two Bowl Singles
Ann Lilley, Ixworth BC, Semi-finalist in the Senior Singles
Georgie Watson-Sharp, Stone Lodge BC, Finalist in the Under 25 Singles
Elaine Peck and Amy Finch, Pairs
Suzanne Deeves and Angela Mondon, Senior Pairs
Paula Gooch in the Mixed Pairs
Elizabeth De Vere Packford, Senior Mixed Pairs
Mandy Payne, June Alderton and Emma Last in the 2 Bowl Rinks
100 Years Celebratory Dinner
By WebsiteCoordinator 09/09/26 0 comments
A photo gallery will be available shortly
The National Finals this year marked 100 years of the English Bowling Federation, covering 13 Counties of England. A celebratory dinner was held on Monday night, excellently organised by Paula Gooch, the EWBF Honorary Secretary. The quality of the bowling during the week largely complemented this celebration, although the greens at Skegness were found to be as problematic as ever. Fine weather early in the week unfortunately gave way to stormy showers on Thursday and Friday giving the bowlers difficult conditions to contend with as later rounds were played.
The lady competitors from Suffolk experienced the usual mix of triumph and disappointment, but all had done very well to reach the Finals and gave their best in representing their County.
Singles Competitions:
Donna Mills (Stone Lodge) made a strong start in the Two Bowl Singles against a Norfolk competitor, winning 21 shots to 10. However, in the second round, played later in the day, Donna was unable to find the lines and was overcome by her opponent from Lincolnshire who played strongly to win the match.
Suffolk was represented by Mandy Payne (Laxfield) in the Four Bowl Singles. Playing steadily, Mandy was initially a match her Northumberland opponent, but was unable to keep up in the later stages of the game and lost 21-13.
Ann Lilley (Ixworth) had an excellent run in the Senior Singles. In the first round, against North Essex, play started off evenly, with both players experiencing stronger phases in the game, but Ann pulled away to finish with a 21-16 win. The rink was a challenge for both players in the second round. The Derbyshire player kept up with Ann until the last few ends in which Ann found the green more accurately, with a 21-17 win seeing her into the semi-final. There was a delayed start to the semi-final against the Humberside player, but both players initially played evenly and skilfully, with the lead changing hands frequently. Unfortunately, a sharp storm hit when Ann was three shots behind and play was suspended. Ann`s opponent was better able to cope with the changed conditions when the match resumed and the concluding score was 21-13 to Humberside.
The Secretaries Singles competition commenced for Gillian Lamprey (Lowestoft Railway) with a second round match on Thursday. Gill went into an early lead in a match punctuated by halts for thunder storms. However, her opponent from Nottinghamshire managed the conditions better and pulled well ahead. A spirited comeback by Gill was sadly not enough and a loss by 21 shots to 17 resulted.
The Suffolk representative in the Champion of Champions was Jemimah Andrew-Smith (Framlingham). In a strongly-contended match against Durham, Jemimah played well on a very tricky rink, but was overcome in the later ends to lose 17-21.
The most successful campaign for a Suffolk lady saw Georgie Watson-Sharp (Stone Lodge) progress to the final of the Under 25 Singles. Georgie`s second round entry to the competition against Humberside proved to be a game of skilful play and excitement for the Suffolk supporters. It was a very level game throughout and it appeared that her opponent had been let off the hook when Georgie wasn`t able to close the match at 19-16. However, with the match poised at 19-20, she played two bowls close to the jack that couldn`t be matched and won 21-20. The rain-affected semi-final was shortened to a 17 shot win. This was a high-quality match from the start against Norfolk, with skilful play from both competitors. In the later stages, Georgie raised her game further and progressed to the final 17 shots to 13 ahead.
The weather improved for the Under 25s final on Saturday morning. After a strong start by Georgie, her Derbyshire opponent pulled back and was three shots ahead when Georgie fought back to 13-12 up. Strong play by the Derbyshire player took her to 17-14 up, but Georgie again pulled back and found herself at 18-17 ahead. At 19-17 Georgie was in a strong position, but her opponent won two shots to draw level in a nervy end when neither player was close. Sadly for Georgie and her supporters, the experienced Derbyshire player focused her nerves to gain another two shots on the last end and the Final concluded 21 shots to 19.
Pairs Competitions:
In the Pairs competition Elaine Peck and Amy Finch (Wenhaston) had a bye in the first-round bye and had to wait until Thursday morning for their second-round match against North Essex. While their opponents struggled to find the green, Elaine and Amy got off to a very strong start and were 13-2 up at 9 ends. In their next end they scored a 4 and went into an unassailable lead, progressing to the semi-final with a 21-8 win. Unfortunately, Friday brought a change in their fortunes. Against a strong pairing from Nottinghamshire, Elaine and Amy struggled with the rink and rapidly fell behind, ultimately losing by 27 shots to 6.
Angela Mondon and Suzanne Deeves, playing in the Senior Pairs, found their Northumberland opponents challenging. Although 16-13 up after the 19th end, the Suffolk pairing found themselves struggling to finish the game. An extra end was played in which Angie drew a shot right onto the jack, joined closely by a wood from Suzanne to secure a win by two shots, 18-16. Playing again later in the day, the ladies from Old Newton got off to a slow start. Changing over worked well for them, but proved too late and they went out of the competition 22-17.
Suffolk was represented in the Mixed Pairs by Paula Gooch and Andrew Burch (Wrentham). Although Paula and Andrew played a steady game in their first-round match, they were behind by 4 shots by the 17th end. However, a three, featuring superb play by Paula as skip, changed the mood and was followed by another three to bring them to 17-15 up after 19 ends. One shot dropped at end 20 increased the pressure, but our pairing sealed the match at 18-16 with a winning shot by Paula. In the second round Paula and Andrew got off to a strong start and were 12-10 up at 16 ends. Although level at 18 ends, they were not able to take their opportunities to progress to the semi-final.
The Suffolk bowlers in the Senior Mixed Pairs were Elizabeth De Vere Packford and Ian Parker (Peasenhall). Against Derbyshire they played a steady game and found themselves at 19-17 with two ends to play. A further three shots took them to a 22-17 win. On Wednesday morning their round two match against Nottinghamshire progressed well and they were two shots up at 13 ends. Unfortunately, their Championship hopes faded when the opposing skip found the green in the later ends and they lost by just one shot, 21-20.
Rinks Competitions:
The triple from Laxfield, June Alderton, Emma Last and Mandy Payne (Laxfield) took time getting into their first-round 2 Bowl Rinks match against Cleveland. However, they took the lead mid-way through the game and their skilful play in the later ends secured the match 23-15. Unfortunately, their match the next day proved too much of a challenge against a strong Northumberland triple. They were outplayed throughout the game and swapping positions made no improvement. The final result was a 5-23 loss.
The 3 Bowl Rinks played on Monday was the first match of the week for Suffolk competitors, although actually a second-round match against Durham. Our triple, Joanne Clements, Helen Sharp, and Donna Mills from Stone Lodge initially managed to keep their opponents in check, but due to the loss of an unfortunate three and some chancy wicks by Durham they found themselves well behind. With 6 needed in the final end, Suffolk went further behind and lost by 18 shots to 11.
The National Finals were a new experience for the triple from Haughley, Kim Davis, David Walker and Dean Tricker and their round 1 match against Lincolnshire in the Mixed 2 Bowl Rinks proved to be a challenge. A slow start was improved by changing round and there was a brief spell when the Haughley triple started to come back into the game, but their opponents accuracy overcame their efforts and they went out 22-13.
2 Bowl Singles - Donna Mills, Stone lodge
4 Bowl Singles - Mandy Payne, Laxfield
Under 25`s - Georgie Watson-Sharp, Stone lodge
Secretaries Singles - Gillian Lamprey, Lowestoft Railway
2 Bowl Rinks - Mandy Payne, Emma Last and June Alderton, Laxfield
President Lesley, President Elect Daf, Junior President Tracy and Co. Finals Coordinator Sue
By WebsiteCoordinator 20/08/26 0 comments
The County Finals were held this year at Wenhaston BC, a last-minute change for which the SCWBA is very grateful. Players were very well looked after over the weekend, both with respect to the green and facilities and also the catering provided by the club.
The semi-finals played on Saturday saw many experienced players returning to competition at this level, but, although the quality of the matches played was good, many of the matches were rather one-sided. However, an exceptional match was played between Gill Lamprey and Kylie Smith in the Secretaries Singles, won by Gill 21-20 and both semi-finals of the 3 bowl rinks were won by just one shot
The results of the finals are shown under `Competitions – County Finals`.
The stand-out match of the day, and certainly one of the closest and most skilful matches of the finals, was played by our Under 25 competitors. After 31 ends the players were level at 20 -20, but, in a very close last end, Georgie Watson-Sharp clinched the match against a talented young player, N. Drummond.
Mandy Payne and Joanne Clements had a close match in the 4 Bowl Singles, with Mandy coming out the winner by 21 shots to 19. In the Senior Pairs, last year`s National winners, Elaine Felgate and Jackie Whitlock never settled into the game and lost heavily to Angela Mondon and Suzanne Deeves.
SCWBA ladies also won County Championships in the SCBA mixed competitions:
Mixed Pairs - Paula Gooch and Andrew Burch
Senior Mixed Pairs - L. De Vere Packford and I. Parker
Mixed Rinks - Kim Davis, David Walker and Dean Tricker
Best wishes go to all those representing Suffolk in the EBF/EWBF National Finals week in Skegness, commencing Saturday 22nd August.
Senior Singles - Ann Lilley, Ixworth
Champion of Champions - Jemimah Andrew-Smith, Framlingham Castle
2 Bowl Pairs - Amy Finch and Elaine Peck, Wenhaston
Senior Pairs - Suzanne Deeves and Angela Mondon, Old Newton
3 Bowl Rinks - Helen Sharp, Joanne Clements and Donna Mills
By WebsiteCoordinator 20/08/26 0 comments
Lesley Dyer hosted her President`s Day with her usual friendly enthusiasm. Aided by weather which cleared nicely to give us a warm sunny afternoon, the pleasant surroundings of Blundeston BC welcomed players from across Suffolk. As participants arrived, they were treated to delicious cakes provided by club members and muffins baked by Lesley and Paula.
A fun social game was followed by a spider and a roving jack, organised by Kim Dyer, which was won by Soe Soe Cole.
We then moved into the Village Hall adjacent to the club to enjoy a superb meal organised by Lesley and the club members. Very welcome after the afternoon`s activities, a substantial salad was followed by a variety of delicious puddings.
In recognition of her Presidential year, Lesley was presented with a bottle of Malibu and a matching glass. There were also prizes presented to the winning rinks and numerous gifts from Lesley to those who had helped her during the year.
Of the two raffles on the day, the one organised by Lesley for Sandra Chapman of the cancer treatment centre at James Padget Hospital, raised 410 pounds. The other, for the SCWBA, drawn at the close of play, raised 206 pounds.
By WebsiteCoordinator 30/06/26 0 comments
The County Outdoor finals in 2026 are at Wenhaston Bowls Club on the 4th and 5th of July.
For the program to the semi-finals please Click Here
By WebsiteCoordinator 21/06/26 0 comments
Due to the expected Heat the match has been cancelled. It will only be played, at a later date, if it decides the area winners.
By WebsiteCoordinator 21/06/26 0 comments
By WebsiteCoordinator 03/06/26 0 comments
All Competitors, Officials and Supporters should note that it has been necessary for a variety of reasons to move the location of the SCWBA Semi-finals and Finals over the weekend of Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July. These competitions will now be held at Wenhaston BC, IP19 9EW, from 9:30am.
By WebsiteCoordinator 03/06/26 0 comments
Entry forms for the 2026/2027 Indoor Competitions are now available below. The closing date for competition entries is 1st October 2026 .
For Singles competitions Click Here.
For Pairs and Rinks Click Here.
Amy Finch, 4 Bowl Singles
Sue Bryenton- Rochard, 4 Bowl Senior Singles
Sue Bryenton-Rochard and Soe Soe Cole, Ladies Pairs
Sandi Steed, Pauline Wright and Amy Finch, 2 Bowl Rinks
Sandi Steed and Martin Rumball, Mixed Pairs
SCWBA Presidential Team at Lincoln: (L-R) Tracy Webb, Daphne Fane, Lesley Dyer
By WebsiteCoordinator 04/05/26 0 comments
The Lincoln IBC Centre again gave a warm welcome to the combined EBF/EWBF National indoor finals 2026. For the SCWBA the week had an unexpected start. Our scratch team, including players who don`t play much indoor bowls, found themselves losing finalists in the Ladies Harry Carver Competition. Our team comprised of two triples; Amy Finch, Daphne Fane & Sue Bryenton-Rochard and Pauline Wright, Lesley Dyer and Gayle Hart. It was an exceptionally close game, with Suffolk losing to home-team, Lincolnshire, by just one shot at the finish. As the week progressed, this unfortunately turned out to be the best result of the National Finals for Suffolk, ladies or men.
Ladies 4 Bowl Singles
Amy Finch had again proved herself to be a strong singles bowler in the Suffolk finals and was back in Lincoln to represent the County in the 4 bowl singles. Up against J. Jackson, a talented player from Huntingdonshire, Amy progressed initially to 3-3, but her opponent pulled away to 8-3 lead. However, Amy fought back to level at 9 shots and went into a one-shot lead at 10-9. The game then switched again in favour of the Hunts player as she overtook Amy with several skilful ends to go 15-10 ahead. With the score at 19-11 against her, Amy fought back determinedly and progressed to 15 shots before her opponent was able to clinch what had been a very high-level game. It was not surprising that the Hunts player went on to win the National title.
Ladies 4 Bowl Senior Singles
The Senior Singles got off to nervy start, with Sue Bryenton-Rochard and J.Thorpe, her N. Cambs opponent, both struggling to find consistency. After levelling at 6 all, Sue went 9-6 down after narrowly missing the jack with an attacking shot. The score had progressed to 12-8 to N. Cambs, when Sue found herself another 3 shots down. She was unable to improve the situation with her last wood and saw her opponents fourth shot come into the count resulting in a 16-8 lead. Sue worked hard to apply pressure and fought back to 18-15 down, only to drop 3 shots for a loss 21-15. Her opponent progressed through the competition to lose in the final.
Ladies Pairs
New pairing, Sue Bryenton-Rochard and Soe Soe Cole were our Suffolk representatives in the Ladies Pairs, with Soe Soe competing at Lincoln for the first time. Their game against Northants got off to a difficult start, with the opponents at 9-0 up before Suffolk got onto the board. Unfortunately, their fortunes did not improve until they were 16-4 down, when a fight-back took them to 17-10. Northants clinched the match with a single shot in the next end giving them an 18-10 result.
Ladies 2 Bowl Rinks
A bye in the first round brought the Suffolk team of Sandi Steed, Pauline Wright and Amy Finch into the second round of the competition, against Huntingdonshire. A late rink switch put them on to the live-streamed rink 4 which enabled Suffolk supporters to follow their game remotely. Our team had an excellent start, going to a 7-2 lead after seven ends. The tension built after two threes dropped in the next three ends brought Hunts up level at 8 all. However, in the eleventh end, close woods by Sandi and Pauline saw three shots regained. The momentum was maintained in a difficult 12th end. The first attempt was killed by the Hunts skip when Suffolk were holding and the replay was closely fought, but went to Suffolk when the opposing skip’s fire missed. One shot to Suffolk on that end was followed by two in the 13th end, taken by Amy removing the Hunts holding wood. At 14-8 Suffolk kept up the pressure when Amy converted two down to two up by moving the jack. The Hunts skip drew in the second wood when Suffolk had been holding three in the 15th end and Suffolk were fortunate in the 16th when the Hunts skip moved the jack to benefit our team by three. At 20-8 up, all seemed secure, but Hunts fought back and scored four in the 17th end. The next three ends also went to Hunts, benefitting by five shots, to bring the score to 20-17 going into the last end. Suffolk were two shots down when the Hunts skip played her last wood and failed to take a third, so Suffolk finally made it through to the semi-final by 20 shots to 19!
The semi-final was played against Norfolk. Suffolk scored four in the first end, but Norfolk equalised in the second. The game continued to go one way then the other in the early ends, with the score level at 8 all in the 6th end. At 14-11 ahead, Suffolk scored a four, followed by another shot in the 13th end. By the 15th end Suffolk were in a strong position at 21-12, but relaxed their grip and Norfolk took advantage, putting up short jacks which our ladies were not able to manage. As in the previous round, Suffolk saw their comfortable lead eroded and 14 shots were lost in five consecutive ends, resulting in a position five shots down at 20 ends (21-26). Our team gained one consolation shot in the final end, but went out of the competition 22-26.
Mixed Pairs
Shortly after the disappointment of the 2 Bowl Rinks semi-final, Sandi Steed returned to competition in the Mixed Pairs, partnering Martin Rumball in a first-round match against Nottinghamshire. Our players were challenged by the lines on the edge rink and it took until the fifth end for them to score (7-2). The sixth end saw them go down another three shots and they changed positions to steady the game. One more end went against them, but they scored a three in the 8th end to be 11-5 down. Single shots characterised the next few ends until the 14th end when a measure situation was changed by Sandi moving the jack and they went down three shots resulting in 17-7 against. Changing back positions was not able to appreciably alter the flow of the game, with the final score at 21-11 to the Notts pair.
Mixed Rinks
The Suffolk champions were not available to play their match against Lincolnshire.
By WebsiteCoordinator 13/03/26 0 comments
Held at Ipswich and District Indoor Bowls Centre, February 28th - March 1st
The joint Federation Indoor Finals for Suffolk again provided a feast of bowling, enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience of supporters. As usual, the SCBA and SCWBA committee members worked efficiently together to ensure a thoroughly successful weekend. We are also grateful to our hosts at IDIBC for making us so welcome.
For the photo gallery Please click here.
Saturday`s semi-finals featured several very hard-fought matches involving some players new to these competitions as well as many familiar faces. Jan Truin and Sue Bryenton-Rochard met up in both the 4 Bowl Singles and in the Senior Singles, with places in the finals divided equally. Playing with Soe Soe Cole, Sue gained a place in the final of the 2 Wood Pairs as well as the Senior Singles. One of the 2 Bowl Ladies Triples semi-finals saw Soe Soe, partnered by Gayle Hart and Linda Dyer close in on a win 18-16 against Pauline Anderson, Margaret Beck and Ann Horne.
The finals matches were also well contested. In the 4 Bowl Singles Jan Truin made a very strong start against Amy Finch, but Amy fought back steadily. A measure brought her level at 15 all on the 21st end. Although Jan added a further shot to her score, Amy completed her match with a close measure for three, winning 21-16. In the Senior Singles Sue Bryenton-Rochard applied pressure from the start against Pauline Wright, although scoring was tight, with only 13 shots won after 12 ends. The match concluded 21- 13 in Sue`s favour.
The 2 Wood Pairs Final was between Pauline Anderson and Margaret Beck and Soe Soe Cole and Sue Bryenton-Rochard. Soe Soe and Sue made the better start and were 6 shots ahead after 11 ends. Then a surge by Pauline and Margaret, winning three consecutive high-scoring ends, resulted in a move ahead to 15-12 by the 15th end. However, their hopes were dashed when Soe Soe and Sue progressed by 6 shots in the next two ends and held their lead to finish with their score at 22 shots against 16.
Soe Soe Cole partnered Gayle Hart and Linda Dyer against Sandi Steed, Pauline Wright & Amy Finch in the 2 Wood Triples Final. This was another well-contested match, with plenty of skilful play, but the defending champions proved to be too strong for the Blundeston trio, applying steady pressure throughout the match, which concluded 24-15 in their favour.
SCWBA ladies were also involved in the 2 Bowl Mixed Pairs and the Mixed Triples competitions. The Mixed Pairs final was initially closely contested between Sandi Steed and Martin Rumball and Amy Finch and Robert Kerry. The match was level 6 all at 8 ends, but Martin and Sandi pulled away to an eventual 21- 10 win. Ann Horne partnered Simon Drake and E. Alcock against Kim Davis, Paul Salmon and David Crimmins in the Mixed Triples final. Although the early ends were close, with the match level at 16 ends, Ann`s Lowestoft Railway triple took control later in the game. They completed the match with a win 22 shots to 15.
The raffle was very well supported, with the SCWBA`s share realising 185 pounds. Unclaimed prizes will be included in later raffles. Please note that sponsors are needed for all next year`s indoor competitions and one of the upcoming outdoor competitions. Treasurer Sally Smith will be happy to provide further information.
Finally, all our County champions are wished the very best of luck in the National finals at Lincoln and District IBC, from 21st to 26th April.
4 Bowls Singles - Amy Finch
Senior Singles - Sue Bryenton-Rochard
Ladies Pairs - Sue Bryenton-Rochard/Soe Soe Cole
2 Bowl Ladies - Triples Amy Finch/Pauline Wright/ Sandi Steed
2 Bowl Mixed Pairs - Martin Rumball/ Sandi Steed
Mixed Triples - S,Drake/Ann Horne/ E.Alcock