Bowls England is delighted to advise that Chief Executive, Tony Allcock, received his OBE from Queen Elizabeth II during an Investiture Ceremony at Buckingham Palace earlier this month.

Tony was awarded the OBE for services to Lawn Bowls in the Queen’s Birthday Honours earlier this year.

Her Majesty, who is the Patron of Bowls England, also presented Tony with his previous civil honour, the MBE, in 1989. Since that date he collected a further nine world titles during a distinguished playing career including back-to-back World Outdoor Singles titles in 1992 and 1996, and was Lawn Bowls Performance Director at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester – the team securing three Gold Medals in the eight events.

Following his competitive retirement from the sport, he has dedicated his life to developing and modernising the sport of bowls in his role as Chief Executive of the English Bowling Association in 2003 and then Bowls England following its formation in 2008.

Tony said: “It was a wonderful day and a privilege to receive the OBE from Her Majesty, especially as I understand that it is now rare for her to undertake such duties. After I had been called forward, Her Majesty asked me about the sport of bowls and my most recent award, which of course is in recognition of the work that has been undertaken by all involved with Bowls England.”

Note: Please note that there are strict licencing restrictions regarding the photographs of Tony with Queen Elizabeth II. A photograph can be viewed on Bowls England’s website (www.bowlsengland.com) and social media platforms (Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bowlsengland/ – Twitter: https://twitter.com/BowlsEngland), however must not be used for any other website or publication