National Competitions 2023 – Frequently Asked Questions

Our competitions are open to players of all abilities – with a range of events designed to meet your individual requirements.

We particularly welcome entries from those who may not have entered one of our competitions before, as this is a great opportunity to improve your game, take on one of our elite athletes and perhaps win a place at the National Finals at Royal Leamington Spa.

All events are organised on a knock-out basis, with the majority of the early rounds played locally and the National Finals at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa, which hosted the Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

So whether you are a regular competitor or new to our sport we have plenty of opportunities for you to get involved.

All National Competitions can be entered on the Bowls England Competition Portal here. Competitions are now open.

Event	Entry Fee
Men’s Senior Singles	£4.50
Men’s Senior Pairs	£9.00
Men’s Champion of Champions	£6.50
Women’s Senior Singles	£4.50
Women’s Senior Pairs	£9.00
Women’s Champion of Champions	£6.50
Mixed Pairs	£9.00
Mixed Fours	£18.00
Family Pairs	£9.00
Men’s Club Two Fours	£30.00
Tony Allcock Trophy	£30.00
Men’s Top Club	£30.00
Women’s Top Club	£30.00

Entries close on 1^st March 2023 at 9am.

Unfortunately we only accept entries from playing members of affiliated clubs to Bowls England, a full list of clubs affiliated can be found here.

You can create an account on the Bowls England Competition Portal; our Step by Step Guide will guide you through the process here.

Formats vary depending on the competition. To view the formats to all National Competitions click here.

All competitions will show in the account of the person who made the entry. Please contact us in writing via comps@bowlsengland.com if an entry is not showing in your account and we will sort for you.

The fastest and easiest way to enter is online. However, if you do not have access to the internet, please give us a call on 01926 334609.  Please note that our normal working hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. We will respond to all messages at the earliest opportunity.

Yes. Entries for fellow bowlers can be made through your account. Once the entry has been made you are able to assign the entry to someone else. Click here for step by step instructions to do this here.

We no longer send out paper entry forms. All entrants must create an account on the competition portal. Once you have created an account click on the relevant competition you wish to enter and follow the onscreen instructions in order to make your entry.

All competitions need to be purchased individually. For ease our payment system allows you to save your card details for further entries.

All individual competitions are set to allow one entry only. If you wish to make an entry on behalf of a fellow competitor please email us at comps@bowlsengland.com

The option is available within your account to name your team upon entry, and this will help you keep track of who you have entered with. However, we only need to know the entrant’s name prior to the first match being played within each competition.

Refunds are accepted up until entries close at 9am on 1^st March 2023. Our refund policy can be viewed within the competition entry Terms and Conditions here. Please note, a small administration fee will be applied for all refunds.

Players entering National Championships in another country are eligible to participate in all Individual National Competitions. The rules differ for Inter-Club competitions; see below.

No – players must represent the same club/county in both National Championships and National Competitions.

• Senior Singles and Pairs is open to all affiliated members aged 55 years and over on the 1^st April in the year of the competition.
• The Tony Allcock Trophy is open to all affiliated members aged of 60 years and over on the 1^st April in the year of the competition.

If you are unable to log in, click the ‘Reset Password’ button on the login page which will email you a new temporary password. Click here for step by step instructions to do this here.

Your email is your login for your account on the portal. To amend your email address, please login with your old email to access your account. Then select >My Account>Edit Profile and your account details will appear. You will then be able to update your email and any other account details as required.

You can amend your club at any point prior to the closing date for entries in any particular competition. In order to do this please email comps@bowlsengland.com with your name, the club to be amended and your new club.

The list as shown within each competition is updated periodically by Bowls England. Your online account is your first point of call to check on entries that you have entered.

To confirm your entry, view your competitions within your account. Select ‘Edit’ against the particular competition and the following screen will ask you if this entry is for you or someone else. You can confirm your entry by selecting ‘Myself’. If the competition entry is for ‘Someone Else’ you will need to enter their details in order to confirm the entry. Click here for step by step instructions to do this here.

In the Family Pairs, pairings do not need to belong to the same club or county in order to participate as a team. Both plauers must be members of a club affiliated to Bowls England.

For Inter-Club Competitions all players must be affiliated members of the same club, that club being the same club that they enter/play National Championships out of.

For Pairs events in National Competitions, players do not need to be members of the same club in order to participate. They are required, however, to play from the same county in all National Competition disciplines – that county being the same county where they play their National Championships. The exception is those clubs affiliated to two counties due to historic geographic circumstances.

The following pairings are permissible:

• Grandmother and granddaughter/grandson
• Grandfather and granddaughter/grandson
• Mother and daughter/son
• Father and daughter/son
• Sister and sister/brother
• Brother and brother/sister
• Step relatives of the above are also eligible to play
• Marriage
• Civil Partnership

Pairings need not necessarily be members of the same affiliated Club or County to participate.

Only players who meet one of the following qualifying criteria are permitted to enter:

Club:

• Men’s Club Championship Four-Bowl Singles Champion
• Women’s Club Championship Four-Bowl Singles Champion

 

County:

• Men’s County Four-Bowl Singles Champion
• Women’s County Four-Bowl Singles Champion
• Men’s County Junior Four-Bowl Singles Champion
• Women’s County Junior Four-Bowl Singles Champion
• National Senior Singles 2022 Area Winners

 

National:

• Men’s & Women’s National Champion of Champions Champion
• Men’s & Women’s National Four-Bowl Singles Champion
• Men’s & Women’s National Junior Four-Bowl Singles Champion
• Men’s & Women’s National Senior Singles Champion

Players who have moved clubs during the close season are still eligible to enter the Champion of Champions providing that Bowls England receives written approval from the affiliated Club or County Secretary where they secured qualification no later than 9am on 1st March 2023.

All National Competitions shall comprise of areas – organised geographically to reduce travelling in the early rounds wherever possible. Counties with a high number of entries may be split into two areas, counties with a low number of entries may be paired with a neighbouring county to form an area.

Individual National Competitions:

All early rounds are played to play by dates.

 

Inter-Club Competitions:

All rounds are played to play by dates. The Quarter Finals onwards will be played at the National Finals at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa, which hosted the Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

No. All matches must be played at an affiliated club in the same area of the competition involved. The venue of the match must be stipulated when dates are offered.

Below the waist:

• Navy, black, grey or white trousers
• Navy, black, grey or white shorts manufactured for the sport of bowls
• Club/County apparel that has been registered with the County/Bowls England
• Flat soled bowling shoes
• Bowls England licensed apparel may also be worn

Above the waist:

• White or predominantly white shirts
• Club/County apparel that has been registered with the County/Bowls England
• Headgear, if worn, should be white or a registered colour
• White waterproof clothing may be used, or, providing all members of a side or team wear the same, registered colour waterproof/fleeces are permitted
• Bowls England licensed apparel may also be worn

 

All members of the side or team shall wear the same colour above and/or below the waist

The start time for any match shall be set by the Challenger when the dates are offered, but no player/team/side shall be compelled to accept a time earlier than 6.00pm Monday to Friday or 9.30am on a Saturday or Sunday. However matches can be played at a time outside of the above timescales if mutually agreed.

• The last 16 in all Individual National competitions and last 8 in Inter-Club Competitions will qualify for the National Finals.
• In Inter-County competitions the last four (semi-finalists) will qualify for the National Finals.

The Bowls England National Finals will take place from Thursday 10th August to Sunday 27th August 2023 inclusive at Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa, which hosted the Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls at Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Click here to view the National Finals schedule.