Welcome to The Delivery! This is our daily feature that brings you a round-up of the action from the Aviva National Finals 2023 at Victoria Park, plus a preview for the following day.
Day Three Round Up – Saturday 12th August
Women’s Fours
It was another cracker of a day at this year’s Aviva National Finals with SEVEN sensational finals on our first Super Saturday.
The Women’s Fours Semi-Finals started the day off with two mouth-watering clashes. The first Semi-Final saw Sally Gilbert, Angela Service, Helen Moore, Lynn Orlando from Berkshire A (Didcot BC) put a stellar performance on our live stream against Kent B’s Emily Ferguson, Steph Crates, Paige Dennis, Sian Honnor (Appleyard BC) Kent to progress to the Women’s Fours Final winning 18-11.
The other side of the draw saw Jemma Tuohy, Yasmina Hasan, Elizabeth Anderson, Debbie Souter of Surrey A (Egham BC) come up against Donna Grant, Carol Gaskins, Katherine Hawes-Watts, Lorraine Kuhler representing Oxfordshire A (Oxford City & Cty). A fantastic match saw Surrey A come out on top and book their place in the Final.
The conclusion of the Women’s Fours saw a blockbuster of a match between Berkshire A and Surrey A. The game went back and forth with both sides delivering some fantastic bowls. After an edge of your seat match Jemma Tuohy, Yasmina Hasan, Elizabeth Anderson, Debbie Souter were eventual winners with a score line of 18-17, securing the Women’s Fours trophy for Surrey for the first time in 10 years.
For Women’s Fours results click here
Men’s Singles
We had a feast of matches in the Men’s Singles on Day Three with the Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and Final all played out on Super Saturday. Fresh from his victory yesterday against fellow British Isles competitor, Simon Jones, Tom McGuinness (Gerrards Cross BC, Buckinghamshire B) pushed on through the competition with a 21-17 victory over Simon Jones (Reading BC, Berkshire B).
Lewis King (Appleyard BC, Kent B) booked his place in the Semi-Final with a comprehensive 21-12 victory over Richard Moule (Vines Park BC, Worcestershire B) on A green, setting up a highly appealing clash with Tom McGuiness for a place in the Men’s Singles Final.
Elsewhere saw Darren Allsopp (New Lount BC, Leicestershire A) continue his title charge with a 21-12 win over Chris McGready (St Georges Dragon BC, Northumberland B).
The Semi-Finals didn’t disappoint. The first Semi-Final saw Darren Allsopp (New Lount BC, Leicestershire A) fly into the finals with a winning score of 21-9 against former England International John Rednall (Felixstowe & Suffolk BC, Suffolk A). The second Semi-Final continued the fantastic Bowls we have seen this year with Lewis King (Appleyard BC, Kent B) booking his place in the final after beating Tom McGuiness (Gerrards Cross BC, Buckinghamshire B) 21-16.
Then there were two… Lewis King (Appleyard BC, Kent B) faced Darren Allsopp (New Lount BC, Leicestershire A) on our live stream, which featured guest commentator and last year’s winner, Ed Morris. It was Lewis King who came out on top by securing his maiden Men’s Singles trophy with a 21-10 victory meaning the Men’s Singles are heading to Kent for the first time since 2016.
For Men’s Singles results click here.
Club Two Fours – Men
We had the conclusion of The Men’s Club Two Fours as well on Day 3 of the Aviva National Finals. First up were the Semi-Finals which saw Shanklin A (Isle of Wight) defeat Kings A (Devon) 38-32 in a brilliant bowls match. New Lount (Leicestershire) versus Worcester Bowling Club B (Worcestershire) was the other Semi-Final being played out on C Green which saw New Lount (Leicestershire) win 37-24 which set us up for a thrilling final.
And a thrilling final it was. Those watching around C Green were entertained with great performances from both teams. A well fought out final but there could only be one winner which went the way of Shanklin A (Isle of Wight) who just had a bit too much for a New Lount (Leicestershire) side who battled hard and put in a great effort.
For Men’s Club Two Fours results click here.
Tony Allcock Trophy
Another competition which came to an end on Day Three, with the Tony Allcock Trophy being one of seven finals on Super Saturday. Two Semi-Finals in the morning and two games which bought us some spectacular Bowls. Old Coulsdon (Surrey) showed their dominance with a 33-9 victory over a Norfolk side which performed well throughout the Tony Allcock Trophy but unfortunately just fell short in the Semi-Finals. In the other game, it was Leicester Club (Leicestershire) and Torquay A (Devon) battling it out for a place in the Tony Allcock final. It was Torquay A (Devon) who came out on top with a strong performance setting up an intriguing final with Old Coulsdon (Surrey).
After Two Days of battling their way through the competition Old Coulsdon (Surrey) and Torquay A (Devon) had worked their way through the competition for a chance to win the Tony Allcock Trophy. It was a fantastic final with both teams playing very well. Torquay A (Devon) just had enough to win 43-39 and played fantastically well to win the trophy.
For all Tony Allcock Trophy results click here.
Family Pairs
Family Pairs next and it again we were lucky to enjoy high-quality bowling here at Victoria Park. In store for those around A Green in the early afternoon were two highly contested Semi-Finals. Michael and Neil Corbyn (Northamptonshire) were too strong for George and Richard Reid (Buckinghamshire) with a 21-12 win taking them to the final. The other Semi-Final saw a closely contested match, with 18 ends of gripping bowls. Mark and Paul Sturtridge (Cornwall) narrowly won 14-13 against Christopher and Nicholas Pearce (Somerset) setting up a final against Northamptonshire.
A match worthy of any final, the Family Pairs competition came to a close after Michael and Neil Corbyn (Northamptonshire) and Mark and Paul Sturtridge (Cornwall) played a great final which went down to the wire. Just edging it, Mark and Paul were crowed Family Pairs champions with a 16-14 win.
For all Family Pairs results click here.
White Rose Trophy
Day Three also saw the White Rose be played out with the Semi-Finals in the morning and the Finals in the afternoon. With the final in sight, all semi-finalists battled hard and treated the audience to some special bowls. Kent and Cumbria fought for their spot in the White Rose final, with the score being 46-34 to Kent who had a chance of back-to-back White Rose victories. All that stood in their way was the winner of the second Semi-Final and the men from Cambridgeshire showed their quality with a 46-31 win over a gutsy Gloucestershire.
Now it was time for the highly anticipated Final between Kent and Cambridgeshire, who shared the green for one last dance in the White Rose competition. Stakes were high and the spectators around the B green were treated to bowls of the highest level. It was a fierce but friendly atmosphere between the teams and the crowd certainly added to the spectacle. After 21 ends of competitive bowls, it was Kent who were victorious with a 46-41 win and were crowned back-to-back White Rose Trophy champions here at the Aviva National Finals.
For all White Rose results click here.
Amy Rose
Similar to the White Rose, the Amy Rose also saw the Semi-Finals and Finals played out in one day. It was Devon who put in a great performance against Durham coming out 56-16 winners to put themselves in the mix to win the White Rose trophy. Last year’s winners Kent were vying to win for a second year running and the South East County gave themselves a chance by beating Leicestershire 48-33 to set up a mouth-watering Final against Devon.
Victoria Park played host to a final which went down to the wire with the last bowl winning the contest. The game ebbed and flowed between both counties and Devon and Kent put on a show for those watching. Two teams with great history in this competition played out a final to remember but it was Kent who were crowed Amy Rose champions for a second year running with the last bowl of the game securing a nail biting 38-37 win.
For all Amy Rose results click here.
Day Four Preview – Sunday 13th August
Day Four of the Aviva National Finals promises to bring high-drama and top-class bowls as the Women’s Triples and Men’s Pairs begin.
In the Women’s Triples Polegrove, Sussex will be looking to defend their crown by kicking off their trophy defence against Harpenden BC, Hertfordshire.
The Men’s Pairs see’s some stellar ties in prospect with spectators certain to be entertained by bowls of the highest standard.
Keep up-to-date with live scores at this year’s Aviva National Finals by clicking here. Simply select the competition you’re looking for and view the scores as they come in.
Bowls England is pleased to announce that all 18 days of the Aviva National Finals (10 – 27 August) will be streamed online, and available for everyone to view free of charge. Visit our official streaming platform here.
Social media coverage is available on Bowls England’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites.
Tickets to the National Finals start at just £4 for adults and £1 for Under 18s offer a full day of top-class sporting action. Event passes are available and all tickets are cheaper in advance.
Please note: Under 3s enter free of charge.
Get your Aviva National Finals 2023 tickets here!