Night League Report

Boston Indoor Bowling Club (Bibc)

Evening League Report                                             Week 18: 12 and 13 January 2026

Headline: Top two teams in each division at bowls club fighting to be first

The Evening League at Boston Indoor Bowls Club has just passed the half-way point of the season with the top two teams in each division vying for the title and leaving the others behind in their wake.

Holland Fen and Invaders are the top two in the Orchard Health Group First Division, six points apart, while Strollers in third place are a huge 25 points back.  In Cammacks Second Division, leaders Desperados are eleven points ahead of Hotspurs, with Vectors in third another 23 points behind.

All four top teams had 6-0 wins in the latest round.  Holland Fen beat Golfers soundly on both rinks, 26-10 and 24-12 for Martin Tomlin and Alex Tomlin, while Invaders faced Dynamics and won 29-8 on Nathan Dunnington’s rink, after a close start had seen them just 10-8 ahead, and 23-10 for Scott Whyers.

Desperados won against Woodpeckers, who started the week in fourth, Dean Harris’s rink taking the game 23-8 and Dave Allen winning a closer game 18-15, where the score had been tied 12-12 after 13 ends.  Hotspurs beat Shipmates 24-11 on Scot Gray’s rink and 20-11 on Ken Burr’s rink.

The next round sees a top-of-the-table clash between Desperados and Hotspurs, a crucial match that will go a long way to deciding which of these teams is promoted in April.

Strollers took only one point from their match against Optimists, sixth, as Paul Flatters’ rink scored 5 shots over the last two ends to tie the game 15-15.  Matt Whyers, making his return to the Evening League after several seasons with this debut for Optimists, won the other rink 23-13.

Breakaways moved up one place to fourth after beating Royal Mail 4-2, dominating Nick Whitmore’s rink to win 24-10.  Royal Mail took the other rink 18-14, with Keith Sharp in particularly good form, having led 13-2 at the half-way point.

A40 slipped one place into fifth after meeting Parthians and taking just two points for winning Lewis Skinner’s rink 18-8.  Keith Nix won the other rink for Parthians 22-11, also ensuring the extras for shot aggregate, so moving Parthians up to ninth as a result.

Finally, in this division, IBC beat Nomads 5-1 to remain in seventh, Steve Skelton winning 20-17, while the other rink ended in a 12-12 draw after a close game.

Vectors are third in Cammacks Division Two after beating Vikings 4-2.  Kevin Rockall’s rink largely controlled one rink to win 20-14.  The other rink was a low scoring affair, Vikings winning 11-9 after 18 ends.

Kingfishers in sixth place beat Burtons, fourth, 4-2 to continue a consistent run of form since late November.  Ian Pryke’s rink was trailing 5-8 after eight ends, but took control thereafter to run out victors by 21-13.  Trevor Dunnington skipped the other rink for Burtons and won 23-17.

Central beat Phantoms 6-0, a very good result after a disappointing season.  Sandra Copeland’s rink trailed 3-12 early on and fought back to win 15-12.  Likewise, David Boyne was 7-13 behind and won 16-15.

Stephen Boycott

Boston Indoor Bowling Club (Bibc)

Evening League Report                                                   Week 17: 5 and 6 January 2026

Headline: Dramatic extra end sees the Denny team thru to the next round

The men’s Denny Plate squad at Boston Indoor Bowls Club have squeezed through to the quarter final of this national team competition, but only in the most dramatic of circumstances.  Four hours of play across four rinks, two at home in Boston and two away at Erewash, Nottingham, left the aggregate score tied at 68-68.  An extra end was played and won in Boston to secure passage through to the next round.

Of the home rinks, Martin Tomlin won 17-14, while Matt Whyers lost 15-18 after being 15-11 up with three ends to go.  Away, Andy Reeson led throughout to win 21-16, while the lead on Jonathan West’s rink fluctuated, ending in a 15-20 loss

The extra end was played and won by Matt Whyers’ rink, with Ian Clark, Paul Flatters and Alex Tomlin, for victory overall, 69-68.  The next round is against Falcon from Chelmsford on Saturday 7^th February.

The Evening League has restarted after the break over Christmas and New Year.  The top three in the Orchard Health Group First Division won 6-0 to keep their relative positions.  Holland Fen beat Breakaways 21-9 on Martin Tomlin’s rink and, coming back from 5-12 behind, won 15-14 on Chris Gill’s.

Invaders played Golfers, winning 21-8 and 23-14.  Strollers were made to work hard in beating Nomads, taking Andy Warne’s 18-15, after leading 8-0 and later 17-6, and Mick Hippisley’s rink 18-14.

IBC beat A40 4-2, enough to move both teams up one place in the table, IBC to seventh and A40 to fourth.  A40’s points came from Andy Scotney’s rink as they controlled their game to win 22-7.  IBC and Ian Smith were dominant to win 24-7 for two points and ensuring the extras for the shot aggregate.

Parthians, in tenth place, took all the points against Optimists, sixth.  Richard Keeling pulled away over the final ends to win 22-13.  The score on Keith Nix’s rink went back and forth repeatedly, Parthians finally gaining ascendency at the end to claim the win 22-21.

Royal Mail took 2 points off Dynamics by winning one rink 18-11, while Dynamics took the other rink 20-11.

The gap between the top two teams in Cammacks Second Division has opened up to 11 points after this week’s matches, where Desperados beat Burtons 6-0, while Hotspurs met in-form Vectors and only scored one point.

Adam Hodgson and Dean Harris skipped their Desperados rinks to good wins, respectively 19-8 and 25-20.

Vectors, now third, gave Hotspurs a tough battle across both rinks.  John Mitchell, Yvonne Heppenstall and skip Colin Heppenstall were in good form, building a 13-1 lead and eventually winning 19-13.  Kevin Rockall’s rink fell 5-11 behind before finishing well to draw their game 14-14.

Kingfishers overcame Phantoms 4-2, one rink playing well to run out 24-10 winners, while the second rink was closely fought until Kingfishers built a useful 15-8 advantage, then Phantoms finished well to win 18-16.

In beating Shipmates 6-0, Amateurs moved up to seventh, Jeff Homewood winning 27-8 and Trevor Coulson 16-15.

Stephen Boycott

 

Boston Indoor Bowling Club (Bibc)

Evening League Report                                  Christmas Tournament: 28 December 2025

Headline: Popular Christmas Tournament at bowls club is a success

Seventy-two bowlers came together in the traditional Christmas Tournament at Boston Indoor Bowls Club for a competitive day’s bowling midway between Christmas and New Year.  Generously sponsored by Ann Quickfall and the club’s Bonus Ball, twenty-four teams of three competed in an open drawn triples competition, playing three games each.

The open draw format brought together bowlers of varying ability and experience in each team, giving those of more modest ability the opportunity to compete alongside and against those of greater experience.  Each game was played over a maximum of ten ends, with each end won scoring a point and another 4 points awarded for winning the game overall.

The tournament winners, with three wins out of three, were Jayne Long, Steve Wilkinson and Derek Smith, with 28 points and a shot aggregate of +15.  They were the only team to win all of their matches on the day, with results of 10-4, 13-6 and 8-6.

In second place, with two wins and a loss, were Malc Hilton, Ann Quickfall and Ken Burr, on 25 points and +14, who won 14-2 and 8-5 and only narrowly lost their third game 6-7.

Just beaten into third place on 25 points and +13 were Mick Elley, Ken Bainbridge and Aidan Brickles, with two wins and a draw.  Wins of 9-6 and 13-3 were followed by a 7-7 draw in their last game.

Another ten teams won two of their games while losing just one, with prize money awarded down to eighth place.  The tournament was well organised and efficiently run by Mark Brown and Carol Dowse.

Stephen Boycott

Boston Indoor Bowling Club (Bibc)

Evening League Report                                           Week 16: 22 and 23 December 2025

Headline: Latest results strengthen the top of both divisions at bowls club

Matches in the Evening League at Boston Indoor Bowls Club in the week running up to Christmas, the half-way stage of the season, saw the consolidation of positions at the top of both divisions.

The top four teams in the Orchard Health Group First Division all won 6-0.  Holland Fen met Optimists, newcomers to this division and currently sixth, Martin Tomlin’s rink dominating to win 27-9, while Alex Tomlin’s was closely fought for 14 ends before they pulled away to a decisive 23-12 win.

Invaders faced bottom side, Royal Mail, easily winning Rod West’s rink 32-9, but having a tight game on Scott Whyers’ rink, where they held on to win by just two shots, 20-18.

Strollers’ recent good form since late November saw them win well on both rinks against Parthians to take all the points, Andy Warne by 26-5 and Paul Flatters 28-16.

Breakaways have reached fourth in the table, their highest position this season, after getting the better of Golfers in two close games, winning 14-13 on the last end for Mark Brown and 14-11 for Mike Rymer.

A40 beat Nomads 4-2 to reach the half-way stage of the season in fifth place, trailing Breakaways by just two points.  Sue Hoyles’ rink was standing at 10-10 after ten ends, then they pulled ahead to win 19-14.  The other rink was 13-13 with two ends to go, before Rita Epton won the last ends to take the game 17-13 for Nomads.

IBC had their best result since mid-October in taking all the points against Dynamics to move above them into eighth, Steve Skelton winning 19-14 and Ian Smith 18-13.

Cammacks Second Division is led by Desperados by six points from Hotspurs with Woodpeckers in third, a further 21 points behind.

Hotspurs beat Vikings 6-0 convincingly on both rinks, Ken Burr’s rink winning 26-10 and Scot Gray’s 24-14.

Vectors are currently fifth, but were third for six weeks during the autumn after having their best season of late, gave Desperados a tough game on both rinks and were unlucky not to score any points.  Dave Allen’s Desperados rink fell 0-13 behind very quickly, then clawed their way back into the game, eventually winning 18-16.  The score on Adam Hodgson’s rink was close for ages, but they ended by winning 18-12.

Woodpeckers have proved to be a difficult team to beat since early November and this time they won 4-2 against Burtons.  Mike Rhodes’ rink dominated the scoring to win 25-7.  Burtons took the other rink 19-11 for 2 points for skip Dave Bailey.

Kingfishers have been in sixth place since late November and were too strong for Central, Ian Pryke skipping his rink to a good 24-8 win.  On the other rink, Kingfishers went into an early 13-0 lead and held on to win 19-15, in spite of Central coming back at them.

Phantoms rallied after some poor results recently to beat Amateurs 6-0, winning Roy Stanley’s rink 22-15 and just grabbing Graham Taylor’s on the last end 12-11.

Stephen Boycott

 

Boston Indoor Bowling Club (Bibc)

Evening League Report                                           Week 15: 15 and 16 December 2025

Headline: Key matches at both ends of bowls club top division

This week saw key matches take place at both ends of the Orchard Health Group First Division of the Evening League at Boston Indoor Bowls Club.

Holland Fen beat Invaders 5-1, thereby stretching their advantage over them to six points at the top of the first division table.  Martin Tomlin’s rink had the edge throughout and ran out convincing winners by 30-11.  On the second rink, Invaders steadily built an eight-shot advantage to lead 20-12 with two ends to go, only for Holland Fen to score 3 shots, then 5, to bring the scores level at 20-20.

At the other end of the table, bottom side Nomads met and beat Royal Mail 6-0 and so moved above them by four points.  Pino Venniri’s rink were in charge from the off, winning 20-10.  The other rink was closer, Mel Maddison winning 20-15.

Strollers are third, 20 points behind Invaders and ten ahead of the sides below them.  Here, they met IBC, beating them 25-10 and 17-16 for Paul Flatters and Andy Warne.

Optimists took all the points against A40, making their sixth place in the table more secure as a result.  Both rinks were finely balanced before Optimists pulled ahead, winning 23-13 after being 11-10, and 14-10 after the score was 10-10.

Dynamics started strongly against Breakaways on both rinks, building a nine-shot lead on both before Breakaways began to catch up.  Nick Whitmore’s Breakaways rink trailed 3-12, but dominated the second half of the game to run out 19-14 winners.  Graham Wilkinson held on to win the second rink 17-16 for Dynamics having established an early 11-2 lead.

Parthians beat Golfers, three places above them, 4-2.  Ron Moore’s rink won 21-16 having built their advantage steadily throughout the game.  Parthians built a 14-3 lead on the other rink, then David Marshall for Golfers got some control of the game to win 19-17.

Desperados head Cammacks Second Division by six points from Hotspurs after they beat Central 6-0, with Hotspurs dropping two points as they beat in-form Woodpeckers 4-2.

Central competed strongly in spite of their lowly position and made Desperados work hard to claim all the points.  Dave Allen’s rink fell 7-13 behind, but won the last five ends to take the game 21-13.  Dean Harris’s rink led the game until Central levelled the scores at 17-17 before Desperados took the last end to win 21-17.

Scot Gray skipped his Hotspurs rink to win 19-15, while the lead on the other rink swung back and forth, Richard Cullen hanging on to win 22-21 for Woodpeckers.

Burtons had a good win over Phantoms, moving them up to third, Dave Bailey winning 25-6 and Chris Hill 19-10.

Vectors are fifth, equal on points with Woodpeckers, after beating Shipmates 4-2.  Colin Heppenstall’s rink built a 15-2 lead and won 22-12.  Mick Ross took the other rink for Shipmates, 16-13, after trailing 8-11.

Two closely fought rinks saw Amateurs beat Vikings 4-2, Mick Williamson winning 17-15 for Amateurs and John Millership 15-14 for Vikings.

Stephen Boycott

Boston Indoor Bowling Club (Bibc)

Evening League Report                                               Week 14:8 and 9 December 2025

Headline: Men’s Denny team at bowls club through to the next round

The Men’s team at Boston Indoor Bowls Club successfully overcame Horncastle in the latest round of the Denny Plate National Team Competition to progress through to the next stage in the New Year.

The final score was 84-73 with the home rinks led by Martin Tomlin and Chris Gill winning their games, 22-12 and 17-14.  At Horncastle, Jonathan West’s rink ended with a draw, 23-23, after establishing a 20-3 lead early-on and Andrew Reeson‘s lost 22-24.

The latest two rounds of games in the Orchard Health Group First Division of the Evening League saw Invaders narrow the gap on the leaders, Holland Fen, to two points, with their next match seeing them meet head-to-head.  Holland Fen were seriously challenged by Nomads, currently bottom, albeit winning 5-1 and gaining the shot aggregate by a mere 2 shots, after scores of 14-12 and 14-14, then lost a rink against Royal Mail, 16-18, winning the other 19-9.

Invaders beat Optimists 4-2, winning one rink 30-9, losing the other 22-27, then beat the in-form A40 team 6-0, recording wins of 22-9 and 16-13.  A40’s other match was a 5-1 win against Royal Mail, 19-16 and 19-19, although Royal Mail looked to be in a good position to secure all the points with significant leads on both rinks with just 30 minutes to go.

Strollers moved into third place above A40 after two 6-0 wins against Dynamics, 29-9 and 22-16, and Breakaways, 20-15 and 16-10.  Breakaways are fifth after beating Parthians 6-0, winning 20-11 and 22-16.

Optimists have risen to sixth following a 5-1 win against Nomads by 22-6 and 17-17.  Golfers are up to seventh after taking all the points against Dynamics, winning 24-13 and 21-13.

IBC beat Golfers 4-2, winning 25-15 and losing the other rink 16-21.  They took just 2 points from their game against Parthians by winning 13-10, losing the other rink to Ron Moore 15-19 and losing the shot aggregate by just one shot.  IBC have contested a number of closely fought games this season, with one 3-3 draw, two games where they won the shot aggregate by one shot and three others where they lost the aggregate by one, two or three shots.

In Cammacks Second Division, Desperados have a four-point gap over Hotspurs after convincingly beating Kingfishers 31-10 and 23-14, while Hotspurs took 5 points against Burtons, winning 31-11 and drawing 19-19, and just 2 points from Amateurs for winning 17-15, the other rink losing 15-21.

Woodpeckers have risen to third following two 6-0 wins against Amateurs, by 20-10 and 13-12, and Phantoms, 17-6 and 19-16, meaning they’ve now scooped all the points from their last four matches.

Vectors slipped to fourth in spite of beating Central 25-3 and 20-12, while Burtons are fifth following a 6-0 win over Vikings, 24-11 and 20-14.  Kingfishers stay in sixth after beating Shipmates 27-6 and 17-15.

Vikings and Shipmates won 4-2 against Phantoms and Central respectively, Vikings winning one rink 16-10, losing the other 20-22, and Shipmates winning 25-12, losing 12-18.

 

Boston Indoor Bowling Club (Bibc)

Evening League Report                                               Week 13: 1 and 2 December 2025

Headline: Successful bowls-cricket evening at bowls club

A fun Saturday evening at the indoor bowls club recently attracted a full house of 48 bowlers to compete in the first bowls-cricket competition of the season, generously sponsored by Ian and Sandra Tebbs and organised by Scott Whyers and Nathan Dunnington.

Split into 16 teams of three bowlers, each team played three preliminary games, the best four progressing through to the knock-out rounds.  Starting each game with the score at 20-20, points could be deducted from an opponent’s score by bowling around an obstacle to hit some wickets and added to your score by bowling to a target, scoring anything from one to ten.

The winners were Keith Swain, Nathan Dunnington, Trish Dunn and Scott Whyers, who were clear winners of their semi-final 50-15 and then took the final 40-22, beating John Clark, Sue Hoyles, Jeff Ginsburgh and Marilyn Read, who had won a dramatic semi-final by one point, 31-30.

Also recently, the Denny team played the first round in the Plate competition against Grantham, winning 95-78 across the four rinks to progress into the next round against Horncastle on 6^th December.  Sadly, the women’s Yetton team lost to Lincoln, 68-89, in their second-round match, as did the mixed Egham team who met Spalding Lightning, losing 61-77, to end their participation for this season.

Week 12 of the Evening League witnessed plenty of action in both divisions, strengthening the positions of teams at the top.

The key game in the Orchard Health Group First Division saw third-placed A40, currently in good form, meet the leaders Holland Fen, beating them 4-2 and taking the shot aggregate by just a single shot.  Sue Hoyles’ rink established a 15-4 lead early-on, eventually winning 20-13.  Les Feary held the advantage on the other rink to win 16-10.

Invaders beat bottom side Nomads 6-0, to move within three points of the leaders.  Nathan Dunnington, bowling with Ian Tebbs and Harry Allerton, had a storming win, 34-3, while Rod West’s rink won 17-11.

Strollers, fourth, and Golfers, eighth, shared the points 3-3 with two closely contested rinks, Paul Flatters winning 16-12 and David Marshall 19-15.

Dynamics and Breakaways both won 6-0 to remain tied on points in fifth and sixth places, Dynamics beating Parthians 23-13 and 20-13 and Breakaways overcoming IBC, just, 24-23 and 17-15.

Finally, Optimists beat Royal Mail on both rinks 32-12 and 27-11 to move up two places to seventh.

In Cammacks Second Division, the top two, Desperados and Hotspurs, both won 6-0 from positions of total control.  For Desperados, Dave Allen won 25-9 and Adam Hodgson 20-10, while Hotspurs won 22-11 for Scot Gray and 19-8.

Kingfishers beat third-placed Vectors 4-2, moving up to sixth as a result, with Ian Pryke’s rink having a good 20-9 win.  Colin Heppenstall took the other rink 16-10.

Burtons and Woodpeckers, fourth and fifth, both had 6-0 wins against Amateurs and Vikings respectively.  Chris Hill’s rink won 15-9 and Trevor Dunnington’s 20-14 for Burtons, while Richard Cullen won 16-10 and Phil Exton 16-12 for Woodpeckers.

Stephen Boycott

 

Boston Indoor Bowling Club (Bibc)

Evening League Report                                           Week 11: 17 and 18 November 2025

Headline: Holland Fen and Invaders dominate top bowls league

As Holland Fen and Invaders continue to dominate the top of the Orchard Health Group First Division of the Evening League at Boston Indoor Bowls Club, the teams below them are left to fight for the minor places, with those in third and fourth only two points apart and six more not far behind them.

Holland Fen took all six points from their game against IBC, who are seventh, with Martin Tomlin’s rink, with Keith Tointon and Chris Gill, winning well 27-9 and Les Feary’s rink winning 22-12. 

Invaders won 6-0 against Strollers, who slipped one place to fourth as a result, in two closely-fought, competitive games, the final scores being 21-18 on Scott Whyers’ rink and 18-14 on Nathan Dunnington’s.

A40 are the new team in third after another good result this week, beating Breakaways 4-2.  Andy Scotney’s rink, playing with Lewis Skinner and Petra Woods, established a 17-1 lead before winning 25-9.  Nick Whitmore skipped his Breakaways rink to a solid 16-9 win, controlling the game from the start.

Optimists had their best result since mid-September in beating Dynamics, sixth, on both rinks.  The score on Andy Reeson’s rink was tight at 13-12 after thirteen ends, then they dominated the final ends to run out 28-12 winners.  Aidan Brickles’ rink was 12-9 up before finishing 22-12 with a good finish.

Golfers, eighth, met bottom team, Nomads, taking four points after winning Graham Scarboro’s rink 22-11 and claiming the extras for shot aggregate.  Rita Epton took the second rink 19-14 for Nomads

Parthians in tenth beat Royal Mail, one place below them, 6-0.  Keith Nix’s rink was in total control for seven ends as they built a 12-0 lead before Royal Mail found their form, reducing the Parthians’ lead to just four shots at the end, leaving the score 20-16.  Richard Keeling’s rink was close at 8-9 after ten ends, then they pulled away to win 20-11.

Both top teams in Cammacks Second Division had 6-0 wins to maintain their one-two positions in the table.  Desperados met Amateurs, winning 23-11 and 16-13 for Dean Harris and Dave Allen.  Mike Long’s rink built a 16-1 advantage against Kingfishers before running out 26-11 winners.  The other rink was tied at 8-8 after eleven ends, then Ken Burr pulled away to win 19-11.

Vectors met Phantoms and registered their third 6-0 win of the season to consolidate their third place in the division.  Kevin Rockall, supported by Chris Parker and John Mitchell, started well and dominated the game to win 24-10.  The score on the other rink was tight throughout, ending 15-13 for Colin Heppenstall after winning the last two ends.

Burtons moved up two places into fourth after beating Shipmates 5-1.  Trevor Dunnington’s rink had the lead from early-on and won 18-14.  The other rink ended in a 15-15 draw for Chris Hill and Jeff Ginsburgh.

Vikings beat Central 4-2, John Stray’s rink winning 18-13, enough to ensure the extras for shot aggregate.  David Boyne’s Central won the other rink 13-10.

Stephen Boycott

Boston Indoor Bowling Club (Bibc)

Evening League Report                                           Week 10: 10 and 11 November 2025

Headline: Top teams have clear lead in both Night League divisions at bowls club

Week Ten of the Evening League at Boston Indoor Bowls Club saw the end of the first round of games, with the top two teams in each division having a significant lead over the rest.

Holland Fen head the Orchard Health Group First Division by seven points over Invaders with third-placed Strollers another 18 points behind.  In Cammacks Second Division, Desperados and Hotspurs are separated by five points at the top, with Vectors 14 points away in third.