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2023 News

Centenary Video Premiere

7th October 2023

The Club's Centenary Video was premiered on the afternoon of Saturday 7th October 2023, in the club house at Consett Park Bowling Club.  In addition to the Centenary video, there was a "making of" video, featuring pupils from Castleside Primary School, and an irreverent animation celebrating three of the Club's founder members. 

Thank you to the members and guests who came along to enjoy the videos and buffet, and thank you to everyone involved in the making of the videos.

The videos are available to watch in the comfort of your own homes, by visiting the Centenary Video page. On the same page, you can discover how the videos came about, and see some stills and quotations.

Internal Floodlit Triples Competition

13th and 14th September 2023

Congratulations to Sue Ramage, Arthur Reeve and Ernie Lawson, winners of the 2023 Internal Floodlit Triples competition. 

Inter-Club Floodlit Triples Competition

6th, 7th and 8th September 2023

Congratatulations to Consett Park squad Alan Platt, Marcus Joel, Brian Herron, and Terry Coyle who were the 2023 winners of the inter-club floodlit triples competition.  

The competition took place over three evenings, with each of the ten competing teams playing each other once, in a league format. Each game was 10 ends, with 2 points awarded for a win and 1 point for a draw. The squad finishing top won the Bill Cox Trophy. The rules allowed Clubs to use a squad of between 3 and 27 players over the three evenings.

The weather was perfect on all three evenings, making for a very enjoyable event. The floodlights and the evening dew added to the interest.

The trophy was presented by the Club's chairman, John Mitchell.

Thanks to the organisers, players and supporters.  We look forward to the 2024 event.

Kaydar Visit

Tueday 29th August 2023

We were pleased to welcome the Kaydar clients who visited the club on 29th August 2023. After lunch, everyone enjoyed the experience of bowling. 

Thanks to Dave, Helen, Pamela and Wenna for the coaching, and to all the trainee bowlers.

Jack Bond Competition, for the Darren James Trophy

Sunday 27th August and Monday 28th August 2023

Well done Brian Herron and Tom Adamson, who reached the final of the Jack Bond Competition.

Congratatulations to Brian, who was victorious in a very close game and is the 2023 winner of the Darren James Trophy.  

The trophy was presented to Brian by the Club's president, Jim Ruddick.

Thanks to David Gray for organising the event, and to the members who kept the bowlers happy with bacon butties, pies and drinks.

There are more photographs, including all of the quarter-finalists, in the Gallery.

South West Durham Veterans Bowling League Second Division

Wednesday 23rd August 2023

Congratulations to Consett Park Bowling Club, winners of the South West Durham Veterans Bowling League, Second Division. Consett Park won the league on 23rd August with one round of games to play.

Thanks to all the players, reserves, and supporters.

This was Consett Park's first season in the South West Durham Veterans Bowling League. 

South West Durham Veterans Bowling League Open Triples

Friday 18th August 2023

Congratulations to Peter Hudspith, Alan Bell and Derek Metcalfe, the winners of the South West Durham Veterans Bowling League Open Triples competition.

The final was played at Lanchester, where the Consett Park team won 21-18 against a team from Sherburn Village. 

Consett Park Bowling Club Open Pairs

Sunday 13th August 2023

Congratulations to the winners Alan Clark (Dipton) and David Stoker (South Moor).

The runners-up were Michael Cregan (Dipton) and Neil Pears (Leadgate).

Norma Shaw Trophy Competition

Sunday 6th August 2023

Congratulations to Teresa Pearson (Consett Park) and Ann Baggett (White-le-Head) on winning the Norma Shaw Trophy competition today at Darlington Woodland Bowling Club. 

John Haney Over 60 Competition

Sunday 6th August 2023

Congratulations to Terry Coyle on winning the John Haney Over 60 Competition. The runner-up was Dennis Lavery.

The John Haney Trophy was presented to Terry Coyle by the Club President, Jim Ruddick.

Amble Open Fours

Saturday 5th August 2023

Congratulations to Consett Park's Terry Coyle, Alan Platt, Brian Herron and Marcus Joel, who won the Amble Open Fours.

It was all Consett Park final; the runners-up were Derek Metcalfe, Jimmy Rogan. Karl Simmonds and Peter Hudspith.

The final went to an extra end, and finished 6-5.

North West Durham Bowls League - Midweek League

Wednesday 2nd August 2023

Congratulations to Consett Park Bowling Club, winners of the NWDBL Midweek League.

Thanks to all the players, reserves, and supporters.

Consett Park last won the Midweek League in 2004.  You can see all the NWDBL winners in the History section. 

County Ladies Triples

Sunday 30th July 2023

More great news from the County finals!

Congratulations to Consett Park's Teresa Pearson, Sue Ramage, and Ann Mitchell, winners of the County Ladies Triples competition. 

The final at Houghton Dairy Lane finished Houghton Dairy Lane 14-16 Consett Park. 

Good luck to the ladies at Royal Leamington Spa in August.

There are more photos in the Gallery section.

Results

  Darlington Woodlands (J.Robinson) 15 v 18 Consett Park

  Houghton Dairy Lane (N.Stephenson) v w/o Consett Park

Semi Final (@Pelton Fell)

  Durham City (J.Woodward) 15 v 16 Consett Park

Final (@Houghton Dairy Lane)

  Consett Park 16 v 14 Houghton Dairy Lane (J.Rogerson) 

County Ladies Fours

Sunday 30th July 2023

Congratulations to Consett Park's Sue Ramage, Teresa Pearson, Pamela Snowball, and Ann Mitchell, winners of the County Ladies Fours competition. 

The final at Houghton Dairy Lane finished Consett Park 23-13 Jarrow West End. 

Good luck to the ladies at Royal Leamington Spa in August.

There are more photos in the Gallery section.

Results

  Consett Park 17 v 15 Sunderland (L.Brehney)

Semi Final (@Pelton Fell)

  Consett Park 23 v 15 Durham City (J.Woodward)

Final (@Houghton Dairy Lane)

  Consett Park 23 v 13 Jarrow West End (J.Clift)

North West Durham Bowls League Pairs

Friday 28th July 2023

Congratulations to Consett Park's Alan Platt and Marcus Joel, winners of the North West Durham Bowls League Pairs competition. 

The runners up were Star Scudder and Robin Scudder (White-le-Head). 

Consett Park vs Darlington South Park

Friday 21st July 2023 2:00pm

We welcomed Darlington South Park to our club on Friday 21st July, and we thank them for helping us to celebrate our centenary year.  

We established a strong relationship with Darlington South Park in the 1920s, and the two clubs played each other annually, for about 50 years.  This arose because of the Alsop brothers, one of whom played for Darlington and the other for Consett.  You can read more about Ralph Alsop, our first chairman, on our website. Both brothers were president of their respective clubs, and both became President of the Durham County Bowling Association and the English Bowling Association. They were both awarded the CBE.

You can read the Consett Guardian reports of the matches played in 1927 and 1929 on our website. 

In keeping with tradition, in the Centenary game there were four rinks of four players, with two bowls each, and 21 ends were played.  The weather wasn't perfect, but the game went ahead with only a couple of light showers, which didn't disrupt play. The result was a 97-65 victory for Consett Park.

The president of the winning team, Jim Ruddick, was presented with the O'Connell Cup by Susan, the granddaughter of W. O'Connell.  The O'Connell Cup was donated to the Club by W. O'Connell, but it is many years since it was competed for. It was decided that the Cup would be brought out of retirement for the Consett Park v Darlington South Park match, and we were delighted that Susan was able to present the Cup.

Australian Pairs

Sunday 16th July 2023

Congratulations to the winners of Consett Park's Australian Pairs competition Teresa Pearson and Janis Robson. The runners up were Dennis Lavery and Rita McCann. 

Second Visit to Beamish Museum

Friday 14th July 2023

Members returned to the new bowling green in the 1950s village at Beamish Museum, this time to play a few ends and introduce museum visitors to the game.

Visit to Beamish Museum

Thursday 13th July 2023

Members visited the new bowling green in the 1950s village at Beamish Museum.

They were joined by children from Castleside Primary School, who had been learning filming skills and were able to put those skills into action, as well as trying a game of bowls.  This was part of our Centenary Video project; professionals from Digital Voice for Communities had been teaching the school children.

Update: The Centenary Video is now available to by visiting our Centenary Video page, where you can also learn more above the project. 

Bowls England Champion of Champions

Thursday 13th July 2023

Teresa Pearson won her match against Julie Robinson (Darlington Woodland) and goes forward to the regional stage of the competition.

Barnard Castle vs Consett Park

Sunday 9th July 2023

Consett Park Bowling Club visited Barnard Castle Bowling Club on August Bank Holiday Monday in 1928.  This was only five years after Consett Park Bowling Club was founded, and is one of their earliest visits to a club outside of North West Durham.  You can read the Teesdale Mercury's account of the 1928 Barnard Castle match on our website.

To help us celebrate our centenary year Barnard Castle very kindly agreed to host a match at their club.

The bowling green, which is located in the grounds of Bowls Museum, was in excellent condition,  the weather was glorious, and we were given a very warm and friendly welcome by the Barnard Castle bowlers.  The match was followed by refreshments, including delicious scones with jam and cream😀. 

As in 1928, Barnard Castle won the match, this time by 90 shots to 72.  We look forward to playing against Barnard Castle Bowling Club again soon.

Our visit was filmed by Digital Voice for Communities, who are making a video of our centenary year.

Update: The Centenary Video is now available to by visiting our Centenary Video page, where you can also learn more above the project. 

Whitburn Open Pairs

Sunday 9th July 2023

Congratulations to Alan Bell and Karl Simmonds on winning the Whitburn Open Pairs. 

Gill Jones Trophy

Thursday 29th June 2023 (The Final)

Congratulations to Terry Coyle and Janis Robson, who narrowly beat Alan Platt and John Cudden in the final of the Gill Jones Trophy.

The final was a fitting climax to the competition. Alan and John took an early lead, but after a remarkable come-back by Terry and Janis there was only one shot between the teams going into the final end. Terry and Janis scored the two point they needed for victory.

Thanks to Jim Ruddick and Gill's family, and to everyone involved in the competition.

Gill Jones Trophy

Sunday 25th June 2023 (Round Robin, Quarter Finals and Semi Finals)

Consett Park bowlers enjoyed a fantastic day of bowling on Sunday 25th June.  The format was a drawn pairs competition, with the prize being the Gill Jones Trophy.

The competition is sponsored by Club President Jim Ruddick and Gill’s family.

The competition started with a round-robin, with all the teams playing three games.  The winners and runners-up in each group played in the quarter finals.  The competition continued with the semi-finals, which were very close - in both games the teams were tied going into the last end.

Just as the final was due to commence the rain started.  It was decided to play the final on the afternoon of Thursday 29th June 2023.

The finalists are in the photograph below.

Thanks to Jim Ruddick and Gill's family, and to everyone involved in the day.

Mixed Triples

Saturday 24th June 2023

Congratulations to the winners of Consett Park Mixed Triples competition Bill Calver, Marcus Joel and Alan Platt. The runners up were Tony Stoker, Ray Hamilton and Teresa Pearson. 

Shildon Day Trip

Wednesday 14th June 2023

Club members visited "Locomotion", the railway museum, where they had a guided tour of the main exhibits. After lunch, it was time for the South West Durham Veterans League game against Shildon Town. Those players who weren't selected for the league game had a roll-up on Shildon Town's green. 

You can see more photographs in the Gallery.

Mixed Pairs

Sunday 4th June 2023

Congratulations to the winners of Consett Park Mixed Pairs competition Bill Calver and Daphne White. The runners up were Davey Storey and Sue Ramage. 

Consett Park Bowling Club Open Triples

Sunday 21st May 2023

Congratulations to the winners Derek Metcalfe, Peter Hudspith, and Karl Simmonds.

The runners-up were A. Clark, A Baggett and M.English.

Centenary Weekend

Casino Night

In the 1920s, Consett Park Bowling Club held social evenings in St Aidan's Hall, with a whist drive followed by a band and dancing.  To celebrate our centenary, a modern version took place on Saturday, 13th May 2023. 

The Club held a 1920s-themed Casino Night in the marquee at Consett Rugby Club, with Wheel of Fortune, Roulette and Blackjack tables staffed by professional croupiers.

Participants played with Consett Park Bowling Club dollars, issued by the Bank of Prime Entertainment (who provided the Casino), and there were trophies for those who accumulated the most money. 

After the casino, State Express 5 took to the stage, and the many of the audience took to the dance floor.

Jumbles, Prosecco and Cake

On Sunday 14th May 2023, the celebrations continued.

There was a prize Jumbles competition, with a half time break for processo and cake.  The cake, baked by Pearl, featured the club logo and two bowlers; needless to say, it tasted as good as it looked. 

After enjoying the refreshments the bowlers posed for a centenary photograph, with bowls arranged in the shape of 100.

The Jumbles then continued, and the afternoon concluded with the presentation of prizes to the winners - wooden spoons for the lowest scorers, 1923 farthings for the third-placed players, a 1923 halfpanny for the runner up, and bottles of wine for the three joint winners. 

Thanks

Thanks to everyone involved in the weekend, including Pamela for organising the Casino Night, Pearl for baking the cake, Janis for the Centenary craftwork, Sue and David Gray for organising the Jumbles, and David Gray and Ray for taking the photographs.

Opening Day of the Season

Opening of the Green

On Friday 14th April 2023, the green was opened by Club President Jim Ruddick, who bowled the first wood of the season. 

The photographs below are from 1923 and 2023.

Spider

All the players bowled at the same time, from the edge of the green to the jack in the centre, and the closest to the jack won a prize.  The winner was Derek Metcalfe, who won a bottle of whisky.  

Photoshoot

There are more of David Gray's photographs in the Gallery section of the website.

President's Team vs Chairman's Team

After a break for lunch, when the club's members were able to enjoy bacon butties, a match took place between a team chosen by the Club President (Jim Ruddick) and a team chosen by the Club Chairman (John Mitchell), reviving a tradition that started in the 1920s.

The start time was brought forward because rain was forecast, and the weather was good through the match. 

The match finished in a narrow victory (2 shots) for the President's team.  The new trophy, generously donated to the club by the President, was presented to the winning captain, Jim Ruddick.

After the match the Club's members were able to enjoy a drink, hot dogs and cakes, concluding an enjoyable day.

Thank you

Thanks go to all those involved in arranging the events, setting up the rinks, taking photographs, providing and delivering the food and drink, tidying up, etc. 

In short, thank you to everyone; it was a great team effort and a fitting start to our Centenary year.

Links

You can read an account of the opening of the green in 1923, and in 1973 (50th anniversary year).

There are more of David Gray's photographs in the Gallery section of the website.

We were pleased to welcome photographers George Ledger and Steve Webb from the Consett at Play project to the Opening of the Green. You can see more of their photographs on the Consett in Focus website. 

Carpet Bowls 2022-2023 Pairs

Published 23rd March 2023

Well done Cheryl & Tony and Pamela & Wenna on reaching the final of the 2022-2023 internal Carpet Bowls Pairs competition.

Congratulations to Pamela and Wenna for winning the final this afternoon.

Carpet Bowls 2022-2023 Singles 

Published 21st March 2023

Congratulations to Tom Adamson for winning the final of  the internal carpet bowls competition this afternoon, a very close game, well done to Teresa Peason and Tom Adamson for a very entertaining performance. 

Photo by David Storey

Carpet Bowls 2022-2023 League 

Published 21st March 2023

Congratulations to Consett Park Bowling Club's carpet bowlers, who won the 2022-2023 Durham & District Carpet  Bowls league.

You can read the news from last year by clicking the link below:

2022