ABOUT US: Abington Bowling Club is one of Northampton's sporting institutions. Based just south of Abington Park, we are in close proximity to the Old Northamptonians Sports Ground. Just a short way east of the town centre. We provide a competitive but welcoming environment for anyone who fancies taking up outdoor flat green bowls, the most popular form of bowls, and the most inclusive of all sports.
We also boast one of the biggest and most furbished clubhouses in the region, complete with lounge area, dining room and boardroom. We offer usage of any of these to interested parties. Click on 'Hire our Facilities' above to see what we can provide.
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MAY
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Date
|
Event
|
Time
|
|
Wed 22nd
|
Pilates
|
9:15-10:15am
|
|
10:30-11:30am
|
||
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2-3pm
|
||
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6-7pm
|
||
|
Reflexology
|
7-9pm
|
|
|
Thu 23rd
|
Age UK Art Club
|
9:15am-12:15pm
|
|
Men’s Friendly
vs. Kislingbury
|
2pm start
|
|
|
Fri 24th
|
Pilates
|
9:15am-12:15pm
|
|
Spanish language
|
10am-12pm
|
|
|
12:15-2:15pm
|
||
|
Spanish conversation
|
2:30-4:30pm
|
|
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Sat 25th
|
Reiki
|
10am-4pm
|
|
Introduction to psychology
|
12-4pm
|
|
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Sun 26th
|
Reiki with crystals
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11:30am-5:30pm
|
|
Mon 27th
|
|
|
|
Tue 28th
|
Women’s Friendly
vs. Woodford-cum-Membris
|
2:30pm start
|
|
Wed 29th
|
Pilates
|
9:15-10:15am
|
|
2-3pm
|
||
|
6-7pm
|
||
|
Otago
|
10:30-11:30am
|
|
|
Thu 30th
|
|
|
|
Fri 31st
|
Pilates
|
9:15am-12:15pm
|
JUNE
|
Date
|
Event
|
Time
|
|
Sat 1st
|
Men’s Friendly
vs. Corby Forest
|
2:30pm start
|
|
Sun 2nd
|
|
|
|
Mon 3rd
|
First Aid at Work
|
9am-4:30pm
|
|
Pilates
|
9:30am-12:30pm
|
|
|
12;45-1:45pm
|
||
|
6-7pm
|
||
|
Men’s Triples League
K/O
B vs. Kingsthorpe B
|
6:30pm start
|
|
|
Aromatherapy
|
7-9pm
|
|
|
Tue 4th
|
First Aid at Work
|
9am-4:30pm
|
|
Women’s Friendly
vs. Wellingborough
|
2:30pm start
|
|
|
Swedish body massage
|
7-9pm
|
|
|
Wed 5th
|
First Aid at Work
|
9am-4:30pm
|
|
Pilates
|
9:15-10:15am
|
|
|
2-3pm
|
||
|
6-7pm
|
||
|
Women’s Friendly
vs. St. Crispin’s
|
2:30pm start
|
|
|
Otago
|
10:30-11:30am
|
|
|
Thu 6th
|
Age UK Art Club
|
9:45am-2:45pm
|
|
Fri 7th
|
Pilates
|
9:15am-12:15pm
|
|
Spanish language
|
10am-12pm
|
|
|
12:15-2:15pm
|
||
|
Spanish conversation
|
2:30-4:30pm
|
|
|
Functional skills
|
12:30-3pm
|
|
|
Women’s Triples
League
vs. Byfield
|
6:30pm start
|
|
|
Sat 8th
|
Understanding Serial Killers
|
10am-4pm
|
|
IBC events
|
10am-5pm
|
|
|
Sun 9th
|
IBC events
|
10am-5pm
|
|
Catholic confirmation party
|
7pm start
|
|
|
Mon 10th
|
Pilates
|
9:30am-12:30pm
|
|
12:45-1:45pm
|
||
|
6-7pm
|
||
|
Men’s Triples League
B vs. Roade
|
6:30pm start
|
|
|
Aromatherapy
|
7-9pm
|
|
|
Tue 11th
|
Thai foot massage
|
12:30-2:30pm
|
|
Women’s Friendly
vs. Kislingbury
|
2:30pm start
|
|
|
Swedish body massage
|
7-9pm
|
|
|
Wed 12th
|
Pilates
|
9:15-10:15am
|
|
2-3pm
|
||
|
6-7pm
|
||
|
Otago
|
10:30-11:30am
|
|
|
Thu 13th
|
Age UK Art Club
|
9:45am-12:15pm
|
|
Men’s Friendly
vs. Leicester
|
2:30pm start
|
|
|
Fri 14th
|
Pilates
|
9:15am-12:15pm
|
|
Spanish language
|
10am-12pm
|
|
|
12:15-2:15pm
|
||
|
Spanish conversation
|
2:30-4:30pm
|
|
|
Sat 15th
|
Reiki
|
10am-4pm
|
|
Life coaching
|
10am-4pm
|
|
|
Sun 16th
|
|
|
|
Mon 17th
|
Pilates
|
9:30am-12:30pm
|
|
12:45-1:45pm
|
||
|
6-7pm
|
||
|
Men’s Triples League
A vs. West End A
|
6:30pm start
|
|
|
Aromatherapy
|
7-9pm
|
|
|
Tue 18th
|
Swedish body massage
|
7-9pm
|
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22/5/2019
MONDAY TRIPLES LEAGUE - WEEK 2
NEAR IDENTICAL thrashings of Kingsthorpe B and Daventry Town A ensures that both Abington sides advanced their ranking in the Monday evening league tables.
The As continue to match defending champions Kingsthorpe A's points tally, while an 87-44 win on shots turns the shot difference our way. The As can look down on the rest of Division 1 from the loftiest perch possible for at least three whole weeks. It's still early days yet - and it is possible that the As have already played the two sides who will go down at the end of season - but one can hardly ask for more at this stage.
|
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
Pts
|
|
Earls Barton
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
134
|
98
|
9.5
|
|
Roade
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
141
|
120
|
9.5
|
|
Byfield
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
137
|
124
|
8
|
|
Abington B
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
145
|
111
|
7
|
|
Daventry Town A
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
110
|
139
|
5
|
|
Bugbrooke
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
118
|
136
|
4
|
|
Wootton Grange A
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
118
|
122
|
3.5
|
|
Heyford
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
100
|
153
|
1.5
|
Down in Division 2, the B-team recovered spectacularly from last week's loss at home to Byfield, by annihilating Daventry A on their own green. Also 5-1 on points, the shot score (83-44) was only four short of an exact copy, and in many ways is the more impressive of the two results. The Bs are elevated above Daventry into the top half. The joint bounty also means both sides can currently boast of being the top scorers in their respective divisions.
Longer game reports can be found in the men's section. The competition takes a bank holiday break next week. Play resumes on the 3rd June with the 1st round of the league's knockout tournament.
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20/5/2019
COUNTY/NATIONAL COMPS: 13th-19th MAY
THE FIRST week proper of competitive bowls in Northamptonshire saw plenty of happy notes struck by Abington, with just a few further melancholy ones.
A longer match report of the opening tussles in the men's National Double Rinks is available in the men's section, but we'll focus here on the men's pairs. A majority of Abington's entrants came through the opening week. Jonathan Brown and his new lead Dave Jones were the stars of the first couple of rounds, with not one but two excellent scalps from Northampton Express.
On the Wednesday, Jones & Brown edged out Richard Lemon and Chris Bland 18-15, and then on the Friday, they snuck past Neil Rolfe and Wayne Stanley by an even tighter margin. They now take on Trevor Aston & Dave Fage in an all-Abington affair, who themselves recorded a notable victory over Heyford's Michael Moulton in the first round. As can also be said of Chris Beck & Peter Milburn's win over Simon Coles - also of Express - in their second game.
Also hoping to continue their run this Wednesday are Terry Brown & Alan Coleman, and Tony O'Leary & John Freeman. Both were given a bye into the second round, but looked fresh enough when they got on the green for the Friday night. The former claimed yet another big name, felling Martin Gearey of Kingsthorpe.
As for the less fortunate, both Alan Mann & Mick Taylor, and the two Adams, Brown & Hawkings, were comfortably beaten by a pair to rank with the very best of them, Andrew Manton & Vernon Gearey of Kingsthorpe. As were the Colin Barnes/Alan Dunkley double act, smashed 5-23 at West End by Darren Childs.
Rob Archer & Pat McAlwane were also narrowly beaten by Paul Green, again of Express. Elsewhere, Archer was again beaten in the National Mixed Pairs, by a West End duo skipped by young star Will Walker. Archer was partnered by Diana Brown, substituting for an unwell Debbie Cadd.
Neither of Abington's entries in the ladies county fours made it beyond the first round on the Monday, with the national championship qualifiers of two years ago (and semi-finalists last year), skipped by Cadd, and also featuring Brown, Debbie Bradshaw and Lis Milburn, this time beaten comfortably by Maggie Edwards' Kingsthorpe rink. Barbara Astle's new-look rink, skipped by club champion Gill Crossley, were also knocked out by a double-figure margin.
Better news came in the Men's National Senior Singles, with Dunkley pulling off a superb smash-and-grab win over another West End Walker, Martin. At the end of a closely-fought contest that ebbed and flowed throughout, Dunkley found himself requiring four and unable to drop any more shots. Steady draw bowling, as it often does for us all, allowed him to prevail with two scores of two to snatch victory and a repeat of last year's Abington club singles final against Freeman in the next round.
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16/5/2019
MONDAY TRIPLES LEAGUE - WEEK 1
SPORT IS about numbers, but some resonate more than most. For Abington's Monday triples league teams, it was 6 that featured most prominently in the first week back of 2019.
As you can see from the first 1st Division table, Abington A made light work of their trip to St. Crispin's, picking up all '6' points. It's a margin of victory that will be hard to top, but in terms of performance, it should represent a new benchmark for the As, who have underachieved in recent years. Thrashing the team who managed to finish a point above them in last year's competition is exactly the statement of intent we were looking for.
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
Pts
|
|
Earls Barton
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
77
|
44
|
5
|
Daventry Town A
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
66
|
56
|
4
|
Byfield
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
67
|
62
|
4
|
Roade
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
65
|
64
|
4
|
Wootton Grange A
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
64
|
65
|
2
|
Abington B
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
62
|
67
|
2
|
Bugbrooke
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
56
|
66
|
2
|
Heyford
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
44
|
77
|
1
|
That the B-team aren't also competing in the top flight this year is still frankly baffling. And unfortunately, the late collapse in form that prevented promotion last season seems to have continued into this one, with a deeply disappointing loss at home to Byfield, who have only just come up themselves from the third tier.
As for how '6' figures in all this, one can only refer you to the longer match report, in the men's section. It's only fair to spare blushes on the homepage.
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14/5/2019
*COUNTY COMPETITIONS begin in earnest this week, but there have already been a smattering of results in the national mixed tournaments. Abington's Dave Jones was very much the man of the moment in the Northants area, and Kingsthorpe's Martin Gearey found himself on the receiving end twice.
Partnered by Elaine Cox of St. Crispin's, Jones defeated Gearey and his partner 21-11 in the first round. Just a handful of days later, the two clashed again in the mixed fours. The extra reinforcements aided only the Abington man. Hands were shaken after just 15 ends, with an astonishing final score of 25-4.
By contrast, Adam Hawkings fared less well. He and Gill Crossley exited both competitions at the first hurdle by convincing margins, at the hands of West End's Dave Kovacs in the pairs and Express' Chris Bland in the fours. Debbie Cadd's mixed fours rink also sadly lost to Sharon Tansley's, a spirited effort just drifting away from them in the closing stages.
In other news, John Freeman will once again be in action for the county team on Saturday, May 18th, in their first Midland Counties fixture of the season, away at Derbyshire. By all accounts, our club champion delivered a consistent and steady performance in the Middleton Cup trial vs Oxfordshire.
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*ABINGTON will stage the southern half of Northamptonshire VP Association's annual Harris Cup competition this year, on Wednesday 26th June. Entry is, as ever, open to rinks of players from all clubs. Please contact Dave Williamson on 01604 635012 for yours. Hope to see you there on what promises to be a day of fine weather, friendly competitive bowls, and prize money in excess of £200!
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