Welcome to Abington Bowling Club

"THAT'S BOWLS, MATE." Those three words greeted many bowlers at Abington over the last several decades. Teammates and opponents. In victory, and in consolation after defeat. It was a simple, disarming catchphrase that, for what it lacked in poetry, somehow captured the purest essence of this sport. Our club now mourns the man who coined it, Alan Coleman, who has died after a long illness.​

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​​​​​​​One of Abington's most convivial and popular members for over 40 years, on his day Alan could bowl with the best of them. Five times a winner of the men's handicap title (the first in 1987, the last in 2015) and four times the veterans cup winner, his name is on the big board as men's club champion in 2006.

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However, his finest achievement came 10 years before that, when he was the middle-man in a triple that qualified for the national championships. Both his teammates, Dave Fage (lead) and Jonathan Brown (skip), credit Alan - always an energetic presence on the green - as the driving force behind their combination. They were still racking up Toms-Knight Trophy successes at Abington until as recently as 2023.

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The club extends its condolences to Alan's family and friends, many of whom he leaves behind at Abington. We have all lost a very dear mate today.

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*Funeral details will be posted as soon as we are aware of them.

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18/07/2026: ANOTHER DOUBLE SEMI-FINAL defeat cast Abington out of the Northants men's senior fours. As with the women's version, with 50% of the last four, hopes were high for a guaranteed Leamington qualifier before the final was even played. But again, this was where the story ended.​

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​​​​​​​ The host venue, Northampton West End, had to deal with a burst drain and flash floods on Mendip Road, where they are located. Sadly, it proved an apt metaphor for how our men felt by the close of play on the Friday, despite impressive performances from both in the quarters on the Wednesday. John Freeman's rink lost their semi 7-19 to Tim Chapman of Kingsthorpe. Dave Poole's fared slightly better but were beaten 16-22 by Mick Catlin of Thrapston.

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On the day in between, Simon David took Abington's involvement in the men's county singles to the latter stages, but could not find a way past Rob White of West End in the quarter-finals.

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14/07/2026: ABINGTON 'A' fell at the 'Area Final' hurdle of the National Top Club, with Wellingborough going through. And it all came down to a measure.​

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​​​​​​​ After wins for Adam Brown in the 2-wood and then Robin Adams & Iain Walker in the pairs, Abington needed just one more discipline for a memorable victory. But it never did come.

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For much of the evening, it seemed most likely that the fours - Fred Bosworth, Stuart Johnston, Martin Brown & Alan Dunkley - represented Abington's best chance of a knockout blow. A low-scoring back-and-forth affair where the difference between the two was never greater than three shots, it duly came to pass that the whole match hinged on a measure that seemed to require a microscope.

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The final decision called it for Wellingborough, who go on to play Warwickshire's last club standing. But Abington can be proud of another memorable run in this competition, and of pushing a side containing high-calibre bowlers on every rink to the limit.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​