Hesketh Arms Bowling Club

Sunday 26^th April saw the club hold it’s annual open doubles competition, playing for the Bernard O’Malley Trophy in honour of our late Honorary Vice-President. The event attracted a full entry of 32 pairs and as well as local bowlers, we had pairs travelling from Preston, Liverpool, Wigan, Wales and the West Midlands to take part. 

The top half of the draw saw Paul Reardon and Kevin Wilcox (Brownmoor Brooke / Skem Park) reach the final following an extremely close semi-final against Chrissie McManus and Fergal Wright (Hesketh Arms / New Brighton Quarry Vikings), the score being 21-19. Their opponents in the final were Andy Carr and Neil Rigden (Bretherton), who had overcome the home pair of Andy Draper and John Hughes 21-16 at the semi-final stage. Their closest game on route to the final was a 21-20 win in Round 2 against previous winners Ian Grady and Tim Hodge.

 
In the final, Carr and Rigden established a comfortable 12-6 lead by winning five consecutive ends and a 3 at the tenth end extended their advantage to 15-7. Although Paul and Kevin won the next two ends, including a four to close the gap to 12-15, Andy and Neil won five out of the next six ends to win the final 21-13. Congratulations to Andy and Neil on being deserving winners of the Bernard O’Malley Trophy and well done to Paul and Kevin for reaching the final, having played well all day. 

The Hesketh Arms Bowling Club would like to thank everyone who supported this competition by taking part or by helping out with marking cards and measuring. In addition, we thank the following : –

• Gill for providing the sandwiches and to Lynne Smith for serving hot drinks during the day.
• Our referee for the day, Keith Andrews.
• Our greenkeeper, Andy Bate for preparing the green.
• Birkdale Insurance Group for their generous sponsorship. 

We now look forward to staging our Open Singles later in the season. Full details will be posted as soon as the date has been confirmed. 

Spring Pairs Competition.

A total of 24 members turned out on a lovely spring day to compete in our first competition of the season. The draw for the competition resulted in several interesting partnerships. which produced some very competitive bowling.

Some partnerships received a bye into the second round, and every pairing had the opportunity to play 2 games.

Following some excellent competitive bowling we ended up with the final featuring Jill Lloyd and Kevin Leddy against Darren Edgeerley and Peter Croston.

Jill and Kevin reached the final by winning 21:16 against Chrissie McManus and John Hughes, 21:19 against Tony Wakefield and Len Southworth and 21:15 against Alex Rimmer and Colin Edge in the semi-Final.

Darren and Peter won 21:9 against Sue Davies and New Bowler Bobby Rothwell, 21:12 against Mike Stevens and Liz Morrisey another new bowler and Andy Draper and Alan Lloyd 21:14 in the semi-Final.

The final was won by Darren and Peter 21:9. Jill and Kevin competed well but the longer games played in getting to the final finally told.

Congratulations to Darren and Peter on winning our first competition of the year.

The plate final was won by Derek Wignall and Gareth Taylor defeating Sue Davies and Bobby Rothwell 15:3

Thanks to everyone who supported the first competition of the season

SPRING PAIRS

The first club competition of the season will take place this coming Sunday, 19th April, when we will be staging the Spring Pairs. This is a random doubles event, with pairings drawn out on the day. There will be a plate competition for pairs losing in their first game.

This competition is being organised by George Hitchmough and Peter Smith. 

To enter, please register at the green by 11.45 am in time for a prompt 12 noon start.

OPEN DOUBLES 2026 – BERNARD O’MALLEY TROPHY

sponsored by Birkdale Insurance Group

We have a full entry of 32 pairs for our annual open doubles competition, held in honour of our late Honorary Vice-President and generous supporter of the club, Mr. Bernard O’Malley.

The competition is being held on Sunday 26th April and help will be required on the day with marking and measuring, especially in the early morning sessions, the first of which starts at 10.00 am.

Spectators will be welcome for what should be great day of top-quality bowling, with pairs travelling from Preston, Liverpool, Wigan, Wales and the West Midlands to take part.  

BLOWICK CUP – CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS

The Club will be staging the Blowick Cup for the sixth time on Sunday 7th June. This is a Champion of Champions event for those members who won a club competition or team merit during the previous season. Spectators will be welcome.

The qualifiers for the 2026 Blowick Cup  are :-

Debbie Barnes ; Sue Davies ; Andy Draper ; Darren Edgerley ; Steve Goulding ;   

Jim Halsall ; Chris Harding ; Alan Hatton ; Alan Lloyd ; Pat McArthur ;                 

John McCabe ; Steve McManus ; Mike Milne ; Chris Porter ; Peter Smith ; Fergal Wright

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Sunday 10th May – Rose Bowl. This will be a singles handicap, with a plate competition for players losing in their first game. Registration from 11.45 am for a 12 noon start.

Saturday 23rd May – Random Doubles – This competition will be open to bowling club members and Churchtown Conservative Club members. Pairings will be drawn out on the day. 12 noon start.

Sunday 7th June – Blowick Cup Champion of Champions – see above for further details. 12 noon start.

We are currently working on dates for the rest of the Club’s 2026 programme of competitions but would like to involve more members in planning and running our events. If any member(s) would like to assist by running one of the competitions or has any ideas for different formats, please contact : –

Mike Milne (07752352065 / michael.milne1966@outlook.com 

GREEN BOOKINGS

Saturday 13th June – Churchtown Conservative Club B.J.P.O’Malley President’s Trophy – this competition is open to members of the Churchtown Conservative Club.

Sunday 19th July – Finals Day of L.V. Individuals competition – spectators welcome.

NEWS UPDATEEASTER ROUND ROBIN

The Club’s first internal event of the season took place on Sunday when 16 participants played in an Easter Round Robin. This was a joint Bowling Club and Conservative Club event and it was pleasing to see several people new to bowling taking part. It is hoped to arrange more of these joint events as the season progresses. 
In joint fourth place, with a score of +7 were Bobby Rothwell and Derek Wignall ; Tony Baldwin was third on +11 ; 2nd place went to Mike Stevens with +14 but the clear winner with an impressive aggregate of +21 was Mal Green.

 SPRING PAIRS

The first internal club competition of the season will be held on Sunday 19^th April, when we will be staging the Spring Pairs. This will be a random doubles event, with pairings drawn out on the day. A plate competition will be held for pairs losing their first game.
To enter, register at the green on the day by 11.45 am for a 12 noon start.

SOUTHPORT FEDERATION

The Southport Federation team’s first match of the season will take place this Sunday, 12^th April, when they take on Flintshire in Division 6 of the National League. 
The home leg will be held at Hesketh Bank Bowling Club and the Hesketh Arms’ players selected to represent Southport are Kez Adams, Andy Draper, Darren Edgerley, Bill Roddan and Will Roddan.
The away team will travel to play at Aston Bowling Club in Queensferry and Mike Milne and Fergal Wright will be part of the team. 
Both legs will start at 2.00 pm and any support would be greatly appreciated for this important opening match of the Federation season.

GREEN OPENING

The green will be open from Saturday 28th March. Members are reminded that 2026 subscriptions should be paid before using the green – please see below for details of how to pay.

CLUB EVENTS AND COMPETITIONS

The first club event of the 2026 season will be an Easter Round Robin on Sunday 5th April, starting at 12 noon. As well as being open to all members, this will be the first of what we hope will be a series of events to which we invite friends from the Churchtown Conservative Club.

Sunday 19th April – Spring Pairs. This will be a random doubles event, with pairings drawn out on the day. A plate competition will be held. Registration from 11.45 am for a 12 noon start.

Sunday 10th May – Rose Bowl. This will be a singles handicap, with a plate competition for players losing in their first game. Registration from 11.45 am for a 12 noon start.

We are currently working on dates for the rest of the Club’s 2026 programme of competitions but would like to involve more members in planning and running our events. If any member(s) would like to help out by running one of the competitions or has any ideas for a different format, please contact : –

Mike Milne (07752352065 / michael.milne1966@outlook.com )

SOCIAL ROUND ROBINS

Peter and Lynne Smith look forward to welcoming you to the Round Robins which will commence on Tuesday the 7^th of Apri

Please note the cost will be £3 for the session

The entries for a round robin will be a maximum of 28 people. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment. However, we have never reached this number of players, but we must have a maximum level

.OPEN DOUBLES 2026 – BERNARD O’MALLEY TROPHY

sponsored by Birkdale Insurance Group

We now have a full entry for our annual open doubles competition, held in honour of our late Honorary Vice-President and generous supporter of the club, Mr. Bernard O’Malley. However, if anyone wishes to go on a reserve list for this competition, please contact Chris Harding or Mike Milne.

The competition is being held on Sunday 26th April and help will be required on the day with marking and measuring. Also, if anyone is available to assist with making hot drinks and selling pre-prepared sandwiches, this would be greatly appreciated. For further information, please speak to Chris or Mike.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Many thanks to those who have already paid their subscriptions for the coming season. As a lot of work is involved in recording and banking members’ subscriptions, it would be greatly appreciated if payments could be made before the bowling season starts. Also, as the bank has introduced charges, which are higher for cash or cheque transactions, bank transfers are the preferred method of payment.

The Annual General Meeting set the following subscription rates for the 2026 season :-  

Standard membership subscription – £35.00

Team players’ subscription – £55.00

Payment can be made online directly to the Club’s bank account :

Sort Code : 30 97 88    Account number : 01007849

If paying by bank transfer, please notify Mike Milne by text (07752352065) or email (michael.milne1966@outlook.com)

Alternatively, subscriptions can be sent to Mike Milne (Treasurer) at the following address :-

Mike Milne, 20 Coudray Road, Southport PR9 9NL

AWARDS EVENING

Thank you to all those who attended the Club’s Awards Evening on Saturday, held to celebrate our members’ achievements from the 2025 season. 

Chairman Chris Harding was once again compere for the evening, announcing the winners and runners-up in our club competitions and team merits. The prizes were presented by our Vice-Chairman, Jason Chapman. 

The TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD this year deservedly went to the Buzzards. Captained by Debbie Barnes, the team had an outstanding season, winning both the 2^nd Division Championship and Knockout Cup in the Southport Ladies’ Afternoon League. 

The CLUB MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD was announced to be Jim Halsall. As well as having another outstanding season on the bowling green, including winning three team merit awards and two club competitions, Jim took over the captaincy of the Ospreys in the Burscough League and did an excellent job. 

The awards were followed by a buffet, prepared by Gill from the Conservative Club and a quiz, organised by the Chairman, with Jason Chapman again being our Quiz Master. 

We wish to thank the following : –

The Officers and Committee of the Churchtown Conservative Club, for kindly allowing us to use their facilities. 

Gill, the Club Steward, for preparing the buffet and also to Maralyn for her hard work behind the bar.

Jon Roberts, for contributing towards the buffet.

Fergal and Lil for helping to collect money and sell raffle tickets. 

Finally, thank to those members and friends who supported the evening by attending or providing raffles prizes. We look forward to seeing everyone again when the green opens and wish all our members an enjoyable season of bowling in 2026.

GREEN CLEAN UP

I am looking to organise a green clean up On Saturday 14^th of March, Sunday 15^th of March and Monday the 16^th of March

9;30 until late afternoon.

I would hope one of these days would be suitable for you to lend us same time and labour to clean up the green surrounds from its winter debris

I will be hiring a skip and employing a contractor to tackle the garden, nettles, and other overgrown plants.

It’s your club and we need YOUR HELP

OPEN DOUBLES 2026 – BERNARD O’MALLEY TROPHY

Entries are still being taken for our annual open doubles competition, held in honour of our late Honorary Vice-President and generous supporter of the club, Mr. Bernard O’Malley.

The competition will be held on Sunday 26th April and is again being generously sponsored by Birkdale Insurance Group.

The entry fee is £20 per pair with starting times at 10.00 am, 10.45 am, 11.30 am and 12.15 pm.

Total prize money will be £900.00, paid out as follows :-

Winners – £320.00 ;     Runners-Up – £160.00

Semi-Finalists – £90.00 ;     Quarter-Finalists – £60.00

To enter please contact Chris Harding (07761733024) or Mike Milne (07752352065)

All games will be 21 up, with 3 on the card.

CLUB COMPETITIONS

The first internal club competition of the season will take place on Sunday 19th April, when we will stage the Spring Pairs. This will be a random doubles event, with pairings drawn out on the day. To enter, please register at the green by 11.45 am, so that the draw can be made in time for a prompt 12 noon start.

The first individual competition of the season will be the Rose Bowl, to be held on Sunday 10th May. This will be a singles handicap, with a plate competition for players losing in their first game. The starting time will again be 12 noon, with registration from 11.45 am.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Many thanks to those who have already paid their subscriptions for the coming season. A lot of work is involved in recording and banking members’ subscriptions, so it would be greatly appreciated if payments could be made before the bowling season starts. Also, as the bank has introduced charges, which are higher for cash or cheque transactions, bank transfers are the preferred method of payment.

The Annual General Meeting set the following subscription rates for the 2026 season :-  

Standard membership subscription – £35.00

Team players’ subscription – £55.00

Payment can be made online directly to the Club’s bank account :

Sort Code : 30 97 88    Account number : 01007849

If paying by bank transfer, please notify Mike Milne by text (07752352065)

or email (michael.milne1966@outlook.com)

Alternatively, subscriptions can be sent to Mike Milne (Treasurer) at the following address :-

Mike Milne, 20 Coudray Road, Southport PR9 9NL

AWARDS EVENING

The Club will be holding an Awards Evening on Saturday 7th March, when we will recognise those members who were successful in the 2025 season.

The event will take place at the Churchtown Conservative Club, starting at 7.30 pm. 

The evening will also include a buffet, quiz, and raffle.

Tickets are priced at just £5 and should be ordered as soon as possible from any committee member.

Alternatively reply to this email or text me on 07977500131

Donations of raffle prizes on the night will be very welcome.

GREEN CLEAN UP

I am looking to organise a green clean up On Saturday 14^th of March, Sunday 15^th of March and Monday the 16^th of March

9;30 until late afternoon.

I would hope one of these days would be suitable for you to lend us same time and labour to clean up the green surrounds from its winter debris

I will be hiring a skip and employing a contractor to tackle the garden, nettles, and other overgrown plants.

It’s your club and we need YOUR HELP

AWARDS EVENING

The Club will be holding an Awards Evening on Saturday 7th March, when we will recognise those members who were successful in the 2025 season. The event will take place at the Churchtown Conservative Club, starting at 7.30 pm. The evening will also include a buffet, quiz and raffle. Tickets are priced at just £5 and should be ordered as soon as possible from any committee member. Donations of raffle prizes on the night will be very welcome.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Many thanks to all those members who attended the Club’s Annual General Meeting, held at the Churchtown Conservative Club. The Committee would also like to thank the Conservative Club for the use of their facilities.

At the meeting the Chairman, Chris Harding, thanked Bill Bloor for the work he has done over the past two years as the Club’s Vice-President, in addition to his role as Project Manager. During this time, Bill oversaw various jobs at the Club and ran a very successful Away Day last season to the Black Horse in Croston. Bill has decided to stand down from the Committee and there remains a vacancy to be filled. If anyone is interested in taken on a committee role, please speak to any Club Officer for more information.

After successfully captaining two of our afternoon teams, George Hitchmough has retired from running the Merlins and the Hawks. We are pleased that Dave White has volunteered to captain the Hawks in the Aughton & District Senior Citizens’ League on Wednesday afternoons. This league is open to any bowler aged 55 and over. We require additional players to make up the Hawks’ squad, so if anyone is interested in joining this team, please contact Dave or any Club Officer as soon as possible.

Many thanks to Janice Hobson and Noreen Lewis for again auditing the accounts this year. Janice and Noreen have undertaken this role for several years but have indicated that they wish to step down. At the AGM, Terry Corfield and Sue Davies were elected as the new Auditors and we thank them for accepting these positions.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

The Annual General Meeting set the following subscription rates for the 2026 season :-  

Standard membership subscription – £35.00

Team players’ subscription – £55.00

Payment can be made online directly to the Club’s bank account :

Sort Code : 30 97 88    Account number : 01007849

If paying by bank transfer, please notify Mike Milne by text (07752352065) or email (michaelmilne66@outlook.com)

Alternatively, subscriptions can be sent to Mike Milne (Treasurer) at the following address :- Mike Milne, 20 Coudray Road, Southport PR9 9NL

HESKETH ARMS BOWLING CLUB

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Monday the 2^nd of February @ Churchtown Conservative Club 8.00pm

The 2026 AGM Agenda and the minutes of the 2025 AGM are attached to this email

2025 AWARDS EVENING

Saturday the 7^th Match 2026 @ Churchtown Conservative Club 7.30pm

£5 inclusive of buffet.