| NEWSLETTER – NOVEMBER 2026I NTRODUCTION & LEAGUE TEAMS FOR 2027 For the 2026 season, our club entered 8 teams into 6 local leagues. Overall, our teams performed well, with the majority of them holding their own in the top division of their league. Below is summary of each team’s season, along with the individual merit winner for each team. The Committee would like to take this opportunity of thanking the captains who take on the task of running our teams. Without members willing to take on this role, it would not be possible to run the number of teams we do. So many thanks go to Chris Harding, Jim Halsall, Mike Milne, John Unsworth, Brian Sutton, Dave White and John Hughes. Having reduced the number of teams we have fielded in recent years, we are keen to look at opportunities to form additional teams where possible, particularly with newer bowlers in mind.Some interest has been expressed in forming a second team to play in the Southport LV League. This league is ideal for a less experienced player to get their first taste of competitive league bowling. The league consists of two divisions and is made up mainly of clubs based in Southport, so there is not a lot of travelling involved. If we entered a new team into this league, it would start off in the lower division. We have had an expression of interest from someone willing to captain this team. We now need a list of members who would like to play in this league, which takes place on a Tuesday evening, with the odd away fixture being played on Wednesday night. A minimum of fourteen players would be needed in order to get this off the ground, so if anyone is interested, please notify our LV League delegates as soon as possible. The delegates are Chris Harding (07761733024) and Mike Milne (07752352065). Alternatively, please email the Club Secretary, George Hitchmough. If any member has any suggestions for other new teams and believes that they can raise enough players to make it a viable proposition, please contact an officer of the club and we will look to provide any necessary support. 2026 SEASON REVIEW |
SOUTHPORT LV LEAGUE
The Eagles continued to compete in the Premier Division of the LV League. Despite losing several players from the previous season, the team recruited well and won ten aggregates in the eighteen league games played during the season to finish in a creditable 5th place out of ten teams.
Eagles Merit Winner – Mike Milne (13 wins)
BURSCOUGH & LATHOM LEAGUE
Our two teams continued to play in the Burscough & Lathom League in 2026. In the 1st Division, the Vultures again competed strongly and for a while they were in contention at the top of the table, before eventually finishing in 3rd place for the third successive season.
The Ospreys, under captain Jim Halsall, were again playing in the 2nd Division. Despite a strong finish, which saw them win three out of the last four matches, they finished in 8th position.
Vultures Merit Winner – Andy Draper (13 wins)
Ospreys Merit Winner – Jim Halsall (11 wins)
MAGHULL LEAGUE
The 2026 season saw us enter one team in the Monday evening Maghull & District League. The Owls were again competing in the strong 1st Division and finished in a top half 5th place. They will be looking to finish even higher in 2027.
Owls Merit Winner – Andy Draper (13 wins)
SOUTHPORT PARKS LEAGUE
John Unsworth continued to lead our Thursday night Parks League team. The Kites finished mid-table in the Premier Division in 2025 but this division seems to get stronger each season and the team were close to the relegation places for a while. Fortunately, two 7-3 wins in the last three games lifted the team to 8th place, thus securing their place in the top division for 2027.
Kites Merit Winner – Christine McManus (12 wins)
AUGHTON SENIOR CITIZENS’ LEAGUE
The Committee was pleased that we were able to run two teams in the Aughton League again in 2026. Following George Hitchmough’s retirement as captain of the Hawks and having lost several key players, it was looking as though we might have to withdraw this team from the league. Fortunately, Dave White stepped into the breach and did an excellent job in keeping this team up and running. Having been relegated from the 1st division, they were competing in Division 2 and ended up finishing 8th in a very tight division. Having lived to fight another day, we are confident that the Hawks will get stronger in the years to come.
In the 1st Division, Brian Sutton’s Kestrels struggled to find wins early on when the greens were heavy but the team improved as the season went on. The last couple of months of the campaign saw Brian’s side win five out of the final seven matches of the season, to finish in a comfortable 6th place.
Kestrels Merit Winner – Brian Sutton (14 wins)
Hawks Merit Winner – Kevin Leddy (11 wins)
SOUTHPORT VETERANS’ LEAGUE
In the Monday afternoon Southport Veterans’ League, we had just the one team in 2026.
The Hobbies were again playing in Division 3 and having finished 4th in 2025, they were hopeful of making a promotion challenge in 2026. As it turned out, they dominated the division, losing just the two league games to finish the season as champions, 19 points clear of runners-up Botanic ‘A’.
There were many impressive playing records in this team but the standout player for the year was Alan Lloyd, with an outstanding record of 21 wins out of the 22 games played. Congratulations to Alan on winning the 3rd Division merit award.
Not content with finishing the season as champions, the Hobbies made it a double by retaining the Joe Bond Knockout Trophy they won in 2025. In a dramatic final, played at Scarisbrick Bowling Club, they narrowly defeated Victoria Park ‘B’ by just eight chalks.
Congratulations to captain John Hughes and all the Hobbies on a memorable season.
Hobbies Merit Winner – Alan Lloyd (21 Wins)
Awards Evening 2026
Members are reminded that the Club’s Awards Evening will take place on Saturday 7th November. It will be held at the Churchtown Conservative Club, starting at 7.30 pm. As well as the presentation of awards to the winners of our club competitions and team merits from the 2026 season, there will be a buffet, quiz and raffle. Donations of raffle prizes on the night will be greatly appreciated.