Welcome to Abington Bowling Club

ABINGTON B.C. sends its condolences to the family and friends of our former president Pete Cook, who has died aged 90.​ Known to all as 'Cookie', he was a dedicated presence on the club committee during a seminal period in our history, serving as president in 1984. That same season, he won the club pairs, partnering the late Alan Ward. They claimed the title again in 1986.​

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The 1980s was a busy decade for Abington, with membership peaking at over 160, the establishment of a women's section and heated debates over a possible relocation and even building an indoor green. Cookie was club secretary throughout much of this, and worked tirelessly to steer the ship, driven by his conviction that Abington should never settle for second best.

 

On the green, Cookie's time at Abington was book-ended by appearances at the national championships. In 1975, he was part of a fours rink, skipped by Vic Cooper, who qualified as county runners-up. But his finest hour came in 1993, when he won the Northants county triples, alongside Don Harris and Robin Brown. It is still the last time an Abington bowler has won a major county championship.

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Although he left Abington a few years later, the club forever remained in Cookie's heart, even long after he stopped playing bowls. He was always a popular guest, regularly turning up to support events and reminiscing the glory days. Details of his funeral will be posted here as soon as we are made aware of them.

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05/01/2025: THE OPENING WEEKEND of a New Year traditionally presents an early opportunity for silverware, despite the lack of grass-based bowls until the spring, but Abington once again retained the Jack English Trophy with a 100-70 win over Northampton Indoor.

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The margin of victory was largely due to one rink, Rob Archer leaving nothing to chance on his finale as team captain by selecting Debbie Bradshaw & Gill Crossley as his front pairing, and Jonathan Brown as his skip. Including a hot shot on the last end, their final score of 36-8 made up almost the entire difference of the match overall. Lis Milburn (20-14) and Tony O'Leary (13-12) were the other victorious skips.

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19/12/2024: THE CLUB CONSTITUTION has been amended, to include Abington B.C.'s compliance with Bowls England's anti-doping policy and the official UK Anti-Doping sports organisation.​​​ You can download the document from here, and from the link at the foot of this website.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​