Royal Leamington Spa Bowls Club

Twelve months ago, Dawn Horne, Anita Cowdrill (sub Caroline Edwards in the Q/F, S/F and Final), Jenny Wickens and Janice White fought their way to the final of the Ladies National Over-55’s Fours competition, where they lost by a single shot on the last end. This year, Dawn, Anita, Jenny and Janice returned to the National Championships and went one stage better, taking the 2025 title as gold medal winners !

They qualified to represent Warwickshire at the Nationals by taking the County title earlier in the season and in their first-round match, they faced the champions from Devon, where a 23-16 win set up a second round tie the following morning against the champions from Middlesex. Although there was little to separate the sides over the first half of the game, our ladies gradually eased ahead in the latter stages to take another 23-16 win. Just one hour later, they were back out on the green to play the quarter-final match against the champions from Suffolk. Although always in control, at the halfway stage they only held a 9-6 lead. However, after taking 5 shots on the fifteenth end, their opponents conceded the match with the score at 20-8.

Returning to play the semi-final the following morning, the opposition were a very experienced team from Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire that had been champions in 2021 and runners-up in 2022 and our ladies trailed 6-13 after 11 ends. However, a run of four consecutive scoring ends saw the RLS quartet take a 16-13 lead after 15 ends. In a tense finish, three singles for Lincolnshire on the last three ends saw the match finish 16-16 after the regulation 18 ends had been played, sending the tie into an extra end. Dawn and Anita did their jobs by putting their four bowls close to the jack and Jenny and Janice covered the back whilst the Lincolnshire team tried in vain to get shot, their skip narrowly missing with her last bowl as she attempted to remove the shot bowls or move the jack, putting Dawn, Anita, Jenny and Janice into the final for the second year running with a 20-16 win.

In the final, played later that afternoon, their opponents were the Yorkshire champions, from Guisborough Priory Bowls Club. Once again, it was a slow start for our ladies, who found themselves trailing 2-8 after 6 ends. However, a 5-end scoring streak that included two “fours” and a “six”, changed the game completely, giving them a comfortable 19-8 lead after 11 ends. The two teams traded shots over the next 6 ends and the match was conceded to our ladies after 17 ends, with the score at 23-12.

As National champions, Dawn, Anita, Jenny and Janice will now represent England in the Ladies Over-55’s Fours event at the 2026 British Isles Championships which will take place in Ayr in Scotland next year.

We welcome people of all ages from primary school age to centenarian, from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and players of all bowling abilities. It's a great sport for all the family and a good place to meet people and make new friends.

Our greens host the Bowls England National Championships each year together with International matches. We were the host club for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Victoria Park is recognised as the home of English Bowls.

Lawn Bowls can be played by people who have a physical or visual disability, also by those with learning difficulties - in fact by almost anybody!

New to the sport?
If you’ve never played bowls before, having a trial session is the perfect way to start as we will loan you all the equipment you need, you just need to arrive with flat footwear and comfortable clothing. There’s no charge, no need to sign up for anything long term, just turn up and play!

Returning to bowls?
If you’re coming back to the sport, this is also the perfect way to ease yourself back into the sport.

If you would like to try out the sport contact us to arrange a session on the phone numbers below or by email.

01926 744916 / 07787228545 or email: dgw.rlsbc@virginmedia.com

If you are an experienced bowler that is looking for a new club you have found the perfect place - take a look at our membership page and give us a call.

If you have never bowled before now is the time to give it a try - people of all ages and those with disabilities can play the sport. It is a sport that can be played by multi-generations of your family - why not look at our membership page and give us a call to discuss or to arrange to give it a go?

We look forward to sharing our love of the sport with people of all ages and abilities.

We are the resident Club based at Victoria Park in Royal Leamington Spa, the home of English Bowls and the location chosen to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. We also host the annual Bowls England National Championships held in August. The five greens in Victoria Park are used for County competitions, National events and also for International matches and competitions.

Our club welcomes players of all ages from primary school age to centenarians, from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds and of all bowling abilities. It's a great sport for all the family and a good place to meet people and make new friends. Lawn Bowls can be played by people who have a physical or visual disability, also by those with learning difficulties - in fact by almost anybody!

If you have never bowled before we can help you to learn to play this wonderful sport. Just come along and see what's going on or call me if you are interested in giving the sport a try. It doesn't cost anything to have a go and in 2025 we are offering a reduced first year membership fee of £40 for the outdoor season and it's free for those under 18 or under 21 and in full time education. Have a look at our membership page where you can apply online for membership.

We are a sociable, friendly club with excellent playing facilities, clubhouse and bar and look forward to welcoming you and getting to know you.

The club telephone number below will only be answered when a member is in the clubhouse - if you wish to contact the club please call on the numbers above or send an email - Thank you


Home About Location News Membership Contact Gallery History Past Officers Honours Board Ladies Honours Board Mens Honours Board Mixed Honours Board Competition Winners Ladies Winners Mens Winners Mixed Winners What's On Club Matches Events Match Results Members
Welcome to the Home Page of our website For the latest club information please take a look at our news page by clicking here Also look around the site at the other pages to find out more about the club. World Bowls Series Number 1 - Emily Kernick Many congratulations to our club member Emily Kernick who has climbed to No.1 in the World Bowls Series women’s rankings after the July update. At only 26, she’s the youngest player to reach the top spot. View the full women’s rankings and catch up on all the latest moves: https://worldbowlsseries.com/female-rankings/ Many Congratulations to our Ladies “Top Club” Team - 2025 Bowls England National Champions !! As usual, the final weekend of the 2025 Bowls England National Championships saw the major Inter-County and Inter-Club events take centre stage and, in the Women’s “Top Club” competition, our Royal Leamington Spa Ladies team became the first ever side from Warwickshire to take the highly prestigious National title ! The competition format involves a team of 10 ladies playing singles, pairs, triples and fours games with a win in each discipline securing a point, the match being decided on shots if finishing tied at 2-2. Comprehensive wins over Stratford, Coventry Avenue and Welford earlier in the season saw the team win the Warwickshire section of the competition. The team then defeated Desborough (Northants) and Gerrards Cross (Bucks) in the early regional stage of the competition to book their quarter-final place at the Championships, for the third time in the past 5 years. Their opponents in the quarter-final on the Saturday afternoon were Hampshire champions Alton Social. Always ahead in all disciples, our ladies won through to the semi-final with a confident 4-0 result. Returning to the greens on the morning of the final day of the Championships, 3-times previous champions Wigton (Cumbria) proved to be tougher opposition in the semi-final tie. However, wins in the singles (21-11) and fours (27-10) meant that despite losses in much closer games in both the pairs (9-23) and triples (16-18), a 73-62 overall score was sufficient to put the team into the final. After a break of just an hour, it was perhaps almost inevitable that the team were back out on the green to face none other than 6-times recent champions Kings BC from Devon in the final, the team that had knocked RLS out at the quarter-final stage in 2021 and at the semi-final stage in 2022. Determined not to suffer a third defeat, there were soon healthy leads developing in the singles and pairs games, whilst Kings were having the better of things in the triples game. Eventually, Emily Kernick put the first point on the board for RLS, with a 21-12 win in the singles over Kings’ Sophie Tolchard, thus avenging her 21-20 defeat by Sophie in the semi-final of the Ladies 4-Wood singles just 3 days earlier. With 2 ends to play and the pairs ahead 20-9, but the triples trailing 12-26, the match was looking likely to be decided by a very tight fours game which went into its final end with Kings 11-10 ahead. The RLS rink held their nerve though and took two shots to put a second point on the board with a 12-11 win. The pairs then lead 21-9 with one end to play and were unbeatable, so the match was conceded by Kings giving the title to RLS with a 3-1 win. The first time that the club has ever won this prestigious title and the first time ever that a club from Warwickshire has been England’s Ladies “Top Club” Champions. The winning RLS team was :- Emily Kernick (Singles), Michelle Meadowcroft and Kirsty Richards (Pairs), Dawn Horne, Anita Cowdrill and Janice White (Triples), Caroline Edwards, Chris Leigh, Jenny Wickens and Heather Mills (Fours), reserves Caroline Williams (who played in several of the earlier rounds) and Jacqui Ashley, plus Team Manager Jerry Horne. An absolutely tremendous achievement by the RLS Ladies “Top Club” team - the club is so very proud of you all !! Many congratulations to our four members Dawn Horne, Anita Cowdrill, Jenny Wickens and Janice White - Our 2025 Bowls England Women's Over-55's Fours Champions ! Twelve months ago, Dawn Horne, Anita Cowdrill (sub Caroline Edwards in the Q/F, S/F and Final), Jenny Wickens and Janice White fought their way to the final of the Ladies National Over-55’s Fours competition, where they lost by a single shot on the last end. This year, Dawn, Anita, Jenny and Janice returned to the National Championships and went one stage better, taking the 2025 title as gold medal winners ! They qualified to represent Warwickshire at the Nationals by taking the County title earlier in the season and in their first-round match, they faced the champions from Devon, where a 23-16 win set up a second round tie the following morning against the champions from Middlesex. Although there was little to separate the sides over the first half of the game, our ladies gradually eased ahead in the latter stages to take another 23-16 win. Just one hour later, they were back out on the green to play the quarter-final match against the champions from Suffolk. Although always in control, at the halfway stage they only held a 9-6 lead. However, after taking 5 shots on the fifteenth end, their opponents conceded the match with the score at 20-8. Returning to play the semi-final the following morning, the opposition were a very experienced team from Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire that had been champions in 2021 and runners-up in 2022 and our ladies trailed 6-13 after 11 ends. However, a run of four consecutive scoring ends saw the RLS quartet take a 16-13 lead after 15 ends. In a tense finish, three singles for Lincolnshire on the last three ends saw the match finish 16-16 after the regulation 18 ends had been played, sending the tie into an extra end. Dawn and Anita did their jobs by putting their four bowls close to the jack and Jenny and Janice covered the back whilst the Lincolnshire team tried in vain to get shot, their skip narrowly missing with her last bowl as she attempted to remove the shot bowls or move the jack, putting Dawn, Anita, Jenny and Janice into the final for the second year running with a 20-16 win. In the final, played later that afternoon, their opponents were the Yorkshire champions, from Guisborough Priory Bowls Club. Once again, it was a slow start for our ladies, who found themselves trailing 2-8 after 6 ends. However, a 5-end scoring streak that included two “fours” and a “six”, changed the game completely, giving them a comfortable 19-8 lead after 11 ends. The two teams traded shots over the next 6 ends and the match was conceded to our ladies after 17 ends, with the score at 23-12. As National champions, Dawn, Anita, Jenny and Janice will now represent England in the Ladies Over-55’s Fours event at the 2026 British Isles Championships which will take place in Ayr in Scotland next year. A magnificent performance from our ladies ! VERY WELL DONE TO YOU ALL. Try bowls for Free at our club! We welcome people of all ages from primary school age to centenarian, from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and players of all bowling abilities. It's a great sport for all the family and a good place to meet people and make new friends. Our greens host the Bowls England National Championships each year together with International matches. We were the host club for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and Victoria Park is recognised as the home of English Bowls. Lawn Bowls can be played by people who have a physical or visual disability, also by those with learning difficulties - in fact by almost anybody! New to the sport? If you’ve never played bowls before, having a trial session is the perfect way to start as we will loan you all the equipment you need, you just need to arrive with flat footwear and comfortable clothing. There’s no charge, no need to sign up for anything long term, just turn up and play! Returning to bowls? If you’re coming back to the sport, this is also the perfect way to ease yourself back into the sport. If you would like to try out the sport contact us to arrange a session on the phone numbers below or by email. 01926 744916 / 07787228545 or email: dgw.rlsbc@virginmedia.com Please check on the news page for the latest update. Do regularly visit our news page for all the latest information where any important changes and advice will be given - just click on this link. If you are an experienced bowler that is looking for a new club you have found the perfect place - take a look at our membership page and give us a call. If you have never bowled before now is the time to give it a try - people of all ages and those with disabilities can play the sport. It is a sport that can be played by multi-generations of your family - why not look at our membership page and give us a call to discuss or to arrange to give it a go? We look forward to sharing our love of the sport with people of all ages and abilities. We are the resident Club based at Victoria Park in Royal Leamington Spa, the home of English Bowls and the location chosen to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. We also host the annual Bowls England National Championships held in August. The five greens in Victoria Park are used for County competitions, National events and also for International matches and competitions. Our club welcomes players of all ages from primary school age to centenarians, from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds and of all bowling abilities. It's a great sport for all the family and a good place to meet people and make new friends. Lawn Bowls can be played by people who have a physical or visual disability, also by those with learning difficulties - in fact by almost anybody! If you have never bowled before we can help you to learn to play this wonderful sport. Just come along and see what's going on or call me if you are interested in giving the sport a try. It doesn't cost anything to have a go and in 2025 we are offering a reduced first year membership fee of £40 for the outdoor season and it's free for those under 18 or under 21 and in full time education. Have a look at our membership page where you can apply online for membership. We are a sociable, friendly club with excellent playing facilities, clubhouse and bar and look forward to welcoming you and getting to know you. David Wigman - Chairman 01926 744916 / 07787228545 or email: dgw.rlsbc@virginmedia.com The club telephone number below will only be answered when a member is in the clubhouse - if you wish to contact the club please call on the numbers above or send an email - Thank you