BRIGHTON, HOVE & DISTRICT BOWLING LEAGUE
Sponsored by Bob Henstridge of A,A, Locksmiths
91 Preston Drove, Brighton, East Sussex 01273 505575
BRIEF HISTORY & PAST CHAMPIONS
Lawn Bowling is an old game. Records indicate that it was played on the Castle Green at Lewes in 1600 and also, according to “Godwyn’s Rental of Brighthelmstone” [now Brighton], dated 1665 that it was played on The Steine that year and for years following.
The Brighton and Hove Bowling League however was formed much more recently - in 1936 - to provide a sporting activity for working men in the two towns. This was renamed The Brighton, Hove and District League in 1969, after Southwick [1965] and Portslade [1967] had joined the League. Today all fixtures are scheduled to be played on Tuesday evenings commencing at 6.00pm.
Few details are currently available of member clubs up to and including 1947, what is known is that it started as a single division which by 1938 comprised nine teams increasing to ten in 1939 The League continued throughout the war with nine teams in 1940, eleven from 1941 to 43, ten the next year and eleven again in 1945
In 1946 the League was divided into two ‘Sections. Section ‘A’, comprising six teams, was won by Hove while Section ‘B’, with five teams, was won by Hollingbury.
With the exceptions of years 1949, 50 and 51 which reverted to a single Division the two Sections ‘A’ and ‘B’ format lasted until 1976 by which time there were fifteen member clubs fielding sixteen teams.
In 1977 the League expanded to three and following year four Divisions. From 1981 to 1987 there were five Divisions and from 1988 to 1992 these became six. Then, in 1993, it increased to seven. For 2008 however the League has been reduced to six, although the lower two Divisions have been increased in size.
The first winner, in 1936, was Preston with Hove as runner up and this was repeated the following year which saw Hollingbury finish third.
1948 is currently the first season for which the full composition of the League is known and, in addition, the Final Placings - which were:
Section ‘A’ Section ‘B’
1, Madeira Drive Good Companions
2. Hove Preston Manor
3. Bakers & Allied Trades Brighton Telephone
4. Avondale Kingsway
5. Hove Park Oddfellows
6. Mackie
Of these eleven clubs only Hove Park and Mackie are still members of the League. Oddfellows withdrew before the 1949 season commenced and later other teams either withdrew, merged or changed their names. The Bakers and Allied Trades became Vicarage in 1952, Madeira Drive withdrew mid season in 1965 and the Good Companions left at the end of the following season, then in 1971, Hove merged with Kingsway forming the Hove and Kingsway club. Brighton Telephone was still a member in 1953 - when it finished bottom of Section ‘B’ - but was no longer a member in 1963 [the next year when, currently, full details of member clubs is available]. The Civil Service club resigned at the end of 1994 followed by both Avondale and Preston Manor in 1996 and SEGAS in 2000
Surprisingly, the League’s two most successful teams - Preston and Hollingbury - were not members in 1948, although they had been until 1945, and did not rejoin for several seasons : Hollingbury in 1953 and Preston in 1976 - when they immediately won the title.
Preston are currently the most successful club, having won the Championship 20 times compared to Hollingbury Park 10 wins and Hove and Kingsway with 11 - although before merging the latter two had, individually, won the title on 13 occasions - Hove 8 times and Kingsway 5 Hove Park are next most successful with 7 titles.
Over the past 72 years the four clubs mentioned above have, between them, won the League 61 times. The other eleven wins are shared between Avondale and SEGAS - 4 each - and 1 win each by Madeira Drive, Preston Manor and Mackie.
PAST CHAMPIONS and RUNNERS UP
Year Winner Runner Up
Single Division:
1936 Preston Hove
1937 Preston Hove
1938 Preston Kingsway
1939 Hollingbury Park Hove
1940 Hollingbury Park Hove
1941 Preston Hollingbury Park
1942 Preston Hollingbury Park
1943 Preston Preston Manor
1944 Preston Avondale
1945 Preston Hollingbury Park
Section ‘A’ [of two]:
1946 Hove
1947 Avondale
1948 Madeira Drive Hove
1949 Avondale Preston Manor
1950 Hove Park Hove
1951 Hove Madeira Drive
1952 Hove
1953 Hove
1954 Avondale
1955 Avondale
1956 Hove
1957 Hove
1958 Hove
1959 Kingsway
1960 Hove
1961 Kingsway
1962 Kingsway
1963 Hove Park
1964 Kingsway
1965 Kingsway
1966 Hove Park
1967 Hove Park
1968 Hollingbury Park
1969 Hove Park
1970 Hove Park
1971 Hove Park
1972 Preston Manor ‘A’
1973 Hove and Kingsway
1974 Hove and Kingsway
1975 SEGAS
1976 Preston
Division 1 [of three]:
1977 SEGAS
Division 1 [of four]:
1978 SEGAS Preston
1979 Hove and Kingsway SEGAS
1980 SEGAS Civil Service
Division 1 [of five]:
1981 Hollingbury Park ‘A’ Hove and Kingsway ‘A’
1982 Preston ‘A’ Hove and Kingsway ‘A’
1983 Preston ‘A’ Hove and Kingsway ‘A’
1984 Hove and Kingsway ‘A’ Preston ‘A’
1985 Hove and Kingsway ‘A’ Preston ‘A’
1986 Hove and Kingsway ‘A’ Windlesham
1987 Preston ‘A’ Hove and Kingsway ‘A’
Division 1 [of six]:
1988 Preston ‘A’ Hollingbury Par ‘A’
1989 Preston ‘A’ Preston manor ‘A’
1990 Hollingbury Park ‘A’ Preston ‘A’
1991 Hollingbury Park ‘A’ Preston Manor ‘A’
1992 Hollingbury Park ‘A’ Hove and Kingsway ‘B’
Division 1 [of seven]:
1993 Hollingbury Park ‘A’ Hove and Kingsway ‘B’
1994 Preston ‘A’ Mackie ‘A’
1995 Preston ‘A’ Hollingbury Park ‘A’
1996 Hollingbury Park ‘A’ Preston ‘A’
1997 Preston ‘A’ Hollingbury Park ‘A’
1998 Hollingbury Park ‘A’ Hove and Kingsway ‘B’
1999 Hove and Kingsway ‘B’ Mackie ‘A’
2000 Hove and Kingsway ‘B’ Mackie ‘A’
2001 Preston ‘A’ Hove and Kingsway ‘B’
2002 Hove and Kingsway ‘B’ Mackie ‘A’
2003 Preston ‘A’ Mackie ‘A’
2004 Mackie ‘A’ Preston ‘A’
2005 Preston ‘A’ Hove and Kingsway ‘B’
2006 Hove and Kingsway ‘B’ Preston ‘A’
2007 Hove and Kingsway ‘B’ Southwick Park ‘A’
Division 1 [of six]:
2008 Preston ‘A’ Southwick Park ‘A’
DIVISION 1
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Hove & Kingsway 'B' 10 7 0 3 658 526 70
Preston ‘A’ 10 8 0 2 626 529 68
Woodingdean ‘A’ 10 4 0 6 578 577 50
Hollingbury ‘B’ 10 5 0 5 548 605 45
Southwick Park 'A' 10 4 0 6 539 598 38
Southwick 'A' 10 2 0 7 563 678 29
DIVISION 2
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Mackie ‘A’ 10 9 0 1 652 448 81
Shoreham ‘A’ 10 7 0 3 568 587 56
Peacehaven 'A' 10 4 0 6 543 596 44
Mackie ‘B’ 10 3 0 7 568 585 43
Windlesham & Brtn Labour ‘A’ 10 4 0 6 552 599 39
St Ann’s Well 10 3 0 7 548 616 37
DIVISION 3
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Brighton ‘A’ 10 7 2 1 662 491 75
Hove & Kingsway 'A' 10 8 0 2 660 513 71
Hangleton 'A' 10 4 1 5 552 535 47
Lewes 'A' 10 3 1 6 570 614 45
Hove Park 10 2 5 3 529 624 41
Rottingdean 'A' 10 1 1 8 489 685 21
DIVISION 5
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Southwick ‘B’ 10 8 0 2 617 573 70
Woodingdean ‘B’ 10 7 0 3 614 534 67
Kemp Town 10 7 0 3 621 579 61
Preston ‘B’ 10 4 0 6 590 552 52
British Rail 10 3 0 7 567 592 30
Hangleton 'B' 10 1 0 9 485 664 20
DIVISION 6
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pt
Hove & Kingsway ‘C’ 10 6 1 3 640 507 66
The Drive 10 5 0 5 552 552 52
Shoreham ‘B’ 10 5 2 3 587 594 52
Peacehaven ‘B’ 10 5 1 4 535 590 48
Southwick Park ‘B’ 10 4 0 6 582 574 45
Saltdean 10 3 0 7 518 597 36
DIVISION 4
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Newhaven 10 8 0 2 650 519 72
Vicarage 10 6 0 4 592 551 56
Carlton 10 6 0 4 550 596 52
Portslade 10 5 0 5 549 565 [ -16 ] 40
Dyke Road 10 2 1 7 549 604 [ -55 ] 40
Hollingbury ‘A’ 10 2 1 7 538 593 [ -55 ] 40
Relegation ‘Play Off’ match: Dyke Road beat Hollingbury ‘A’ 62-55
DIVISION 1
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Hove & Kingsway 'B' [Champions] 10 8 0 2 624 511 66
Southwick Park 'A' 10 5 0 5 573 574 50
Hollingbury Park ‘B’ 10 5 0 5 544 578 50
Mackie ‘A’ 10 4 0 6 557 549 47
Preston ‘A’ 10 5 0 5 579 586 46
Woodingdean ‘A’ [Relegated] 10 3 0 7 491 570 41
DIVISION 2
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Peacehaven 'A' [Promoted] 10 8 0 2 658 485 76
Brighton ‘A’ 10 8 0 2 641 530 69
Southwick ‘A’ 10 5 0 5 571 552 51
Mackie ‘B’ 10 4 0 6 503 627 40
Windlesham & Brtn Labour ‘A’ 10 3 0 7 520 603 34
Shoreham ‘A’ [Relegated] 10 2 0 8 532 628 30
DIVISION 3
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
St Ann’s Well [Promoted] 10 8 0 2 640 509 72
Hangleton 'A' 10 6 0 4 652 559 62
Hove & Kingsway 'A' 10 5 0 5 619 557 53
Lewes 'A' 10 4 0 6 561 569 48
Hove Park 10 5 0 5 528 637 44
Newhaven [Relegated] 10 2 0 8 481 650 21
DIVISION 4
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Vicarage [Promoted] 10 7 0 3 632 529 67
Dyke Road 10 7 0 3 588 518 63
Southwick ‘B’ 10 6 0 4 576 594 52
Carlton 10 4 0 6 586 544 49
Rottingdean ‘A’ 10 4 0 6 564 628 43
Portslade [Relegated] 10 2 0 8 492 625 26
DIVISION 5
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Hollingbury Park ‘A’ [Promoted] 8 5 0 3 460 432 48
Preston ‘B’ 8 4 0 4 489 445 46
Hove & Kingsway ‘C’ 8 4 0 4 460 453 42
British Rail 8 4 0 4 440 462 36
Woodingdean ‘B’ [Relegated] 8 3 0 5 413 470 28
DIVISION 7
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Preston ‘C’ [Promoted] 8 5 0 3 503 421 49
Saltdean [Promoted] 8 5 0 3 471 448 47
Brighton ‘B’ 8 5 0 3 480 428 46
Lewes ‘B’ 8 5 0 3 468 454 46
Woodingdean 'C' [Apply for re-election] 8 0 0 8 364 535 12
DIVISION 6
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pt
Southwick Park ‘B’ [Promoted] 10 7 0 3 672 501 69
The Drive [Promoted] 10 7 0 3 678 517 68
Hangleton 'B' 10 6 0 4 659 548 64
Shoreham ‘B’ 10 6 0 4 587 580 53
Peacehaven ‘B’ 10 3 0 7 515 622 36
Rottingdean 'B' [Relegated] 10 1 0 9 407 750 10
The “Who’s Who and Encyclopaedia of Bowls” by Godfrey R Bolsover, published in 1959 listed, among other things, all the active bowling clubs in Sussex for 1958 This list contained 39 clubs based within the area covered by today’s Brighton, Hove and District Bowling League. Of these only six [Good Companions, Hollingbury Park, Hove Park, Kingsway, NALGO and Preston Manor] were listed as playing league matches although Hove certainly were members as they were the League Champions that year. Of the remainder, eight indicated they played only friendly matches [Brighton Labour, The Drive, Hangleton, Hove, Kemp Town, Lewes, Preston and Rottingdean] while the Viceroy club played only on Sundays and must therefore also have played only friendly fixtures. Hangleton was the only one to be listed as a Mixed Club.
From the thirty nine named clubs sixteen are still playing in the league in 2008 – although not all were playing league matches fifty years ago.
Of the other twenty three, some never played in the league while the Hove Club and Kingsway Club merged into a single club in 1971 and the Brighton Labour club and Windlesham club merged in 2006 but disbanded the following year.
Only four of the listed greens however no longer exist: Wild Park, Lewes Road - scene of an infamous murder of two young girls in 1986; Davigdore Road, Hove – a private green and both Madeira Drive and Queens Park, Brighton – although the latter only closed in 2005
Several of the others greens are used far less today than in the late 1950s. Preston Park with six Rinks was often full of bowlers with twelve clubs based there - today only British Rail use it as their home. Western Lawns, Kingsway, Hove with five Rinks was home to five clubs, but today only the merged Hove and Kingsway BC remains.
The book also provides oddments of information on various clubs, including:
The Drive BC, a private green, was the first club in Sussex to lay down a green of Cumberland turf. Originally called the Sussex County Bowling Club it changed its name after the founding of the Sussex County Bowling Association in 1917 to avoid confusion.
The Good Companions BC claimed J B Priestley was its first President, and that he held the office for many years. It claimed also that it was after attending one of his meetings that the Club was formed and took its name from the title of his famous novel. [There is something odd about this claim however – unless the Club was formerly called by another name. Priestley left the army in 1919, graduated from Cambridge 1921 and moved to London 1922 At least part of The Good Companions was written in Deal and it was not published until 1929 It is unclear if he lived in Brighton or Hove but if he did it was probably not until the early 1930s] The Club disbanded in 1966
Kemp Town was one of the oldest Clubs in Sussex and first played on a newly laid green on Madeira Drive. In 1908 the Club moved to Eastern Road and in the following year invited other clubs from around the County to take part in a one day tournament. The draw for the tournament took place in the Imperial Hotel, Queens Road, Brighton on 26 August 1909 when John Carter [later Alderman] of the Kemp Town Club explained the main reason for the tournament was to gather Sussex clubs together with the aim of forming a Sussex County Association affiliated to the E.B.A. Three months later the Sussex County Association was formed and in 1917 John Carter became the first Chairman of the County and then Treasurer from 1918 until 1940 The green at Queens Park became unfit for play in 2005 and the Club moved to Kingsway lawns, Hove for a season to complete its centenary before disbanding in 2006
When Madeira Drive BC was founded the green was situated on the sea front [Madeira Drive] but on the outbreak of World War II this green was closed and the Club moved to Queens Park. The Club disbanded in 1965
Newhaven’s green was destroyed during World War II and although the Club kept its affiliation to Sussex alive during the war years when they were without a green, they did not feel able to raise the necessary funds to start from scratch afterwards. They then agreed to amalgamate with Newhaven Recreation Bowls Club, formed in 1922, at the recreation ground with the Club being named Newhaven BC.
Preston Manor was named after the Manor House which adjoins Preston Park and where the Club’s first President, Henry D Roberts, lived as custodian on his retirement as Curator at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton. The Club disbanded in 1996
More recently, and not mentioned in the book:
The Vicarage BC, as mentioned earlier, was originally The Bakers and Allied Trades BC and must have been a founder member of the B,H & Dist League as one of it’s members - E T Husbands - was the League’s first Secretary/Treasurer, a post he held for at least 16 years. In 1952 the club became Vicarge BC, withdrawing from the League in 1955 but rejoining in 1978
Windlesham BC sold its private green at Davigdore Road and moved to Preston Park in 1995 It then merged with Brighton Labour in 2006 before disbanding in 2007
DIVISION 7
Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Pts
Rottingdean 'B' 8 6 0 2 497 402 [ +95 ] 55
Preston ‘C’ 8 7 0 1 471 404 [ +67 ] 55
Lewes ‘B’ 8 3 0 5 428 407 40
Windlesham & Brtn Labour 'B' 8 4 0 4 421 429 40
Brighton ‘B’ 8 0 0 8 535 533 10
CLUBS LISTED IN THE BRIGHTON AND HOVE AREA IN 1958:
[ Those still active are in BOLD CAPITALS ]
CLUB GREEN FOUNDED
Avondale Dyke Road Park 1931
Avondale merged with the Dyke Road Club in 2002
BRIGHTON Vicarage Gdns 1892
Brighton & Hove Grocers Preston Park 1906
Brighton & Hove Bowls Touring Preston Park 1951
Brighton Corp. Parks & Gardens Preston Park
Brighton Corp. Transport Wild Park, Lewes Rd 1951
Brighton Labour Preston Park 1939
Brighton Labour merged with Windlesham BC in 2006 but disbanded in 2007
Brighton Phoenix Wild Park, Lewes Rd 1947
Brighton Police Preston Park 1942
BRITISH RAIL [Brighton & Hove] Preston Park 1949
CARLTON Vicarage Gardens 1932
Civil Service [Brighton] Preston Park 1939
The Club disbanded in 1994
THE DRIVE, Hove The Drive, Hove 1905
Good Companions Hove Greens, Kingsway 1921
HANGLETON [mixed] Knoll Park, Hove 1955
HOLLINGBURY PARK Hollingbury Park 1918
Hove Western Lawns, Hove 1896
Hove merged with Kingsway to form the Hove and Kingsway Club in1971
HOVE PARK Hove Park 1921
Kemp Town Queens Park 1906
Kingsway Western Lawns, Hove 1925
The Kingsway Club merged with Hove in 1971 to form Hove and Kingsway BC.
LEWES Mountfield Road, Lewes 1922
MACKIE Mackie Avenue 1936
Madeira Drive Queens Park 1919
N.A.L.G.O [Brighton] Vicarage Gardens 1950
NEWHAVEN Recreation Ground 1902
PRESTON South Road, Brighton 1908
Preston Manor Preston Park 1938
Preston Park Preston Park 1912
R.S.A. Brighton Preston Park 1955
ROTTINGDEAN Falmer Road, Rottingdean 1934
ST ANN’S WELL GDNS St Ann’s Well Gdns 1920
SEGAS Brighton Queens Park 1947
SEGAS Portslade Kingsway, Hove 1925
The Club disbanded in 1986
SHOREHAM Buckingham Park, Shoreham 1934
SOUTHWICK Recreation Ground, Southwick 1910
VICARAGE Old Vicarage Gdns 1928
Viceroy Kingsway, Hove 1957
Wild Park Wild Park, Lewes Rd 1943
Windlesham Davigdore Road, Hove 1905
CLUBS - playing today but founded since 1958:
Dyke Road Park Dyke Road Park 2002
Originally The Co-Op Bowls Club based at Wild Park, Lewes Road, the club moved to Dyke Road green in 1992 and two years later changed its name to Dyke Road. When Avondale BC disbanded in 2002 their members joined Dyke Road which changed its name to Dyke Road Park BC.
Peacehaven The Sports Park, Piddinghoe Av 1981
Portslade Victoria Rd, Portslade 1960
