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Last Sunday saw the U25 teams of Kent and Hampshire battle it out for the HCBA JHCL title.

Both sides had a winning rink with the third one being shared.

In a very close encounter, after the 10th end on each rink, Hampshire lead by seven shots.

Kent fought back to go into the last end one shot up. Both sides had a 1 shot win on the 21st before the deciding rink from Hampshire going into the 21st with a 6 shot deficit, scored a 4 to retain the title with a 56-53 win.

Congratulations to both sides for making it an exciting competition.

Thanks to Egham BC for their usual hospitality and to the umpire. 

Saturday saw Surrey and Sussex do battle in this year's Denny Cup final played at Egham BC.

Before we get down to what happened on the green, a sincere thank you to the Sussex team who had to contend with the M25 being closed yet were the first to arrive.

As usual the caterers at Egham were ready to serve the various breakfast choices and once again made everyone welcome.

The Surrey team however were not as accomodating as they put the Sussex boys to the sword.

Although the rink 1 scorecard shows only a 2 shot win to Surrey, the score card shows a game of two halves.

Surrey went away on a flier and were 16-0 in front after 8 ends. The next 10 ends saw them only pick up a couple of singles whilst the Sussex lads scored 14. A five to Sussex on the nineteenth end saw them go into the lead by one shot before Surrey closed the game with a 21-19 scoreline.

On rink 2, Surrey were couple of shots up after seven ends, but Sussex kicked into gear with 11 shots from the next four ends, moving into a nine shot lead. Even though the Surrey four made a solid come back, Sussex got over the line by two shots, 20-18. 

Rink three saw an even contest which Sussex edged by three shots, 16-13.

A five on the eighth end saw Surrey move into a four shot lead and take command of the rink  dropping only four more singles on their way to a 24-11 victory.

Surrey went on a rampage on rink 5 dropping just one more single on their way to a 25-8 win.

The only difference between Rinks 1 and 5 was that Surrey continued on a flier up to the fifteenth end when they dropped a two to lead 20-2. Losing only 8 shots over the last six ends and picking up seven themselves, Surrey collected a 19 shot win, 29-10.

HCBA Chairman, John Tucker brought the day to a close, presenting the Winners trophy and Certificate to his home County, Surrey.

Hopefully, the Sussex boys had a safe journey home with not too many problems with the M25 closure.

Yesterday saw the final of the 2023 Bill Hatto Under 25's trophy between Hampshire and Sussex played in the glorious sunshine at Alton Social Bowls Club.

The club provided us with a good green, food and drink throughout the day and parasols to shade under from the hot sun.

The game was played by two very competitive teams with the youngest in the Sussex side only 10 years old and two young ladies.

There was very little in the scores throughout the match with Sussex making a late rally when it looked as if Hampshire were going to have a comfortable win. Sussex were rallied by a 5 on the last end on one of the rinks but just missed out on the win, with Hampshire taking the game 62-59.

Both teams had plenty of support from 'vocal' parents and supporters which helped to create an exciting atmosphere.

Thanks go to Hampshire's Umpiring co-ordinator who was used a number of times to adjudicate on close woods.

Both teams were a credit to their County as they sported their County colours in both shirts and shorts making each of them actually look like a team.

The future looks bright for bowls in both Hampshire and Sussex.

We are ready and looking forward to the new season which will soon be upon us and you will notice a few changes to previous years.

At long last we will be playing the Championships in May, with the 2021 County Champions contesting the Under 25 Singles, Singles, Pairs, Triples and Fours at the Old Coulsdon Bowling Club on Sunday May 15th. The draws are on the website and if you are in the Pairs, Triples or Fours and didn't manage to play your quarter-final before the end of September 2021, you have until Sunday May 8th to play the game. Under 25 Singles and Singles contestants go straight through to Finals Day.

The Leonard Denny Cup in its new format of two leagues of four counties with Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Sussex making up Group 1 and Group 2 counties Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Kent and Middlesex, at last gets underway. The winners of each league will play off for the Cup.

At some time, most of the member counties of the asociation have had season's when they have been unable to fulfill their Under 25 fixtures or even enter the Bill Hatto competition, due to the shortage of under 25 players. The format, like the Leonard Denny Cup has been changed into two leagues of four counties. The counties in each group have been chosen to try and keep travelling distances shorter.            To try and help counties get 12 - or 9 in the worst scenario -  Under 25 players, sides can now be made up from players of any gender who are members of County Affiliated clubs.

The two groups are:

East Group - Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. Sussex will not be taking part this season.

West Group - Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.

If any of these games are happening near you and you have a spare couple of hours, give them your support.