2026/27 News Reports
02/11/2026
Denny Cup side make successful start for third national title
After being knocked out early last season at the third round stage, Spalding Lightning’s national mens Denny Cup team were starting this year’s competition and a chance of a third national title after success in 2022 and 2024 with a first round fixture against Grantham IBC and managed to successfully pass this hurdle with a comfortable win by 91 shots to 45.
When the first 5 ends were completed, Lightning started well with a 15 shot lead (26-11) with much of the damage coming at home whilst the 2 away rinks got used to faster conditions at the opposition venue and after 10 ends, this overall lead had increased further to 26 shots (52-26). At 15 ends, the gap had grown more to 40 shots (77-37) and with the game at approximately the 18 end mark both home and away, the lead had reached the final 46 shot difference when Grantham conceded the match to Lightning. The second round will take place on Saturday 14th November against Horncastle IBC.
Rink Scores: Home - Rob Aves, Dale Parnell, Calvin Leuty & Jordan Philpott won 29-9 (top rink) and Dan Mills, Max Butters, Kevin Ekins & Martin Spencer won 20-10; Away - Graham Smith, Martin Simpson, Owen Aspinall & Dominic McVittie won 23-15 and Brian Martin, Nick Wilkie, Andy Dunham & Stephen Harris won 19-11.
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Following an excellent preliminary round victory last month, the Spalding Lightning national mixed Egham Trophy side were back in action last Sunday with a first round match against Stamford IBC and the title defence continued with another strong performance and success by 94 shots to 45.
Following the completion of 5 ends, the total scores were level at 20 shots all after a strong start for the opposition at their home venue but after 10 ends were played across the board, Lightning had flown off into the distance with a 33 shot lead (61-28). From then on, the match was very much controlled by Spalding both home and away and between the 15 and 18 end point, Stamford conceded the game and the victory was obtained. The second round will take place on Sunday 15th November against Horncastle IBC.
Rink Scores: Home - Dan Mills, Maisie Belding, Chelsea Spencer & Dominic McVittie won 36-12 (top rink) and Jean Patterson, Julie Hicks, Calvin Leuty & Jordan Philpott won 18-10; Away - Ruby Philpott, Karen Martin, Martin Spencer & Mathew Orrey won 26-5 and Danielle Wild, Tracy Philpott, Andy Dunham & Stephen Harris lost 14-18.
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Spalding Lightning’s national ladies Yetton Trophy team should have commenced their campaign this season with a first round tie against Skegness IBC last Saturday; however unfortunately the opposition had to concede the game earlier the previous week as they were unable to field enough players to form a team. Therefore, Lightning move on in the competition and the second round will be against Lincoln IBC on Saturday 14th November.
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The Spalding Lightning ladies Trudy Bates side began their competitive fixtures this season in the south division with a home tie against Boston IBC last Thursday morning, and got off to a good beginning winning by 68 shots to 60 and gaining 10 points from the maximum 14 available.
It was a tight start for both teams as after the first 10 ends were played, the aggregate score was 30 shots all and each side was winning on 2 rinks apiece from the 4 that were being contested. However by the 15th end, Spalding had opened up a strong lead of 16 shots following a fight back on the rink skipped by Maisie Belding who collected 6 shots on their 16th end but with Boston scoring 8 shots on 2 rinks on their final ends brought the game closer with the match finishing with a home 8 shot victory.
The team won on 2 rinks and lost on 2 rinks with the top winning rink skipped by Julie Hicks, with Jean Patterson, Jenny Wakefield & Mandy Parkins who won 21-12. Their next scheduled match should be once more at home against Grantham IBC on Thursday 5th November.
Rink Scores: Jean Patterson, Jenny Wakefield, Mandy Parkins & Julie Hicks won 21-12; Shelia Chamberlain, Gill Haydon, June Taylor & Maisie Belding won 18-14; Judy Jackson, Sue Slayven, Trish Stafford & Maggie Wheatley lost 17-18; Ann Newbury, Michelle Billingsley, Carole Nunney & Betty Deaton lost 12-16.
ENDS
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26/10/2026
Lightning Top Club team win away tie in opening round
Spalding Lightning’s mixed top club team commenced their campaign to win another indoor national team title last Sunday, with a first round match in all disciplines away at Stamford IBC and this ended up very successful after collecting 14 match points from the 16 available.
The singles matches took place with Karen Martin and Graham Smith representing Lightning and although things did not go in Karen’s favour in her tie losing 9-21, Graham recovered from 6-15 down in his match to win 21-20 with both teams sharing the 4 points on offer. In the pairs and triples games, Spalding were never in trouble and were convincing victors and the fours tie was won on the last end with Jordan Philpott bowling 2 superb deliveries to get the match tally well past the winning line and a strong start in the team’s bid for a fourth national win in this competition after emerging victorious in 2015, 2020 and 2024. The second round match is again away, this time versus Dunholme IBC on Sunday 8th November.
Rink Scores: Ladies Singles - Karen Martin lost 9-21; Mens Singles - Graham Smith won 21-20; Pairs - Jean Patterson & Dominic McVittie won 34-8; Triples - Ruby Philpott, Martin Spencer & Mathew Orrey won 28-9; Fours - Danielle Wild, Julie Hicks, Stephen Harris & Jordan Philpott won 18-16.
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After winning their opening fixture last weekend, the Spalding Lightning friendly side played in their second match with another home tie on this occasion against the Lincs VPs last Sunday afternoon. The game was played over 18 ends of triples, with the halfway score at 9 ends seeing a 7 shot lead for Lightning; however the opposition turned this around in the second half and emerged the overall victors by 4 shots (61-65) at the finish.
The team won on 2 rinks and lost on 2 rinks with the top winning rink skipped by Paul Turner, assisted by junior member Danny Griggs & Sue Slayven who won 19-8. The next scheduled friendly should again be at home versus Grantham IBC on Sunday 8th November.
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The Spalding Lightning mens county league team played their second game of their southern league season with a home tie against Boston IBC ‘B’ last Saturday and after success in their opening fixture last month, they were hopeful to maintain the winning momentum. However, the side lost out in a close match by 74 shots to 78 and only gained 4 points from the maximum 14 available.
The team won on 2 rinks and lost on 2 rinks with the two victorious rinks both succeeding by 7 shots with Ben Sharp, Robin Roffe, James Teesdale & Anthony Cronin winning 27-20 and Eric Wakefield, new club member Neil Parnell, Ian Harwood & Calvin Leuty winning 19-12. Their next scheduled match and chance to bounce back should be again at home against Boston IBC ‘A’ on Saturday 7th November.
Rink Scores: Ben Sharp, Robin Roffe, James Teesdale & Anthony Cronin won 27-20; Eric Wakefield, Neil Parnell, Ian Harwood & Calvin Leuty won 19-12; Max Butters, Mark Partridge, Jonny Pearce & Brian Martin lost 13-22; Paul Turner, Cliff Lattimer, Graham Hicks & David Nunney lost 15-24.
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With 1 win and 1 defeat from their first 2 home league matches, the Spalding Lightning mens over 60s team travelled away for the first time this season against Grantham IBC last Tuesday. The away green at this particular club can be a tricky surface to master due to being very fast and although our team put up a great fight, the side lost by 68 shots to 83 and only gained 4 points from the maximum 14 available.
The team won on 2 rinks and lost on 2 rinks with the top winning rink skipped by Martin Simpson, with new club member Mark Partridge, Martyn Stanley & Ian Stafford who won 28-16. Their next scheduled match should be again away against Stamford IBC on Wednesday 25th November.
Rink Scores: Mark Partridge, Martyn Stanley, Ian Stafford & Martin Simpson won 28-16; Tony Westland, Roger Billingsley, Cliff Lattimer & Anthony Cronin won 16-9; Mick Dolton, Derek Chamberlain, John Teesdale & David Nunney lost 16-27; Pete Bendell, Mike Taylor, David Murray & Robin Roffe lost 8-31.
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Congratulations to the Lincolnshire mens county Liberty Trophy team, winning the first round by 58 shots (114-56) versus Yorkshire CIBA at Grantham IBC last Saturday. The players representing Lincolnshire from Spalding were Owen Aspinall, Andy Dunham, Kevin Ekins, Stephen Harris, Dominic McVittie, Dan Mills, Jordan Philpott and Martin Spencer, with the non-playing captain of the side being Graham Smith. The next round is against Durham CIBA on Saturday 9th January 2027 at a venue yet to be decided.
ENDS
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19/10/2026
National Egham Trophy defence begins very strongly for Lightning
The national mixed Egham Trophy competition commenced last Sunday, and last season’s defending champions in Spalding Lightning faced a preliminary round fixture against local rivals in Boston IBC and managed to start with an extremely comfortable victory by 79 shots to 39.
When the first 5 ends were completed, Lightning held a strong 12 shot lead at 23-11 and after 10 ends, this had increased even further to 28 shots (52-24). At approximately 15 ends or so both home and away, the lead had stretched again to the final 40 shot victory when Boston then conceded the match to Lightning. The first round proper will take place on Sunday 1st November against Stamford IBC.
Rink Scores: Home - Jean Patterson, Julie Hicks, Andy Dunham & Kevin Ekins won 24-7 (top rink) and Dan Mills, Jessica Butters, Chelsea Spencer & Dominic McVittie won 19-11; Away - Danielle Wild, Tracy Philpott, Martin Spencer & Jordan Philpott won 22-9 and Ruby Philpott, Maisie Belding, Brian Martin & Stephen Harris won 14-12.
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The Spalding Lightning friendly team took part in their opening fixture of the indoor season with a home match against Melton IBC last Sunday afternoon. The opposition brought and fielded a very strong team to play but in a fiercely contested game across 4 rinks of 18 end fours, Spalding managed to come out the victors in the end by 66 shots to 60 and keep the Melton-Spalding Trophy in their grasp.
The team won on 3 out of the 4 rinks played with the top winning rink skipped by Graham Fairbanks, ably assisted by Christine Williamson, John Venters & Doris Rawding who won 20-11. The next scheduled friendly should again be at home versus the Lincs VPs on this coming Sunday 25th October.
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12/10/2026
McVittie does it again.. alongside Orrey and qualifies in World Indoor Bowls Championships pairs
Following the success for Dominic McVittie last weekend at Nottingham IBC, more qualifying stages were held for the WBT World Indoor Bowls Championships at Hartlepool IBC last Sunday and saw Dom return to play in the open pairs competition alongside another club member in Mathew Orrey and aim to make a double trip to Potters Resort and play on the portable blue rink in 2 separate events.
They began their day at 9am in the morning in the first round against David & Samantha Ronald and won in straight sets (8-3, 8-2) to then face Alan & Scott Davies and again succeed in 2 sets (12-7, 8-1). The third round saw them play versus Lee Collins & Alan Rough and win a close match (6-4, 7-3) before a quarter final tie against another Spalding player and England international Stephen Harris and his partner, Russell Robinson saw their first tie break of the day which proved fruitful (6-3, 2-9, 2-0). Into the semi final against Kenny Johnstone & Paul Wallace and now into their fifth match of the day saw another tie break win (4-6, 6-4, 2-0) and put them into the final versus home club players in Conrad Morrison & Mark Squirrell.
With the match brewing streamed live on Facebook by the ‘Wrong Bias’ podcast, the first set was won by our boys by 6 shots to 4; however the second set saw a strong comeback by the opposition to win that 9-2 and so the game moved into a 3 end tie break for the third successive match for Mat & Dom. Subsequently after winning the first end and following a slightly fortuitous result on the second end, our boys won this tie break 2-0 and have qualified for a place in the open pairs event at Potters to be held in January 2027. Whilst as previously stated that this is Dominic’s first time at the WBT World Championships now in both the open singles and open pairs competitions, this is not new territory for Mathew with an appearance 10 years ago in 2016 reaching the quarter final stage of the open singles. The club wishes them both well and we look forward to supporting them both at home and at the venue in January.
Footnote: our club publicity officer wanted to apologise for missing Annie Dunham off the list of previous World Championship qualifiers from the club in last week’s report. Annie qualified for the ladies world matchplay singles in 2024 and remains part of our success both on the green in a playing capacity and as the club development officer.
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Following a great opening season result last week, the Spalding Lightning mens over 60s team played again at home last Thursday this time versus Boston IBC ‘B’. In a close match, the side could not sadly replicate a winning performance and lost out by 65 shots to 76 and only gained 1 rink and 2 points from the maximum 14 available. This winning rink was skipped by Anthony Cronin, with Tony Westland, Roger Billingsley & Malcolm Easey who won 22-19. Their next scheduled match should be away against Grantham IBC on Tuesday 20th October.
Rink Scores: Tony Westland, Roger Billingsley, Malcolm Easey & Anthony Cronin won 22-19; Mike Taylor, Martyn Stanley, Ian Harwood & Paul Turner lost 14-15; Mick Dolton, Keith Jackson, Pete Bendell & Martin Simpson lost 14-17; Ian Stafford, Derek Chamberlain, Gavin Staite & David Nunney lost 15-25.
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Congratulations to our club members in Owen Aspinall, Kevin Ekins, Stephen Harris, Dominic McVittie, Dan Mills, Mathew Orrey, Jordan Philpott & Martin Spencer for their selection for Lincolnshire CIBA in the first round of their national defence of the mens Liberty Trophy against Yorkshire CIBA on Saturday 24th October at Grantham IBC, and also to more club members in Brian Martin, Martin Simpson & Nick Wilkie for their selection for Lincolnshire CIBA in the first round of the Mens Over 60 Inter-County team against Northamptonshire CIBA on Tuesday 3rd November with 3 rinks held at Lincoln IBC and the other 3 rinks held at Desborough IBC.
ENDS
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05/10/2026
McVittie qualifies for 2027 World Indoor Bowls Championships
The qualifying stages for the WBT World Indoor Bowls Championships have been taking place across the country at the start of this new season, and the most recent event at Nottingham IBC last Saturday saw our club member, Dominic McVittie complete a long held ambition and qualify for the open singles at Potters Resort in Hopton-On-Sea for the first time in his bowls career.
A long, gruelling day saw Dom start his eventual 6 game streak against Aaron Prowle to win in straight sets (10-5, 6-1) to then face Daniel Richardson and again succeed in 2 sets (7-1, 6-2). The third round saw him play against Jack Larter and win a tight game (4-4, 6-3) before a quarter final clash against home club player Ollie Sloan with again Dom being too strong winning once more over 2 sets (7-4, 8-1). The semi final against Michael Bowley saw another straight sets victory (7-2, 8-3) and put him into the final versus Lloyd Sabatini.
After a comfortable first set success by 8 shots to 2, Lloyd came storming back to take the second (and for Dom to lose his first set of the day) 10-2 and so the game moved into a 3 end tie break. In conclusion, Dominic won this 2-1 and qualified for a place at the event at Potters to be held in January 2027 and the matches will be streamed on YouTube and Facebook when the time comes. Dom also follows in the footsteps of previous World Championship qualifiers over the years from Spalding in Simon Lilley (open singles), Kevin Ekins (pairs), Graham Smith (open singles), Scott Dunham (open singles), Matt Whyers (open singles & pairs) and Chelsea Spencer (ladies singles) and the club will be looking forward to cheering him on at this prestigious competition.
In addition, Dom also took part in the summer season national mens singles final stages held last month at Melton & District IBC and after quarter final wins against David Young (Angel IBC) 21-2 and semi final success against Ryan Boots (Bristol IBC) 21-10, he faced Alex Walton (Riverain IBC) in the grand final. Dominic was in control of the match at 17-9 up; however Alex fought back to take the title 21-18 and lift the trophy. Congratulations to him and well done to Dom for reaching the final.
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The Spalding Lightning mens county league team started their season quite early this year on Saturday 26th September, and began proceedings with a home tie versus Grantham IBC in the newly reformed south division (all entered teams divided up geographically across Lincolnshire, and the winners of the north and south play each other in a one off game at the end of the season). Consequently, the victory was achieved by 94 shots to 64 and they gained 12 points from the maximum 14 available.
The team won on 3 out of the 4 rinks with the top winning rink skipped by Brian Martin, with Ben Sharp, Gavin Staite and new club member Jonny Pearce who won 23-9. Their next scheduled match should be again at home against Boston IBC ‘B’ on Saturday 24th October.
Rink Scores: Ben Sharp, Gavin Staite, Jonny Pearce & Brian Martin won 23-9; Tony Westland, Mike Taylor, Ian Harwood & Kevin Ekins won 30-19; Paul Turner, Graham Hicks, Anthony Cronin & David Nunney won 25-19; Mick Dolton, Robin Roffe, James Teesdale & Dan Mills lost 16-17.
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After a disappointing season last year, the Spalding Lightning men’s over 60s team (under new captaincy through Tony Westland) were looking to start well this time around once more in a newly reformed south division with an opening match versus a strong Lincoln IBC ‘A’ side last Thursday. They won against the same opponents last season in this fixture and they managed to do so again, this time with a 96 shots to 59 success and gaining 10 points from the maximum 14 available.
The team won on 2 rinks and lost on 2 rinks with the top winning rink skipped by Anthony Cronin, with Tony Westland, Roger Billingsley & Rob West who won 30-7. Their next scheduled match should be again at home against Boston IBC ‘B’ on Thursday 8th October.
Rink Scores: Tony Westland, Roger Billingsley, Rob West & Anthony Cronin won 30-7; Mike Taylor, Dave Murray, Ian Harwood & David Nunney won 33-16; Eric Wakefield, Gavin Staite, Malcolm Easy & Paul Turner lost 15-16; Mick Dolton, Martyn Stanley, Derek Chamberlain & Ian Stafford lost 18-20.
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The Spalding Lightning mixed county league team also started their season again in the newly reformed south division last Sunday afternoon with a trip away from home versus Stamford IBC and unfortunately suffered defeat on a quick surface by 65 shots to 74 and only gained 1 rink and 2 points from the maximum 14 available. This winning rink was skipped by Anthony Cronin, with Christine Williamson, June Taylor & Rob West who won 20-13. Their next scheduled match should be once more away against Boston IBC on Sunday 15th November.
Rink Scores: Christine Williamson, June Taylor, Rob West & Anthony Cronin won 20-13; Ann Newbury, Cliff Lattimer, Maggie Wheatley & Graham Wright lost 19-20; George Deaton, Betty Deaton, Carole Nunney & David Nunney lost 13-19; Jenny Wakefield, Ben Sharp, Maisie Belding & James Teesdale lost 13-22.
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The club hosted a bowls ‘taster session’ on behalf of the Spalding Round Table community group on Monday 28th September, with a Challenge Match held between them and the Spalding 41 Club. With 2 winning rinks each, a bowls spider decided the victors and following this, the 41 Club was closest and took home the prestigious Kettle Trophy. Thanks to everyone involved (including the helpers) for an entertaining evening and the groups are welcome back anytime to try the game again if they so wish in the future.
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Finally, there is a new bowls ‘drive’ league looking to commence in the month of October being held at the club in Long Sutton on Tuesday afternoons between 1pm & 3pm, and we are in need of both male and female members of all playing abilities to come along and take part. As this will be a league of type, there will be points awarded each week for entering & winning etc but this will be confirmed once we have enough interest to begin. If you are interested, please contact the club on 07517 189149 and request information from Julie Hicks for more details.
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