To the bowlers of Oxfordshire
As the recently elected President of Bowls Oxfordshire for 2025/26 I extend a warm welcome to all Oxfordshire bowlers!
Having joined the county team to help with the unification programme, I bring lots of experience from my bowling years at Witney Town. Since being there I’ve carried out many roles, from washing up to becoming President of the club! This means I’m well aware of the challenges you face in running a successful bowls club! It’s not an easy task, it gets done thanks to the dedication of club members like yourself who give time and energy to make sure it works.
Your efforts ensure that many clubs thrive for an incredible number of years, and for 2026 we should congratulate the members of Adderbury and Banbury Central Bowls Clubs who reach the milestones of 100 years and 125 years respectively; an amazing achievement!
At county level the 4 sections comprising young bowlers, womens, mens and mixed have proved that unification can work! Therefore I will encourage continuation of the successful arrangements for the likes of finals days, where all sections took part together, and also the Presentation dinner in 2026.
Beyond the county boundary, it is always good to see Oxfordshire represented at National level, taking part in the national championships at Leamington is something many aspire to, and achieve! So please encourage participation in the county and national competitions so that this avenue remains open for as many bowlers as possible! Some of our ladies and juniors have gained further national recognition by playing for their country. Hopefully there will be opportunities for many more of our bowlers in all sections going forward.
Our sport of bowls does not normally have a high profile but 2026 may be different due to the Commonwealth games in Glasgow. They are in July but a big publicity campaign will begin at the start of the outdoor season, to tie in with your early-season open days. I hope your club will be able to build on this.
The challenges for clubs in 2026 are not new, recruitment must be top of the list. Welcoming new members of all ages into the great sport of bowls will ensure a long and healthy future for bowls clubs across the county and beyond!
My best wishes to you all for a successful and enjoyable 2026; I’ll be hoping to see as many of you as I can on the green during the summer.
Alan Scholan
President.
December 2025.