Pelton Fell Bowls Club

31/08/2026

The Storey Competition – 2026.

Tom Storey (Tucker) was one of the stalwarts and driving forces of Pelton Fell Bowling Club, and the annual club event, The Storey Competition, which he founded several years ago, took place on Sunday. Sadly, the event commenced with a minutes silence for Tucker who had very recently passed away at the ripe old age of 100…. He has been greatly missed over the years, and is often the subject of conversations when reminiscing of past times.

The competition consisted of two sets of four drawn teams, playing in mini leagues in a 3-wood format. As is usual for our club events, the competition was hard fought and competitive, but played in a friendly and sporting manner. The entire day was enjoyed by all.
The final match took part with the winners of each group. Malcolm Lusk, Gary Bishop, and Trish Parkinson played Arlene Stafford, Bob Gray, and David Robinson. Malcolms team were the victors after a display of very skilful and entertaining bowls.

Congratulations to the winners, and further congratulations to everyone that took part, and made the day yet another memorable occasion.

Once again, everybody involved with the competition was very appreciative of the behind the scenes activities that enabled such a good day. The organisation of the event was flawless, and the catering, as per usual, was second to none.

20/08/2026

Durham County Federation Vets 2 Bowl Competition.

Another of our members has taken yet another trophy.

Results and success within the club continue for this season - This time in The Durham County Vets 2-Bowl Competition.

The finals of the competition were held at West Park Bowling Club in South Shields, and the overall winner was our very own Garth Coates.

Well done Garth… Your collection of trophies grows further.

16/08/2026

The Bowls England Foundation Pairs.

On Friday, Stephen Elsbury and Malcolm Lusk were representing Pelton Fell Bowling Club and competing in the Bowls England Foundation Pairs at Leamington Spa, which is 'The Wembley Stadium' of the bowling world, and reached the final of the competition. This is prestigious bowling at it's very highest level.

After a hard fought competition, they reached the final, which is no mean feat, and were sadly beaten by very good opposition from Gloucester.

They have put Pelton Fell on the map and all of their efforts are greatly appreciated by all of our members. Well done lads... we're proud of you... you have both been excellent ambassadors for the club. All of your efforts and hard work are greatly appreciated.

I asked Stephen if he could pen a few words about their experiences of the competition... this is his reply :-

"The BOWLS ENGLAND FOUNDATION PAIRS consists of 2 sets of nine ends, with 1 point awarded for a set win, and ½ point for a set tie, plus a three-end tie-break if scores are level.

Eligibility

The competition is open to all bowlers regardless of gender and is to encourage new bowlers to gain experience in entering national competitions. A team can consist of a bowler with less than five years bowling experience, and a more experienced player. If you are under 17 you can play with any partner. The team first plays county rounds home or away until you reach the area finals which are played on a neutral green, and if you’re successful, you then play in the last 32 and last 16 against other local counties on neutral greens. We played against Yorkshire and Northumberland where we got great support from the club and family. We then progressed to the national finals at Leamington Spa where we played the quarter final against a team from Northampton, the semi final against a team from Surrey, and then lost in the Final to two very good young players from Gloucester.

The Leamington Experience.

As for Leamington, and just being at the National Finals, it was a wonderful experience playing against some really nice competitors, and one that we will both never forget. To reach the final was an added bonus. We would just like to thank all of the club members for their amazing support, and also a big thank you to our wives. Many thanks also to Brian and Joan Brown who were down at Leamington at the time. I know they were keeping as many people informed of the scores as possible, but were also keeping us hydrated with drinks and cheering us on all the way in very warm conditions.

We were so proud to represent a wonderful club with great people, and wearing the Pelton Fell shirt (which got some very good comments) at a national finals which was an honour".

14/08/2026

MalcolmLusk and Steve Elsbury are in the final of the BE Foundation pairs competition, kicking off at 3:00 this afternoon. They are playing really well, winning their 2 games this morning.
Good luck gents.

14/06/2026

The Centenary Trophy Competition – 2026.

Saturday saw our inaugural Centenary Trophy competition, whereby club members took part in a 3-wood drawn pairs competition, played throughout the course of the day. As is usual for our club events, the competition was hard fought and competitive, but played in a friendly and sporting manner. The entire day was enjoyed by all of our members.

4 groups of teams battled it out throughout the day, which ended with a final match between Brian Brown and Icky playing Arlene Stafford and Gary Bishop. Brian’s team were the victors after eight ends (winning by one point) of very skilful and entertaining bowls.

Congratulations to the winners, commiserations to the runners up, and congratulations to everyone that took part, and made the day another memorable occasion.

Once again, everybody involved with the competition is very appreciative of the background activities that enabled such a good day. The ‘behind the scenes’ organisation, the magnificent catering as is always usual, and the greenkeeping efforts to provide a superb playing facility. We are all very lucky to be part of such an excellent club.

Finally, we would like to offer our thanks to our sponsor, BMW Building Products, who provided the magnificent trophy, and many of the raffle prizes.

18/05/2026

08/05/2026

Move County Durham Bowls Sessions.

Today saw the first of our "Move County Durham" bowls taster sessions. We had 16 people turn up to have a go at outdoor bowls.
It was lovely to see the green so busy.

Several were familiar with the game having attended a similar event at Stanley Indoor bowls club. There were about 6 or 7 who were completely new to the game.

They all seemed to enjoy it, with mixed levels of success, and all looked forward to coming back for the next 5 weeks. Several went into the club house for tea and biscuits and a natter after they finished.

Can I thank Steve Elsbury for his efforts in bringing the event to Pelton Fell through his contacts with DCC. I also need to thank Steve Elsbury, Steve Shaw, Kevin Brown, and Brian Fairless for their help in running the session and setting up/clearing up. Also my thanks to Joan, and Kevin Brown's wife for their efforts in the kitchen.

These sessions will run on Thursday afternoons for the next 5 weeks from 1:00 to 2:30. Can I ask for volunteers to assist with running the session next week as the two Steve's are unable to come.

Everyone is welcome to come and help, and encourage and make the course members welcome.

Regards
Brian

01/05/2026

Improvements to the Old Pavilion.

Just an update on the continued generosity from our main club sponsors BMW Windows Ltd, the company fitters have been to the club this morning and fitted the door and windows to the old pavilion. There is a photograph attached. I would think you will all agree a vast improvement to the building. There are a couple of minor pieces of work to do to finish it off, they will return later and do it. I have sent and email to BMW Ltd expressing our gratitude

While I am on I would also like to advise you that the volunteer green staff have spent a number of hours this morning working on the bowling green, I am happy with the results and it's certainly starting to look more like a proper bowling green after the winter woes and problems we have had with kids playing football and riding bikes and scooters on it.

Regards

Ray

17/04/2026

2026 Open Pairs Competition :-

07/04/2026

Move County Durham Bowling Club Sessions.

New session coming to Pelton Fell

In partnership with Pelton Fell Bowling Club we are trialling a weekly outdoor 'Introduction to bowling session'. This is perfect if you have never tried lawn bowling before as support and guidance will be on hand from members of the club...or you may just want to get back into bowling after an absence. Please come along and give it a go.

Details below:

When: Starts Thursday 7th May 2026 (6 week course)
Where: Memorial Park, Pelton Fell, DH2 2RL
Time: 1pm - 2.30pm
Cost: Free
Booking required:
Please e mail the team at [email protected] or telephone 03000 262539