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04/12/23 County/National Mixed Fours Hall Change

Please be aware that the County/National Mixed Fours which is being held this Saturday 9th December is being held in the bowling hall at the bowling hall and not the Moorland Hall. It is the same hall that was used for the Devon v Dorset ICC match as we’ll as the County/National Triples qualifying day back in October. A map with the location of the bowls hall can be found here.

30/11/23 County/National Pairs Preliminary Round Details

On Saturday Devon County are holding the County/National Pairs Preliminary rounds in the Moorland Hall at the Manor House Hotel. With 49 pairs taking part in the competition teams have been randomly drawn into either a morning session or an afternoon session. This draw can be found here.

The sign in time for players in the morning session is 9am, whilst the sign in time for players in the afternoon session is 1:30pm.  Players that qualify will return to the Manor House Hotel on the 20th January for the finals day.

13/11/23 Devon v Dorset Review

On Sunday both Devon Premier and Devon A travelled to Dorset in the latest ICC fixture. The Devon Premier team came into the match unbeaten and were looking to extend this streak and stay on top of the league. The first session was a tight affair with Devon winning one of the Pairs and one of the Singles winning but Devon lost on the other two mats. The second session was another tight affair with Devon winning one of the Triples and one of the Fours and again losing on the other two mats. This left the half time score at 8-8.

In the third session Devon were able to finally edge ahead on the match where despite losing in one of the Pairs they drew one the Singles and won on the other two mats. The final session was again split evenly with both of the Triples being won by Devon and both of the fours being won by Dorset. With Devon Getting the bonus points in the Singles and Triples the final score was Dorset 19 (187 shots Devon 21 (191 shots). This was the first time since 2016 that Devon have beaten Dorset at their home venue and ensured that Devon remained on top of the group going into the final two games.

The A team have only played one game so far this season and so were playing catch up to both Cornwall and Dorset who have both played more. Devon came out very strongly in the first half and won on all four mats. This form was taken into the second session where Devon was only defeated on one mat, but wins on the other two mats Devon were in a very strong position at half time with the score at 14-2.

The third session of the day was split evenly with Devon winning one of the Singles and one of the Pairs. In the final session Devon were able to win both of the Triples and one the Fours. With Devon winning the bonus points in all four disciplines the final score was Dorset 8 Devon 32. Devon are now second in the group 7 point behind Dorset. However, Dorset have no games left to play whilst Devon face a double header against Cornwall In December and January. The full league standings of both teams can be found here.

13/11/23 Over 55 County/National Pairs & Under 18's Review

On Saturday the Manor House hotel hosted the latest Devon County Competition day with both the National Over 55 Pairs and the County Under 18’s taking place. In the Over 55 Pairs there were 29 entries and so teams were split into groups of fours or three in the morning. The top two teams in each group then progressed to the knockout stages which took place after lunch. The 16 teams were whittled down to 2 teams and the final was contested between Stewart Weighill & John Bradbury (Bere Alston) and Brian James and Neil Buckland. Stewart and John produced a strong performance and were able to overcome their opponents and became the Over 55 Pairs Champions in Devon

Over 55 Pairs Winnrers

J
ohn Bradbury & Stewart Weighill Devon County/National Over 55's Pairs Winners

There was three Devon under 18’s this year and they played a round robin with each of them playing each other. After all the matches were played Uffculme’s Tom Dodge topped the group and therefore became Devon new Under 18 Champion.

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10/11/23 Devon v Dorset Team Announced

On Sunday both Devon Premier and Devon A travel to Bere Regis on Sunday where they take on Dorset. Devon Premier will be looking to carry on the good form that has seen them top the group at the half way stage. Whilst Devon A who have only played one game so far this year will be looking to make up ground on both Cornwall and Dorset.

Details of the Dorset venue can be found here and players are requested to be at the venue in time for the 10am team meeting. The following players have been selected for the match

Premier Team: Mike Avery (Yarnscombe),  Gill Cawrse (Exeter Nomads),  Gareth Hill (Totnes Creameries), Richard Ivings (Exeter Nomads), Elliott James (Yarnscombe), George Main (Yarnscombe), Tony Main (Yarnscombe) Rose Morrison (Totnes Creameries), Eric Pavey (Sidbury), Adam Perris (Exeter Nomads), Paul Pomeroy (Musbury), James Smith (Exeter Nomads), John Steer (Slapton), James Trott (Exeter Nomads), Stewart Weighill (Totnes Creameries), Richard Williams (Exeter Nomads), Dave Woods (Totnes Creameries), Kim Wright (Sidbury), Rachel Wright (Sidbury), Nick Wyatt (Bow)

A Team: Rob Bartlett (Exeter Nomads), Elaine Clements (Great Torrington), Budgie Hallows (Ottery St Mary), Hilary Iley (Exeter Nomads), Robert Ivings (Exeter Nomads),  Barry McPhillips (Sidbury), Ian Nicholls (Christow), Rob Phipps (Exeter Nomads), John Redstone (Winkleigh), Diane Shepherd (Winkleigh), Graham Shepherd (Winkleigh), Colin Sowden (Great Torrington), Ann Summers (Totnes Creameries), Dave Summers (Totnes Creameries), Sandra Weston (Sidbury), Roger Wilson (Winkleigh), Alan Woodacre (Goodleigh), Lee Woodacre (Goodleigh), Ray Young (Exeter Nomads), Sue Young (Exeter Nomads)

06/11/23 Devon v Somerset Review

Devon premier welcomed Somerset to The Manor House Hotel on Sunday in the latest ICC fixture. Devon were looking to continue their unbeaten start to the season and in the first session Devon continued this form with wins on all four mats. This momentum was carried into the second session with again Devon securing wins on all four mats. This left the half time score at 16-0 to Devon.

In the third session Devon secured two more wins which included a 29-2 win in one of the Singles. Whilst on the other two matches both secure draws. In the third session Devon were defeated in both of the Triples matches but won in both of the Fours. With Devon winning all the bonus points the final score was Devon 34 (256 shots) Somerset 6 (137 shots). In the other group fixture Dorset travelled to Cornwall where they secured a 24-16 win.

The A team did not have a competitive match this weekend but Dorset A beat Cornwall A 22-18. The group standings for both the Premier and the A team can be found here. Devon Premier and A both travel to Dorset for their next fixture on Sunday. The teams for this game will be announced later this week.

01/11/23 Devon v Somerset Team Announced

The Devon County Premier team return to action on Sunday when they entertain Somerset in the Moorland Hall at the Manor House Hotel in Okehampton. Devon come into the game sitting level on points with Dorset at the top of the league table. At the same time as Devon play Somerset, Cornwall host Dorset in the other league fixture. The Devon A team do not have a fixture this Sunday however they are having an internal practice day. selected Premier team players are asked to be at the team meeting for 9:30am and the match starts at 10am Spectators are welcome to come and support the team. The following players have been selected for the match.

Premier Team: Mike Avery (Yarnscombe),  Gill Cawrse (Exeter Nomads),  Gareth Hill (Totnes Creameries), Richard Ivings(Exeter Nomads), Graham James (Yarnscombe), George Main (Yarnscombe), Tony Main (Yarnscombe) Rose Morrison (Totnes Creameries), Eric Pavey (Sidbury), Adam Perris (Exeter Nomads), Paul Pomeroy (Musbury), James Smith (Exeter Nomads), John Steer (Slapton), James Trott (Exeter Nomads), Paul Weeks (Great Torrington),Richard Williams (Exeter Nomads), Dave Woods (Totnes Creameries), Kim Wright (Sidbury), Rachel Wright (Sidbury), Nick Wyatt (Bow)

27/10/23 County/National Singles Draw

Next Saturday the Manor House Hotel host the County/National Singles preliminaries. We return to the Moorland Hall has it now been fully refurbished. Players have been split into two sessions with a morning session with a sign in at 9am and an afternoon session with a sign in at 1.15pm. The draw can be found here. Players are reminded that players are expected to mark games during these sessions and will be allocated accordingly. Also please note that only flat branded shoes are permitted and shorts are not permitted to be worn. 

16/10/23 Devon v Dorset Review

The A team started their campaign this weekend against Dorset A and in the first session they won both of the Singles and drew one of the Pairs. In the second session Devon gain 5 points with one win in one of the Triples and one of the the Fours and the other Triples drew 10-10.  This left the half time score at Devon 10 Dorset 6. The third session of the day was split evenly with Devon winning one of the Singles and one of the Pairs. Devon maintained their advantage in the final session of the day with one win in both of the Triples and Fours. The other Fours in that session also drew 8-8. With Devon winning the bonus points in the Singles, Triples and Fours the Final score was Devon 25 (198 shots) Dorset 15 (172 shots).

In the other days fixture in the Premier team, Somerset hosted Cornwall and Cornwall came away with a 23-17 win. The current standings of both teams can be found here.  Devon Premier next host Somerset on the 5th November at the Manor House Hotel. On the same day Devon A will also be holding a practice day.

13/10/23 Devon v Dorset Team Announced

Dorset are the visitors on Sunday as the Manor host its first ever ICC fixture. Dorset the premier team champions of last season come to Devon following beating Cornwall 28-12 and Both Devon and Dorset are level on points going into this game. The A team start their season whilst Dorset have already played Cornwall where they suffered a narrow 22-18 loss.

Selected Devon players are asked to be at the venue for the team meeting at 10am. Spectators are welcome but please be aware we are in the alternative bowls hall as the Moorland Hall is in the middle of being refurbished. The following players have been selected for the match;

Premier Team: Mike Avery (Yarnscombe),  Gill Cawrse (Exeter Nomads),  Gareth Hill (Totnes Creameries), Mikey ivings (Exeter Nomads), Richard Ivings (Exeter Nomads), Elliott James (Yarnscombe), George Main (Yarnscombe), Rose Morrison (Totnes Creameries), Eric Pavey (Sidbury), Adam Perris (Exeter Nomads), Paul Pomeroy (Musbury), Colin Sowden (Great Torrington), John Steer (Slapton), James Trott (Exeter Nomads), Paul Weeks (Great Torrington), Richard Williams (Exeter Nomads), Dave Woods (Totnes Creameries), Kim Wright (Sidbury), Rachel Wright (Sidbury), Nick Wyatt (Bow)

A Team: Rob Bartlett (Exeter Nomads), Elaine Clements (Great Torrington), Budgie Hallows (Ottery St Mary), Hilary Iley (Exeter Nomads), Barry McPhillips (Sidbury), Ian Nicholls (Christow), John Parnell (Abbotskerswell), Shirley Parnell (Abbotskerswell), John Redstone (Winkleigh), Diane Shepherd (Winkleigh), Graham Shepherd (Winkleigh), Ann Summers (Totnes Creameries), Dave Summers (Totnes Creameries), Stewart Weighill (Totnes Creameries), Sandra Weston (Sidbury), Roger Wilson (Winkleigh), Alan Woodacre (Goodleigh), Lee Woodacre (Goodleigh), Ray Young (Exeter Nomads), Sue Young (Exeter Nomads)



11/10/23 County/National Triples Prelim Details

Due to the amount of entrants in the County/National Triples this season it has been necessary to hold a preliminary day which will be held on the 14th October. The qualifiers will then return later to the Manor House Hotel later in the season to contest the final, the date of which will be confirmed shortly. There are two sessions of preliminaries on Saturday and players have been randomly drawn into either a morning session (9am sign in) or an afternoon session (1pm sign in). The list of players can be found by clicking this link.

Please pass this message on to any of your fellow club members who are playing and who may not have seen this information.

09/10/23 Devon Ladies Represent England In British Isles

This weekend saw the England Ladies play in the inaugural Ladies British Isle which was held in Melton Mowbray. Devon had two ladies representing England with Sue Young (Exeter Nomads) and Bridget Hallowes (Ottery St Mary) having been selected. Ireland dominated the event winning the Team championship with England coming second. In the individuals Ireland won the Singles and Pairs, Scotland won the Triples whilst England won the Fours.

06/10/23 DCSMBA Statement regarding 14th/15th October

We have been informed that the Manor House Hotel are redoing the floor in the Moorland Bowls Hall. Players that attended the County Fours last week helped the committee to move all of our equipment out of the hall and into the viewing area. The hall is out of use for the weekend of the 14th and 15th October. So for the County/National Triples and the Devon v Dorset Inter County match we will playing in the other bowls hall at the manor House hotel which is located on the other side of the dining hall. A map with the location of this bowls hall can be found here.

The Moorland Hall will no longer be a bowls hall but will instead be used for pickleball/short tennis. The committee have held meetings with the Manor House Hotel and have visited and seen the flooring that will be used. It is a short carpeted floor very much like a bowls hall. Having tested the flooring the committee have deemed it perfectly acceptable for us to continue using the Moorland. We will be back in the Moorland after the 15th October.

The County Triples which is being held on the Saturday 14th has proved to be very popular this season. Because of the number of entries that we have had this year we are going to have a qualifying day. So there will be 2 sessions on Saturday with a finals day for the qualifiers later in the season with the date to be confirmed. Teams will be drawn into the sessions early next week and then teams will be notified of what session they are in.

02/10/23 Devon v Somerset Review

On Sunday Devon Premier travelled to Wincanton where they faced Somerset in the first ICC match of the season. Devon started off very confidently by winning both of the Singles as well as one of the Pairs. The second session was however evenly split with Devon winning both of the Triples and Somerset coming away with wins in both of the Fours. This left Devon with the advantage at half time with the score reading 6-10

Again in the second half the Devon Single players came flying out of their blocks and won both of their games. Somerset however did take 3 points from the Pairs with Devon only drawing one of the Pairs 12-12. The final session was dominated by Devon with Devon wining both of the Triples and one of the Fours. With Devon getting the bonus points in the Singles, Triples and Fours and sharing the bonus points in the Pairs the final score was Somerset 12 (161 shots) Devon 28 (221 shots)

In the other group game Dorset Premier beat Cornwall Premier 28-12, whilst Cornwall A beat Dorset A 22-18. Devon are next in action on the 15th October when they entertain Dorset to the Manor House Hotel.

02/10/23 Devon County Fours Review

On Saturday the first County/National qualifiers took place with The Manor House hosting the County/National Fours. With 13 teams entering the competition teams were split into four groups with the top two teams in each group progressing into the quarter finals. The quarterfinals took place after lunch and teams were quickly whittled down until there was just two teams left. These two teams were Dave Woods, Rose Morrison, Gareth Hill & John Steer and Mikey Ivings, Paul Pomeroy, James Trott  & James Smith. John Steer’s rink took an early lead and by the half way stage led 5-1. James Smiths rink crawled it back and were only one behind going into the final end. However they could not complete the comeback and John Steer’s rink won the last end thanks to a tight measure winning the final 7-5.



County Fours Winners Dave Woods, Rose Morrison,
Gareth Hill & John Steer

29/09/23 Devon v Somerset Team Announced

Devon start their ICC campaign on Sunday with a trip to Wincanton where the Premier team face Somerset.  In the same group ICC champions Dorset face Cornwall at Bere Regis.  The Devon A team do not have a fixture this weekend but will face both Dorset and Cornwall in the group stage.

The address of the venue for the Wincanton match can be found here and players have been asked to be at the match for the team meeting at 9:30. The following players have been selected for the match:

Premier Team: Mike Avery (Yarnscombe),  Gill Cawrse (Exeter Nomads), Elaine Clements (Great Torrington), Gareth Hill (Totnes Creameries) Richard Ivings (Exeter Nomads), George Main (Yarnscombe), Tony Main (Yarnscombe), Rose Morrison (Totnes Creameries), Eric Pavey (Sidbury), Adam Perris (Exeter Nomads), Paul Pomeroy (Musbury), Colin Sowden (Great Torrington), John Steer (Slapton), James Trott (Exeter Nomads), Paul Weeks (Great Torrington), Richard Williams (Exeter Nomads), Dave Woods (Totnes Creameries), Kim Wright (Sidbury), Rachel Wright (Sidbury), Nick Wyatt (Bow)

25/09/23 Margaret Elliott Pairs Review

On Saturday Devon hosted the first competition of the season down at the Manor House Hotel with the Margaret Elliott pairs. The Margaret Elliott Pairs is a nice opener to the county season with no team having any more than one county bowler. The teams were split into two groups, with everyone playing four games against other teams in their group. The top 4 in each group then went on to qualify for the quarter finals. After being whittled down the final was contested between Peter Orchard & Graham Shepherd and Alan Woodacre and Geoff Cleave, with Peter and Graham eventually winning 9-6.

ME Pairs

Margaret Elliott Pairs Winners Graham Shepherd & Peter Orchard


11/09/23 Terry Trott Sadly Passes Away

It is with great sadness we hear that Terry Trott passed away peacefully this morning. Terry was a very keen and successful bowler; he won the County Triples in the 2001/02 season as well as the County Pairs with his son James in the 1998/99 season. He went on to represent Devon at National events and was also a member of the Devon A team that won the ICC championship in 2000. The first time Devon had ever won the ICC championship. Away from playing Terry had also been the County Secretary as well as the Secretary for the East Devon & District league.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to James, Emma and all of his family and friends.


20/08/23  County Management Team Always Scouting For Talent

The Devon County Management team are always on the lookout for emerging and new talent who would like to play for the Devon County Team. If you are interested and would like the opportunity to represent your County then please do contact Devon Premier team Manager Richard Ivings (Ivings_r@hotmail.com) or Devon A team Co Ordinator Robert Ivings (Rob.m.ivings@hotmail.co.uk).

15/08/23 Open Day review

Around 100 bowlers from across Devon attended the Open Day at the Manor House Hotel at Okehampton on Sunday. The hotel is the new home of Devon Short Mat bowls and will host County Competitions and ICC home games Those that attended were able to try out the new county mats.  Below are some photos of the venue and more can be found on our facebook page.

Manor house 1
Manor House 2
Manor House 3
Manor House Hotel 3


16/07/23 Diary uploaded and Open Day Details

The diary for the 2023/24 has now been uploaded onto the website and can be found here.

As you will notice there is an open day at our new venue, The Manor House Hotel on the 13th August. The venue will be open for members to visit between 10:30 and 15.30. The new county mats will be down and available for members to try them out so be sure to bring your bowls and shoes!

The address for the Manor House Hotel is The Manor House hotel, Fowley Cross, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 4NA and we will be based in the Moreland Bowls Hall.  The address for the venue can also be  found here.

23/06/23 New Venue Announced

It is with great pleasure that the DCSMBA can now announce a new venue for the 2023/4 season. From next season the home of Devon short mat bowls will be the Manor House Hotel near Okehampton. The Manor House Hotel is part of the Manor and Ashbury Resort and is the only sport, craft and golf resort in the UK. There is potential for players to stay overnight if they so wish and more information on this is being negotiated. Devon bowls competitions will take place at the Moreland Bowls Hall which is bright and offers plenty of room for us to hold our competitions.  The Manor Hotel are able to offer buffet lunch of 3 courses for £12 and bar refreshments are available throughout the day. The venue is quite central in Devon and is just off the A30 on the A386 and the postal address is The Manor House hotel, Fowley Cross, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 4NA



Now that a venue has been organised for the coming season we can move forward and in the next couple weeks a diary will be released as well as the Devon County/National competition forms for 2023/4. It is also hoped that we can hold an open day down at the Manor so that members can visit the bowls arena and see what it is like. Details of this will be forthcoming once known.

03/06/23 DCSMBA Selling mats

The DCSMBA have now purchased a set of new mats. Because of this we are in the process of selling our old mats. We have 2 mats that are now for sale. These are the older mats that have been held at ISCA and these are priced at £100 each. Please be aware these will need to be collected from ISCA in Exeter. If anyone wishes to purchase one of these mats please contact the County secretary  Alan Woodacre (dcsmba.sec@gmail.com)

13/05/23 DCSMBA Statement Regarding County Venue

The DCSMBA have recently been informed that Exeter Council are reducing the opening hours of their leisure facilities. This also includes our home venue ISCA and therefore calls into the question the viability of using it as our home venue for the 2023/24 season.

The committee are therefore on the lookout at the possibility of using another venue. With preparations for the new season in full progress it is important that we can get things resolved quickly so that we can confirm details for next season.

The venue needs to be large enough so that we can put out at least 8 mats. We will also need to be able to store all the mats and associated equipment at the venue. We would also consider what other facilities such as food and drink are available. We would like to draw upon the knowledge of our members and ask if any member knows of a venue that potentially could accommodate us please can they contact a committee member so that we can visit and investigate its viability to host us.

17/04/23 National Under 18's & ICC Finals Review

On Saturday the ESMBA held the final Nationals of the season with the National under 18’s. The sole representative from Devon was Sean Woodley. Sean breezed through the group stage winning all his games and topping his group. Sean was able to successfully negotiate his way through all the way to the final. In the final he met Matthew Hardwood from Kent. The first few were tight but eventually Matthew pulled away. Despite his best-efforts Sean couldn’t quite overturn the deficit and Sean ended up being defeated 14-8.

On Sunday, the ICC finals took place Dorset ended the West Midlands recent dominance in the sport by beating them 24-16 to take the title. In the A team final Kent beat Hampshire and in the Premier 2 final Cheshire confidently beat Wiltshire. Whilst in the Premier 1 relegation battle Essex overcame Hampshire beating them 24-16.

14/04/23 AGM Report