Welcome to our Club News summary page.
Please click 'HERE' for details about
joining our club. in 2024
(Council permits paid by club - see below)
14 Oct.- committee
The green is now closed to allow Autumn work to be completed.
15th October - committee
- announcement by Paul Pover (ex. committee member)
I would like to clear up any misunderstandings and state that I currently hold no posts at A.B.P. bowling club. The committee have asked me to post this message on their behalf and it requires every members extremely urgent attention!
As you may have heard Kevan Latham has left the club, he was central in all facets of club business and will be hard to follow. There have also been other team members leaving the club and it is essential that many more members step up to fill the void, this is CRUCIAL, also we only have a committee of two people (Norman & Barrie) and it is not sufficient for running a sports club.
Volunteers are required in every aspect of running the club, should this not happen then the club will cease to function and will have to be handed back to Bolton Council and each individual team left to its own devices, without funding etc.
The substantial amount off money that is currently in the bank will then be returned to its individual donors.
I sincerely hope that members/players will come forward to stabilize & run the club but that is your choice, you have been warned of the consequences!
There is an EGM in the club house in the A.B. park on Monday 28th. October 10:30am when a decision on the clubs future will be discussed and agreed.
TEAM CAPTAINS: Could you please contact as many of your players as possible.
Thank you.
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14th October - committee announcement
Important announcement
Kevan has already posted other achievements (too many to mention here) which include our new Kitchen and outside storage unit etc.
I'm sure we all agree he will be sorely missed, particularly his prowess on the bowling green!
The committee, and I'm sure all our membership, sincerely thank Kevan for all he has achieved and wish him all the very best in whatever the future holds for both him and Rosalyn. Thank you.
30th September- kev
Hello members . - as a club we have had a good year with regards to the upkeep of our facilities and the number of teams who have enjoyed playing at our club.
We have completed fixtures for 3 vets teams, 1 conny league team, 1 mills team , and 1 municipal team.
Although we haven't won any team cups this year we have put in good performances and our individual members have won many trophies as individuals or as pairs in the various Bolton and District leagues.
As well as the 1000's of hours put in by our club volunteers, we have received funding to maintain our facilities with membership and playing fees helping to pay for the council permit fees - which makes for a fair 'pay and play' approach to our club's values of making the game affordable to all the community.
Congratulations to everyone who have contributed to making 2024 a very successful and pleasant season for all our members and the many hundreds of visitors to our club.
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7th October - kev
Green News - Disappointing turnout on 7th October for end of year tidy-up ------next work party has not been arranged.
Posted 17 Sept- kev - click 'HERE' for conny team season summary
updated 17th August -kev -Workparty on 16th August went really well - for report and photo please click 'HERE'
Posted 19th August - For Conny cup final match and photos 18th August click 'HERE'
1st July - Kev
On the 1st July our workparty did a great job maintaining our facilities - for details click on link 'HERE'
Voluntary work
A lot of time consuming and hard and work goes on at the club that members dont see like obtaining grants/ keeping books + membership details /purchases to keep club running /discussions with council re maintenance /planning and doing work on the green and surrounds/workparties/team leaders/web page/coordination+meetings with league representatives/keeping clubhouse clean and doing essential jobs - so thanks to our volunteers.
All this work and efforts have made it possible to pay for the council permit fee of £76 per person.
Updated 25th May 
The Vets league Fraser Huyton pairs comp. finals were played 24th May on Tonge Park, with Astley Bridge pair of John and Mark being the winners - yet another cup for Astley Bridge Park B.Club.
Please click 'HERE' for report and photos.
Posted 2nd August -kev
The vets mixed pairs cup was held on Darbishire park today where our club member Lawrence Catterall won the final trophy - for details click 'HERE'
20th May posted
Another cup for Astley Bridge Park 19th May
-------------For our conny league presidents cup winner click on this LINK
updated 30th March 2024 - kev
Click 'HERE' for details/photos of the early bird comps played this March
29th April 2024 - kev
More good news - this week we received £1000 grant from 
'Forever Manchester' from their Zuto fund - for specialist work and maintenance to our bowling green.
So a big thank you to them .
27th February 2024 - kev
Brilliant news- just heard from Bolton's Fund (administered by Bolton CVS) that we have been awarded a grant for £2,000 for specialist work on our green to keep it in great shape this year - a really big thank you to them for this award which helps us to keep providing a community park facility that gives help to all our volunteers and pleasure / exercise and a social meeting point to all in our community. - thank you so much.
updated 17 Feb 2024 - committee
Great news for our club :
After years of trying to attract/develop teams at our club we have 2 ready made teams coming to our club from Bar lane.
They are Bar Lane in the municipal league and will play on Monday nights. and
Bar Lane mixed in the mills league and will play on Friday nights
The club rules of play and charges will apply exactly as our own teams and they come as members of our club and we all welcome them.
A number of the team members are already members of our club.
I am sure that once the teams settle in and some of their players meet with us in the March comps then we will all be thinking of joining each others teams as reserves or players.
Makes sense seeing that we have all paid our memberships and the council permits are being paid out of our club finances.
'Roll on' the bowling season.
29/4/2024 R.I.P. Jimmy
'Jimmy Johnstone' has been laid to rest in our 'Jimmy Johnstone' section of our web pages - please click on his name to go to that page.
Feb.7th - committee
We had our AGM on 7th February 2024 and the abbreviated minutes of it can be found by clicking on 'meetings/contacts page'
Summary of membership and playing charges are as follows --
1)£12 membership fee per player.
2)members purchase own keys for gate.
3)Council permit fees subsidised by our club (none to pay)
4)£3 per player for all home and away and cup matches go to our club finances.
5)We pay league fees for all teams.
6)Free tea and coffee for matches.
7)Clubhouse/kitchen to be left in clean condition after matches.
7)Social play is free for members.
8)non members pay £1 to play social games.
9)anyone with a council permit can play for free
Any queries please get in touch with
Kev 07505320612
updated 29th April 2024 - kev
Hi members - your committee is looking at ways of continuing subsidising all of the council permit fees every year from now, so that bowling charges are easily affordable and will encourage everyone to socialise and play bowls as often as they would like for virtually nothing - without the need to purchase a permit from the council.
These low charges are dependent on keeping our teams intact/ encouraging teams to play at Astley Bridge park and also about raising funds and volunteers to maintain our facilities.
What can each of you do?
1] please keep in touch with your team mates and chat about it.
2] consider joining our volunteer group
3]consider joining our committee as we need folk to organise friendly competitions
4] how about trying to recruit new members to the club - where our permit subscriptions are zero and all our teams would benefit from extra players
5] Think if you can raise a team for either the district/ mills or turton leagues - as our green is only utilised one night per week
contact Kev on 07505320612 for a chat if you can help
17th January 2024 - committee
If you would like to be part of the club's ' WHATSAPP ' group you can be by: texting 'add me to AB group' to Kevan on 07505320612
posted 20th Dcember 2023 - kev
Hi club volunteers - great turnout on 19th December for volunteers xmas party - click 'HERE' for report and photos
posted 15 April 2023
In March 'Forever Manchester' and in April 'Bolton CVS' granted us funding for various projects/replacements/maintenance
/equipment that will make our facilities better and make the work of our volunteers a lot easier.
Thank you to them both for helping our club maintain its facilities.
updated 7th April 2023 - kev
Our
'random pairs' competitions on Thursday 30th March + Thursday 6th April were a great success with 52 entries and a number of spectators/supporters
Please click 'HERE' for photos and details
updated 6th August 2022 - updated more bowls - kev
Want to sell your bowls ?
You can advertise them 'here' whether a member or not - recycling is better for everyone.
updated 13th March 2022 - kev
French Boules Project 
This project has been completed now making it possible that the club has an outside activity that can be played all year round and with better outside facilities for the club.
The scheme has been funded by an award from Sports England on a 'Return to play' scheme
So a massive thank you to them.
For more details and photos click 'HERE'
updated 10th September 2024 kev
Did you know that we have a very popular website with 18707 page views last year.
2024 to date we have over 12,600 views on our pages.
- Lots of info and news on a regular basis.
- Thanks for visiting and passing the word - kev.
updated 18th February 2022 - kev
To keep folk up to speed with the latest bcgba news and information for 2024 season. - please click on the following link 
Also, I have given a link to the latest bowls videos on youtube that the BCGBA list for 2021 - one of which is from Westhoughton pro' green - this will keep you occupied on a wet day - whilst picking up tips from the pro's
If you wish to see some panel bowls all year round at the Red Lion Westhoughton [ and not a member ] it costs £2.50 per visit - click 'HERE' for full details.
updated 20th November 2022 - kev
Hello everyone - Our club will still provide sanitisers/wipes for your hands in the forthcoming season - as the covid and other germs have not gone away.
updated 27th February - kev
Great web site with lots to read about Waterloo bowls history
click https://www.bowls.co.uk/the-waterloo
updated 5th April - kev
Ever wondered how the original wooden bowls were made. Here is a great link to explain all the history in an article sent in by Rosalyn -thanks +happy reading
https://www.thesportofbowls.co.uk/bowls-articles/article-4-lignum-bowls
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