To all Club Members

HIBA need members young and old to get involved with the County at Committee level.

Following the 2024 AGM, we have been been advised by a number of Officers and Committee members that they will be stepping down at the end of the 2024/2025 season to make way for new replacements who can continue on the good work and to take the county forward.

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We anticipate that the following positions will become vacant:

• Vice President

• Secretary

• Treasurer

The current Officers and Committee members have served the county for many, many years and have made it what it is today. It is very important that Hertfordshire Indoor Bowls Association continues to thrive, but it cannot do so without your help.

If you think you can help in keeping the County thriving and moving forward, the committee would be happy to talk to you and advise you of what is entailed. In the meantime you can contact me Tony Roberts on 07908 693600 should you wish to discuss this further. 

Thank you.

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Tony Roberts, HIBA President

The HIBA Committee would like to invite members of its affiliated clubs to the Annual General Meeting on Thursday 11th April 2024 at 7.00pm in the Scott Room at Hatfield Bowls Club,  1 College Lane, Hatfield, AL10 9PJ.

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Please come along and have your say on the future of our County Bowls Association.

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AGM Calling Notice (PDF)

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The HIBA Committee are pleased to announce that Ladies County Competitions will return for the 2024/2025 season and will run alongside the existing Men's, Mixed and Junior Competitions under the HIBA organisation. Ladies Singles, Pairs, Triples and Fours are all now open for entry.

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HIBA Competitions Secretary, Matt Hayzelden has sent out entry forms for 2024/2025 County Competitions to all affiliated clubs which should now be available on Club noticeboards or via your club delegates as detailed below. 

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Cheshunt - Terry Whitebread

Harpenden - Janet Hart & Beryl Birch 

Hatfield - Shirley Bennett & Brian Burfoot

Herts - Alison Hurst

Riverain - Gill Walker

Watford - Sue Hansard & Ian Tibbles

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The closing date for entries is Sunday 30th June 2024. 

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Please spread the word and lets try and get as many affiliated members playing County Competitions next season, culminating in a Finals Weekend for all! 

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The HIBA Competitions Finals took place over the weekend of Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th March and spectators were treated to some fantastic bowling and entertaining finals.

Results as follows (winners first named):

Men's Singles 

Jamie Claydon w/o (Riverain) v Robert Godfrey conceded due to injury (Herts)

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Men's Pairs

Jonny Stokes & Phil Russell (Riverain)  22 - 14  Andy Crook & Paul Fuller (Herts)

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Men's Triples

Bradley Prowle, Nick Muir & Tony Webb (Riverain)  22 - 12  Jonny Stokes, Paul Haskings & Mike Bertrand (Riverain)

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Men's Fours

Kieran Smith, David Payne, Nick Muir & Tony Webb (Riverain) 16 - 14  Matt Hayzelden, Jamie Claydon, Matt Coppen & Darren Hickin (Riverain)

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Mixed Pairs

Debbie Claydon & Jamie Claydon (Riverain) 17 - 16 Heather Stapleford & Paul Andrews (Riverain)

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Mixed Triples

Jenny Redford, Steve Budge & Nick Muir (Riverain)  22 - 7 Sue Robb, Carly Bishop & Paul Fuller (Herts)

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Mixed Fours 

Jenny Ralph, Jackie Bryant, Hayden Chambers & Sam Andrews (Riverain) 17 - 13 Lesley Hayhoe, Carol Brown, Richard Smith & Marco Casotti (Watford)

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Officers Singles

Antony Bailey (Herts) 21 - 20 Terry Whitebread (Cheshunt)

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Under 25-Singles (Sets)

Sam Andrews (Riverain) 2 - 0 Rhianna Russell (Riverain)

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Under 18-Singles (Sets)

Rhianna Russell (Riverain) 2 - 1 Kieran Smith (Riverain)

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Message from Matt Hayzelden, HIBA Competitions Secretary

"I wish to congratulate all the winners and runners up for reaching this year’s county finals. There were some fantastic games played in good competitive spirit. It was brilliant to have supporters from across the county in attendance, which made for a great atmosphere.

Thank you to the members of Watford IBC for your hospitality across the weekend. I also thank the committee for their assistance, not just over the weekend but throughout the season.

I look forward to the welcoming the return of the ladies’ competitions to the programme next season.

Lastly, thank you to all the players for supporting the competitions. I look forward to receiving your entries for next season"

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Matt 

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A big thank-you goes to Matt who has taken on the role of Competitions Secretary this season who has done a fantastic job in organising the draws, communicating results with the website manager, resolving issues and putting on a great finals weekend which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. 

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The HIBA Competitions Finals programme has been announced with all finals taking place at Watford IBC over the weekend of Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th March 2024. On Saturday morning, starting at 10am will be the Finals of the Men's Singles, Under-18 Singles, Men's Triples and Mixed Fours. The afternoon session, starting at approximately 2.30pm will see the Finals of the Men's Pairs, Men's Fours and Under 25 Singles. The weekend is rounded off on Sunday morning  at 10am with the finals of the Officer Singles, Mixed Pairs and Mixed Triples. Refreshments will be available throughout the weekend for players and supporters and it would be great to have as much support as possible in what promises to be an exciting weekend of Finals.. 

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Please click the link below for the programme or via the Competitions Portal, Facebook page or Club Notice Boards. 

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Hertfordshire Indoor Bowls Association - County Finals Schedule 2034/2024

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The HIBA County League 2023/2024 came to a conclusion on Sunday 25th February and it was Watford who secured the win they needed at Harpenden in their final game to secure their first County League title since 2018 ending a run of 4 consecutive titles from Riverain whose win over Herts on the last game was enough to secure the runners-up spot. Congratulations to Watford.

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Please check the Herts IBA County League Table link on the website for the Final Table.

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The HIBA Selection Committee have selected the team for the upcoming Home Counties League fixture versus Middlesex IBA, being hosted at Watford IBC on Sunday 28th January 2024 at 10am. Please come and show your support and get behind the Hertfordshire team as it can make all the difference in what promises to be an exciting match.

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Please check the Selected HIBA Teams link on the website and club notice boards

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Result (Skips Only)

Paul Fuller 27 - 8

Derek Baker 16 - 35

Jim Allen 17 - 14

Alan Harman 21 - 17

Brian Smith 17 - 20

Tony Howard 16 - 28

Overall 114 - 122

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Watford & Herts retained their unbeaten records in the HIBA County League after the third round of fixtures on Sunday 7th January with Watford securing a 9 shot away win against current champions Riverain and Herts winning a close fought match by 5 shots against Hatfield. Cheshunt secured their first win of the season with a home victory over Harpenden. It’s still all to play for as we move onto the fourth round of fixtures scheduled for Sunday 4th of February which sees a top of the table clash with Herts facing Watford, Cheshunt hosting Riverain and Harpenden hosting Hatfield. The latest results and league table can be found on the Competitions portal or via the link below

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Herts IBA County League Latest Table

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The HIBA Selection Committee have selected the team for the upcoming Liberty Trophy 2nd Round fixture versus Essex IBA, being hosted at Riverain IBC on Saturday 16th December 2023 at 10am. Please come and show your support and get behind the Hertfordshire team as it can make all the difference in what promises to be an exciting match.

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The team has also been selected for the upcoming friendly match against East Herts Bowls League being hosted at Cheshunt IBC on Saturday 9th December 2023 at 2.30pm

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Please check the Selected HIBA Teams link on the website, club notice boards and the HIBA Facebook page for further details

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The 2023 HIBA County League kicked off on Sunday 5th November and it saw wins for Watford, Herts and Riverain in the opening round of fixtures. Watford top the league with 13 points and top shot difference following their win against Cheshunt. Herts are close behind also on 13 points, winning on all four rinks against Harpenden. Defending Champions Riverain secured 11 points winning three of their four rinks against Hatfield and are sitting in third place. Latest results and league table can be found in the Competitions Portal. Next round of fixtures is on Sunday 3rd December 

The last time Hertfordshire IBA fielded a Liberty Trophy team was in 2015 and in that year suffered a loss to Bedfordshire in the First Round, therefore getting a team together for this season was a daunting prospect for the selectors, but thanks to unprecedented support from across the County, over 40 nominations were received. 

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On Saturday 28th October 2023, players from Hatfield, Herts, Riverain and Watford stepped onto the green to take on Middlesex IBA in the First Round of this year's Liberty Trophy. Hosted by Riverain IBC, an enthralled crowd witnessed some excellent bowling and a superb victory by Hertfordshire who ran out 135-95 winners.  

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Rink 1: Sam Andrews, Hayden Chambers, Jamie Claydon & Matt Hayzelden - WON 34-13 

A fast start from the ‘Youngsters’ rink saw them lead 11-0 at 5 ends. Despite dropping a five on the sixth end, the Herts four were always firmly in control of the match. Whilst dropping just seven ends in the entire game and picking up several "counts" along the way, the Herts four ran out comfortable winners. 

Rink 2: David Payne, Harry Undrell, Steve Budge & Paul Andrews - WON 21-15 

The game was close from the start and throughout the first half with the scores level at 9 ends. Middlesex then won three consecutive ends to build a small lead at 15-9. The Herts four however finished strongly and won the remaining seven ends to turnaround a 6 shot deficit into a 6 shot win at 21-15. 

Rink 3 : Richard Chunn, Alan Harman, Phil Russell & Paul Fuller - WON 20-18 

The most diverse rink with representation from Herts, Hatfield and Riverain. Middlesex took an early lead and maintained this until the 13th end. The Herts four fought back well and then took the lead themselves. The game was all square playing the last end, with the Herts four picking up a double to secure a well-deserved win by 2 shots. 

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Rink 4 : Terry Godden, Alan O’Reilly, Paul Haskings & Darren Hickin  - LOST 14-22 

Playing against the strongest Middlesex skip, the Herts rink were faced with a tough task. The team stuck in and battled from start to finish and kept the "counts" to a minimum, picking up some vital shots themselves along the way. Turning around a deficit of 14 shots at 13 ends to lose by just 8 proved a commendable effort. 

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Rink 5 : Dean Simpson, Marco Casotti, Richard Smith & Martin Coles - WON 28-8 

The Watford rink started fast and lead from beginning to end, not giving Middlesex a chance to get into the game. Herts were 15-3 up at the halfway point and dropped just two ends in the second half of the game, winning by a comfortable margin, delivering a commanding performance. 

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Rink 6 : Jonny Stokes, Chris Sage, Mike Bertrand & Jim Allen  - LOST 18-19 

A slow start for the Hertfordshire four saw them 14-9 down at eleven ends. Slowly they grew into the game and gradually pulled the deficit against Middlesex back drawing level on the 20th end, just losing out by 1 shot on the final end in a battling performance.

Hertfordshire will next play Essex in the 2nd Round on Saturday 16th December 2023 at 10am hosted by Riverain IBC. The team will be published in due course. Thank you once again to all those who nominated and the supporters who played their part in cheering the team on. Same again for the next round please! 

Matt Hayzelden 

The HIBA Selection Committee have selected teams for the upcoming Liberty Trophy fixture against Middlesex  (Saturday 28th October, 10am, at Riverain IBC), and friendlies against Bedfordshire (Wednesday 18th October, 2.30pm at Herts), London Irish (Sunday 22nd October, 2.30pm at Watford IBC) and Norfolk (Wednesday 1st November, 2.00pm at Herts IBC).  Please check the Selected HIBA Teams link on the website, club notice boards and the HIBA Facebook page for further details. Please come and show your support at these matches if you are able to. . 

Your new HIBA Website is now up and running. We hope you enjoy the new layout and design. If you have any issues with the new website or would like to suggest any new areas or improvements please drop Jamie Claydon (Website Manager) an email on jclaydon81@googlemail.com

The draws for the HIBA Competitions for the 2023/2024 Season have now been completed and are live on the Competitions Portal on the new-look website.  Your new Competitions Secretary is Matt Hayzelden (Riverain IBC). 

Hertfordshire have entered the Liberty Trophy for the 2023/2024 season after a number of years of not entering the competition. Hertfordshire have been drawn at home to Middlesex  on Saturday October 28th and Riverain IBC will be hosting the match. Club Secretaries will be sent nomination forms before the start of the season and should encourage as many nominations as possible.