Palmerston Cup – Semi-Finals
1 February 2026
The Palmerston Cup semi-finals produced two absorbing contests on Sunday, with both ties finely balanced for much of the afternoon before late surges decided the finalists.
Lee Green v Banister Park
Game 1
Banister Park’s John Legg set the early pace against Lee Green’s Graham Hillier, racing into an 8–1 lead after six ends. Lee Green responded steadily and by the fourteenth end had reduced the deficit to just three shots at 13–10. Despite the pressure, Legg held firm in the closing stages to secure a narrow but valuable 16–13 victory for Banister Park.
Game 2
The second rink provided a high-quality battle between Lee’s Steve Wiggins and Banister’s Matthew McLoughlin. With little to separate the pair early on, the scores were locked at 4–4 after six ends. Wiggins gradually edged ahead and by the twelfth end Lee Green had established an 11–8 advantage. A strong finish saw Lee pull clear to take the rink 19–11.
Game 3
Lee Green’s Pete Gentry appeared to have put the tie beyond doubt after opening up an 18–6 lead against Banister’s Steve Horscroft by the thirteenth end. However, Banister Park mounted a spirited comeback and by the penultimate end had closed the gap to 18–13. Needing a big finish on the final end, Banister scored four shots but fell one short of forcing a drawn rink. Lee Green edged the rink 18–17 and sealing the overall match.
Overall:
Lee Green 50 – Banister Park 44
Fareham Blue v Priory
Game 1
Priory’s Roly Bloy flew out of the blocks against Fareham Blue’s Cyril Friend, building a 7–1 lead after six ends. Fareham battled back impressively and by the twelfth end the scores were level at 12–12. The final stages were tense, with the lead changing hands several times. Locked at 18–18 with two ends remaining, it was Fareham who held their nerve to claim a hard-fought 21–18 win.
Game 2
Fareham Blue’s Bill Ross dominated the second rink, surging into a commanding 12–2 lead after six ends against Priory’s Eddy Misfud. The gap continued to widen and by the twelfth end Fareham were firmly in control at 17–7. Ross maintained the pressure to deliver a convincing 31–12 victory.
Game 3
The final rink saw an evenly matched contest between Priory’s Arpit Patel and Fareham’s Lee Cunningham. Scores were level at 8–8 after ten ends, with the lead changing repeatedly throughout. Fareham edged ahead 14–13 by the sixteenth end, but Priory finished strongly to snatch a narrow 16–14 win.
Overall:
Fareham Blue 66 – Priory 46
Looking forward to the final next week we are in for some great games, with Lee Green taking on Fareham Blue for the title and Banister Park fighting it out with Priory for third and fourth place.
Brian Knight
Competition Secretary
| Matches | Rinks | Shots | Points | ||||||
| League | P | W | D | L | W | D | L | Diff | |
| Lee Green | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 97 | 42 |
| Fareham Blue | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 44 | 38 |
| Priory | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 107 | 37 |
| Banister Park | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 58 | 36 |
| Lee Red | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 30 |
| Fareham Red | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 25 |
| Fareham Green | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 24 |
| Meon Valley | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 21 |
| Milton Park | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | -84 | 15 |
| Rowner Red | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 8 | -28 | 14 |
| Rowner White | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | -148 | 4 |
| Crofton Gold | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | -139 | 2 |
The latest results and schedule are updated automatically after the competition operator enters the scores.
This competition, which started in 2011, is run during the winter season at Palmerston Indoor Bowls Club, Fareham. This is an open competition for outdoor bowls clubs to compete against each other on the indoor carpet and is a means of keeping in touch with members when their club is closed.
The competition is played on Sunday evenings with games starting at 6.00pm. Each team requires a minimum of nine players as each match consists of three rinks of triples. Most teams have a squad of more than nine players who are used on a rotational basis, and being an open competition, the teams can be all of the same gender or mixed. Teams usually play fortnightly and there will be weeks when your team would have stand downs when the other leagues are playing, so you do not have to turn out every Sunday.
This year there are 14 teams who will initially play 4 games against each other in a mini-league before the knockout stage. The scoring system is two points for each winning rink and a further six points for the team with the overall winning score (twelve points are available for each game). The results of this league will determine the 8 teams who will go into the quarter finals in the knockout stage. The knockout draw will be seeded based on table position, so there is an incentive to finish as high as possible to obtain a favourable draw.
Prize money will mean the winning team receiving £200 down to £75 for the fourth placed team.
Brian Knight
Competition Secretary
The OFFICIAL RULES 2025-26 may be seen here.