# Bowls England National Championships (men's singles four wood)

The men's singles four wood is one of the events at the annual Bowls England National Championships.
The four-wood singles is the traditional variation of the game; see Glossary of bowls terms.

## History

The singles event was originally contested to win the Sir Thomas Brook Hitchen gold medal and then from 1913 and 1920 it was called the Sir Thomas Lipton Cup.
The 1908 final was started at the Upper Clapton greens but was suspended with Knight leading 14–7 following the death of the skip during the fours event. The final resumed at the Streatham Constitutional Club the following day.

## Venues

* 1905–1907, 1910 (Upper Clapton BC, Clapton, London)
* 1908 (Streatham Constitutional Club, Streatham)
* 1909 (Leicester BC, Leicester}
* 1911 (Forest Hill BC, Forest Hill, London)
* 1912–1913 (Belmont BC, Streatham)
* 1914, 1926 (Bellingham BC, Bellingham, Catford)
* 1919 (South London & Balham clubs, Balham/Wandsworth)
* 1920 (Great Northern Railway AC, Gordon Hill, London)
* 1921 (Summerhill Gosforth & Portland clubs, Newcastle upon Tyne)
* 1922, 1928, 1935 (Croydon BC, South Croydon)
* 1923 (Wellingborough BC, Wellingborough)
* 1924, 1936, 1938–1939 (Temple Bowling Club, Denmark Hill)
* 1925 (City & Spa clubs, Gloucester)
* 1927 (Preston Park, Brighton)
* 1929 (Victoria Park & Westcote clubs, Leicester)
* 1930–1934, 1937, 1945–1957 (Paddington Recreation Ground)
* 1958–1973 (Watney's Sports Club, Mortlake)
* 1974–2013 (Worthing Bowls Club, Beach House Park)
* 2014–2024 (Victoria Park, Royal Leamington Spa)

## Sponsors

* 1982–1987 (Gateway Building Society)
* 1988–1991 (The Woolwich)
* 1993–1995 (Sanatogen)
* 2001-2001 (Yoplait)
* 2003–2005 (National Express)
* 2006 (Waitrose)
* 2023–2024 (Aviva)

## Past winners

| Year | County | Champion | Club | County | Runner-up | Club | Score |
| 1905 | Middlesex | James Carruthers | Muswell Hill | Northumberland | James Telford | Newcastle, West End | 21–1 |
| 1906 | County Durham | C. L. Cummings | Sunderland | Middlesex | A. W. Taylor | Finsbury Park | 21–8 |
| 1907 | Cumberland | James Emmerson | Edenside, Carlisle | Leicestershire | H. W. Gibson | Leicester | 21–12 |
| 1908 | Surrey | R. Knight | Loughborough Junction | Cumberland | M. Turner | Carlisle Subscription | 21–9 |
| 1909 | Northumberland | James W. Dick | Gosforth | Berkshire | Harry Childs | Reading | 21–10 |
| 1910 | Northamptonshire | Frank Shatford | Conservative Kettering | Somerset | J. Dauncy | Victoria Weston-super-Mare | 21–10 |
| 1911 | Cumberland | John Postlethwaite | Carlisle Courtfield | Kent | James Work | Tunbridge Wells Grove | 21–14 |
| 1912 | Middlesex | W. J. Jones | Crouch Hill | Cumberland | G. E. Edmondson | Holme Head, Carlisle | 23–12 |
| 1913 | County Durham | Charles Gibb | Sunderland Ashbrooke | Middlesex | James Carruthers | Muswell Hill | 21–9 |
| 1914 | Surrey | Douglas Irvine Watson | Maldon | Surrey | W. Dean | Balham | 21–15 |
| 1915–1918 No competition due to war |||||||||
| 1919 | Kent | Ernie Moore | Bellingham | Hampshire | E. Dean | Richmond Park, Bournemouth | 21–16 |
| 1920 | Kent | A. E. Godsall | Forest Hill | Northumberland | Willie Hamilton | Summerhill, Newcastle | 21–14 |
| 1921 | Surrey | A. F. Warner | Belmont | Sussex | J. Harwood | Preston, Brighton | 21–3 |
| 1922 | Northumberland | Willie Hamilton | Hexham | Devon | C. G. Roach | Plymouth Hoe | 21–16 |
| 1923 | Leicestershire | William Wade | Hinckley | Buckinghamshire | G. Sainsbury | Wendover & Chiltern Hills | 21–15 |
| 1924 | Devon | Frederick Hodge | Torrington | Hampshire | Edward Redman | Banister Park | 21–18 |
| 1925 | Devon | Harold Webber | Plymouth | Somerset | William Jennings | Taunton Deane | 21–15 |
| 1926 | Devon | Robert Jack | Sir Francis Drake, Plymouth | Kent | Alfred Poingdestre | Bromley | 21–16 |
| 1927 | Berkshire | Tom Tickle | Park Institute, Reading | Hampshire | Edward Redman | Banister Park | 21–17 |
| 1928 | Hampshire | George Wright | Southern Railway, Eastleigh | Kent | Bill Barlow | Bellingham | 21–14 |
| 1929 | Kent | Robert Colquhoun | Bromley | Sussex | Ernie Gudgeon | Preston, Brighton | 21–20 |
| 1930 | Leicestershire | William Wade | Hinckley | Devon | Harold Webber | Plymouth | 21–10 |
| 1931 | Isle of Wight | Edwin Topp | Ryde | Gloucestershire | Henry Duggan | Gloucester | 21–8 |
| 1932 | Dorset | Percy Baker | Poole Park | Somerset | Ernie Fortune | St George's, Bristol | 21–14 |
| 1933 | Middlesex | James McKinlay | Paddington | Isle of Wight | Percy Guy | Shanklin | 21–18 |
| 1934 | Hampshire | Archibald Cochrane | Southampton | County Durham | Matthew Burdon | Dunelm | 21–7 |
| 1935 | Yorkshire | Billy Linton | Smith's Docks | Isle of Wight | Jack Gallagher | Cowes | 21–15 |
| 1936 | Buckinghamshire | Dick Goodson | Chesham | Sussex | Arthur Knowling Jr. | Worthing | 21–16 |
| 1937 | Yorkshire | William Prentice | Redcar, Zetland | Devon | Harold Webber | Torbay C. Club | 21–14 |
| 1938 | Hampshire | Keith Cross | Cosham | Northumberland | Harry Cook | Tynemouth | 21–15 |
| 1939 | Northumberland | Jack Laws | Summerhill | Oxfordshire | Algernon Allen | City & County Club, Oxford | 21–8 |
| 1940–1944 No competition due to war |||||||||
| 1945 | Yorkshire | Albert Allison 'Bert' Keech | Bootham | Gloucestershire | Robbie Robison | Henleaze | 21–19 |
| 1946 | Dorset | Percy Baker | Poole Park | Berkshire | Ernest Newton | Windsor & Eton | 21–20 |
| 1947 | Sussex | Peter Mercer | Worthing | Northumberland | Jimmy Thompson | North Shields | 21–14 |
| 1948 | Berkshire | Ernie Newton | Windsor & Eton | Gloucestershire | Ernie Fortune | Bristol Greenbank | 21–9 |
| 1949 | Oxfordshire | Algernon Allen | Oxford City & County | Middlesex | Arthur Collins | West Ealing | 21–8 |
| 1950 | Northumberland | Jimmy Thompson | North Shields, West End | County Durham | Lloyd Whitworth | New Herrington | 21–15 |
| 1951 | Hertfordshire | Alfred Pikesley | St. Albans | Bedfordshire | Stanley Jackson | Luton Town | 21–17 |
| 1952 | Dorset | Percy Baker | Poole Park | Oxfordshire | Algernon Allen | Oxford City & County | 21–20 |
| 1953 | Essex | Richard Cramp | Clay Hall | Warwickshire | Frank Watts | Rugby | 21–12 |
| 1954 | Northumberland | John Griffiths | Wallsend Borough | Gloucestershire | George Ham | Stroud | 21–14 |
| 1955 | Dorset | Percy Baker | Poole Park | Yorkshire | Jack Fletcher | York Co-op | 21–13 |
| 1956 | Berkshire | Norman Butler | Windsor & Eton | Devon | Charlie Webber | Rock Park, Barnstaple | 21–16 |
| 1957 | Middlesex | Norman King | Parliament Hill | Hertfordshire | Frank Smith | Hatfield | 21–4 |
| 1958 | Hampshire | Harry Powell | Farnborough British Legion | Isle of Wight | Frank Crockford | Bembridge | 21–10 |
| 1959 | Surrey | Kenneth Coulson | Croydon | Yorkshire | Tom Fleming | Middlesbrough, Albert Park | 21–11 |
| 1960 | Somerset | David Bryant | Clevedon | Yorkshire | Tom Fleming | Middlesbrough, Albert Park | 21–11 |
| 1961 | Hampshire | Peter Line | Banister Park | Lincolnshire | Ernie Hopcroft | Ruston Bucyrus | 21–9 |
| 1962 | Dorset | Charles Mercer | Lyme Regis | Surrey | Ernie Lake | Old Coulsdon | 21–20 |
| 1963 | Cumberland | Charlie Graham | Edenside, Carlisle | Hertfordshire | Harry Haynes | Welwyn Garden City | 21–20 |
| 1964 | Hampshire | Peter Line | Banister Park | Sussex | John Scadgell | Worthing | 21–19 |
| 1965 | Sussex | Ralph Lewis | Preston, Brighton | Dorset | Percy Baker | Poole Park | 21–16 |
| 1966 | Somerset | David Bryant | Clevedon | Northumberland | Harry Kinnersley | Morpeth | 21–17 |
| 1967 | Worcestershire | Bill Irish | Droitwich, Vines Park | Devon | Freddie Horn | Torquay | 21–12 |
| 1968 | Essex | Norman Groves | Witham | Hampshire | Walter Phillips | Boscombe Cliff | 21–15 |
| 1969 | Hampshire | Jimmy Davidson | Boscombe Cliff | Dorset | Jim Burns | Greenhill | 21–10 |
| 1970 | Northumberland | Harry Kershaw | Heaton Victoria | Somerset | Sandy Sandall | St. Andrews | 21–12 |
| 1971 | Somerset | David Bryant MBE | Clevedon | Cornwall | John Blewett | Penlee | 21–18 |
| 1972 | Somerset | David Bryant MBE | Clevedon | Yorkshire | Bob Robertson | Middlesbrough Co-op | 21–16 |
| 1973 | Somerset | David Bryant MBE | Clevedon | Buckinghamshire | Ian Harvey | Marlow | 21–12 |
| 1974 | Worcestershire | Bill Irish | Droitwich, Vines Park | Northumberland | Tom Wilkinson | Swan Hunter | 21–10 |
| 1975 | Somerset | David Bryant MBE | Clevedon | Middlesex | Robert Gibbins | L.T.A.S.S.A. | 22-15 |
| 1976 | Surrey | Tony O'Connell | Wimbledon Durnsford | Lincolnshire | Bill Hobart | Boston Sleaford Road | 21–17 |
| 1977 | Norfolk | Chris Ward | Cromer | Buckinghamshire | David Goldring | Woburn Sands | 21–9 |
| 1978 | Somerset | Charlie Burch | Taunton | Somerset | David Bryant MBE | Clevedon | 22-11 |
| 1979 | Cornwall | David Cutler | St. Austell | Suffolk | Chris Southgate | Risbygate | 21–14 |
| 1980 | County Durham | Tom Buller | View Lane Park | Dorset | Lou Trim | West Moors Memorial | 21–18 |
| 1981 | Kent | Andy Thomson | Blackheath & Greenwich | Surrey | Alan Windsor | Woking Park | 21–20 |
| 1982 | Norfolk | Chris Ward | Cromer | Buckinghamshire | Bret Long | Slough | 21–10 |
| 1983 | Cumbria | John Bell | Wigton) | Northumberland | Kevin Bone | Gosforth | 21–13 |
| 1984 | Surrey | Wynne Richards | Mid Surrey | Leicestershire | John Kilyon | Loughborough | 21–15 |
| 1985 | Devon | Ron Keating | Plymouth Civil Service | Cumbria | Ron Gass | Wigton | 21–8 |
| 1986 | Surrey | Wynne Richards | Mid Surrey | Cumbria | David Taylor | British Rail | 21–18 |
| 1987 | Lancashire | David Holt | Bolton | Gloucestershire | Tony Allcock | Cheltenham | 21–5 |
| 1988 | Cornwall | Richard Bray | Stenalees | Somerset | Ian Middlemast | Bath | 21–12 |
| 1989 | Norfolk | John Ottaway | Wymondham Dell | Isle of Wight | Barry Croad | Ventnor | 25-13 |
| 1990 | Gloucestershire | Tony Allcock MBE | Cheltenham | Buckinghamshire | Kirk Smith | Denham | 25-12 |
| 1991 | Gloucestershire | Tony Allcock MBE | Cheltenham | Warwickshire | David Hobbis | Stratford upon Avon | 21–3 |
| 1992 | Cumbria | Stephen Farish | Wigton | Yorkshire | Hugh Duff | West Park, Hull | 21–18 |
| 1993 | Devon | John Wickham | Totnes | Kent | Gordon Charlton | Folkestone Park | 21–17 |
| 1994 | Nottinghamshire | Brett Morley | G.P.T. | Derbyshire | Paul Wilkinson | Long Eaton Town | 21–14 |
| 1995 | County Durham | John Leeman | Craghead | Gloucestershire | Les Gillett | Cheltenham | 21–13 |
| 1996 | Norfolk | John Ottaway | Wymondham Dell | County Durham | Andrew Kirtland | Hundens Park | 21–18 |
| 1997 | Warwickshire | Richard Brittan | Erdington Court | Hertfordshire | Martyn Coles | Garston | 21–17 |
| 1998 | Worcestershire | Grant Burgess | Gilt Edge | Oxfordshire | Les Gillett | Banbury Borough | 21–20 |
| 1999 | Huntingdonshire | Nick Brett | White Hart | Warwickshire | Graham Ashby | Stoke, Coventry | 21–20 |
| 2000 | Norfolk | John Ottaway | Wymondham Dell | Buckinghamshire | Andrew Wise | Marlow | 21–9 |
| 2001 | Kent | Gordon Charlton | Sandwich | Warwickshire | Mark Clarke | Kings Heath | 21–18 |
| 2002 | Hampshire | Martyn Sekjer | Southampton SC | Hertfordshire | Andrew Briden | Herts BC | 21–2 |
| 2003 | Yorkshire | Paul Allenby | Riverview | Yorkshire | Mark Walton | Nafferton | 21–13 |
| 2004 | Yorkshire | Mark Walton | Nafferton | Essex | Joe Stamper | Lionmede | 21–17 |
| 2005 | Middlesex | Simon Jee | Parsons Green | Nottinghamshire | Nick Cammack | Trent Vale | 21–11 |
| 2006 | Yorkshire | Mark Walton | Nafferton | Gloucestershire | Lee Williamson | Barnwood | 21–16 |
| 2007 | Essex | Andrew Squire | Maldon | Yorkshire | Mark Walton | Nafferton | 21–10 |
| 2008 | Devon | Sam Tolchard | Kings, Torquay | Derbyshire | Simon Skelton | Stute | 21–8 |
| 2009 | Derbyshire | Simon Skelton | Stute | Surrey | Steve Tuohy | Egham | 21–20 |
| 2010 | Essex | Steven Mitchinson | Romford | Sussex | Scott Edwards | Hove & Kingsway | 21–8 |
| 2011 | County Durham | David Bolt | Silksworth | Warwickshire | Graham Ashby | Rugby | 21–15 |
| 2012 | Hampshire | Tom Bishop | Atherley | Norfolk | Wayne Willgress | Norfolk BC | 21–20 |
| 2013 | Worcestershire | Andrew Walters | Worcester | Suffolk | John Rednall | Felixstowe & Suffolk | 21–14 |
| 2014 | Gloucestershire | Lee Williamson | Cheltenham | Devon | Jamie Chestney | Kings, Torquay | 21–18 |
| 2015 | Cumbria | Ben Sherwen | Whitehaven | Yorkshire | Vinnie O'Neill | Middlesbrough | 21–19 |
| 2016 | Kent | Simon Green | Sandwich | Worcestershire | Andrew Walters | Worcester | 21–13 |
| 2017 | Northamptonshire | Jamie Walker | Northampton West End | Northamptonshire | Darren Childs | Northampton West End | 21–14 |
| 2018 | Devon | Louis Ridout | Kings Torquay | Essex | Andrew Squire | Maldon | 21–16 |
| 2019 | Essex | Ed Morris | Essex County | Northamptonshire | Jamie Walker | Northampton West End | 21–14 |
| 2020 No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic | 2020 No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic | 2020 No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic | 2020 No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic | 2020 No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic | 2020 No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic | 2020 No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic | 2020 No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021 | Devon | Sam Tolchard | Kings, Torquay | County Durham | David Bolt | Silksworth | 21–12 |
| 2022 | Essex | Ed Morris | Essex County | Warwickshire | Andrew Walters | Welford-on-Avon | 21–17 |
| 2023 | Kent | Lewis King | Appleyard | Leicestershire | Darren Allsopp | New Lount | 21–10 |
| 2024 | Devon | Jamie Walker | Culm Vale | Kent | Harry Goodwin | Appleyard | 21–11 |