PRESIDENTS

YEAR		YEAR		YEAR
1904	G.Nicholson	1946	R.Oliver	1988	I.McMillan
1905		1947	C.Stewart	1989	K.Lamb
1906		1948	S.Dumble	1990	P.S.Mallaby
1907		1949	T.Lloyd	1991	E.Wren
1908		1950	G.D.Hewitt	1992	G.A.Bradburn
1909		1951	T.H.Lewis	1993	K.J.E.Colwill
1910		1952	T.A.Walker	1994	G.Roberts
1911		1953	R.Johnston	1995	K.J.E.Colwill
1912	T.A.Griffiths	1954	M.Peacock	1996	K.J.E.Colwill
1913	T.A.Griffiths	1955	E.Lodge	1997	W.Millward D.F.M.
1914		1956	N.W.Clarke	1998	W.B.Johnson
1915		1957	W.A.Stainsby	1999	G.W.Taylor
1916		1958	J.F.Coffield	2000	G.W.Taylor
1917		1959	F.Hunter	2001	K.J.E.Colwill
1918		1960	C.Ball	2002	K.J.E.Colwill
1919		1961	A.D.Fairless	2003	K.J.E.Colwill
1920		1962	L.R.Davey	2004	K.J.E.Colwill
1921		1963	G.R.Hardy	2005	K.J.E.Colwill
1922		1964	N.W.Clarke	2006	K.J.E.Colwill
1923		1965	K.Atkinson M.B.E.	2007	K.J.E.Colwill
1924		1966	W.Marsh	2008	K.J.E.Colwill
1925		1967	J.B.Hewitt	2009	K.J.E.Colwill
1926		1968	C.McCune	2010	R. Smith
1927		1969	P.Roberts	2011	M. Hayton
1928		1970	J.H.Higgins	2012	P. Williamson
1929		1971	J.B.Hewitt	2013	P. Williamson
1930		1972	L.Blackwell	2014	P. Williamson
1931		1973	L.Blackwell	2015	J.W. Brown
1932		1974	B.Dobson	2016	C.N. Skinner
1933		1975	S.Hird	2017	C.N. Skinner
1934	A.Fawcett	1976	W.Millward D.F.M.	2018	C.N. Skinner
1935	T.Iredale	1977	W.Millward D.F.M.	2019	S.Iceton
1936	T.Iredale	1978	K.Hiles	2020	C.N. Skinner
1937	T.A.Kennedy	1979	K.Hiles	2021	C.N. Skinner
1938	J.F.Moreland	1980	L.Blackwell
1939	W.F.Hornby	1981	G.Graham
1940	B.Wood	1982	K.Hiles
1941	T.S.Fletcher	1983	E.Pinder
1942	A.F.Jennings	1984	R.D.Moore
1943	R.Porritt	1985	J.B.Hewitt
1944	G.L.Fordy	1986	E.Pinder
1945	A.H.Ridley	1987	D.Allison

 

 

Members & Presidents:

 

T.A. Griffiths  – President in 1912 and 1913.

 

Tom Iredale  – President in 1935 and 1936. Tom was a wholesale and retail tobacconist.

 

Les Oliver  – Les joined the club in 1935. On his death in July 2002 at the age of 95 he was our oldest member, as well as being the longest serving member. He served in the R.E.M.E. during the Second World War as a Staff Sgt and spent some time in Alexandria. He had a wry sense of humour and very sharp wit. Les was a proud honorary life member of the club.

 

Tom Kennedy  – President in 1937. Tom was a former Trustee of the club and the the managing director of Allan Kennedy’s who manufactured diamond tread steel flooring. He had a factory in Stockton and another in Germany, the latter being lost during the Second World War. He presented the club with the ‘Snooker Handicap Cup’ in 1958

 

Jack Moreland – Jack was president in 1938. On one dark night during the war years, Jack left the club and unfortunately turned left in the car park before arriving at the exit onto Darlington Road. In so doing he fell into the beck and drowned. Captain Stan Clarke (a member of the club being in the Merchant Navy) upon hearing of this tragedy, allegedly turned his ship around, headed home to Middlesbrough and married Jack’s widow.

 

Laurie Fordy - President in 1944. Laurie was a former Trustee of the club and a master builder.

 

Stan Clarke – On retiring from the Merchant Navy as a Captain, Stan took on the role of looking after the fruit machine for the club. Change was no problem as the machine only took sixpence pieces and Stan was well known for always keeping a number of sixpence pieces in his top pocket.

 

Ken Atkinson MBE – President in 1965. Ken was a Bank Clerk and served on the committee as Secretary for some time and unfortunately died in harness. A couple of the committee arranged to go to see Ken’s widow, at the matrimonial home with the view to collecting records such as minutes, general records and correspondence. To their amazement the ‘Cupboard was bare’, Ken apparently had not kept records during his time as secretary. (This could be the reason for absence of records pre 1972)

 

Sid Dumble  - President in 1948. Sid was a much feared teacher at Stockton Secondary School, teaching a variety of subjects and finishing up as deputy headmaster.

 

Granville Hewitt  - President in 1950. Granville was a former Trustee of the club and a senior executive with ICI and a member of the main board of directors.

 

Bert Walker - President in 1952 and former Trustee of the club. During his year of presidency Bert donated and presented us with the ‘Walker Cup’. Although Bert took great interest in the Walker Cup league and West Ends performance, he never played a game of bowls. Bert was a wholesale newsagent and lived in the village of Hartburn.　On the 40th anniversary of the Walker Cup (1994), a match made up from all teams in the Walker Cup League was played at the West End to celebrate the occasion, Bert’s widow Freda was in attendance and presented the cup to the winners of the league for that year.

 

Norman Clarke – President in 1956 & 1964. Norman was a chemist by profession.

 

Bill Stainsby – President in 1957. Bill was in the business of plant hire.

 

Jack Coffield  – President in 1958. Jack was a well-known bookmaker & presented the club with its first snooker table.

 

Frank Hunter - Manager of Blacketts stores in Stockton.

 

Vince Ingle - Well known printer in Thornaby. He created nicknames for all those around him.

 

Arthur Fairless – President in 1961. Arthur was chairman of Fairless Engineering. His company amongst other things, developed and patented between deck cable glands and were suppliers to the Royal Navy for many years.　He played a major role in the first structural development of the club in the early 60’s.

 

Geoff Hardy – President in 1963. Geoff was a local director for Tarmac.

 

Wilf Marsh  -　President in 1966. President of the English Bowling Association (EBA) in 1971. Wilf was a builder of high repute.

 

Jim Hewitt – President in 1967, 1971 & 1985 and a former Trustee of the club. Jim was a manager at ICI. Being a member of ICI’s Norton Hall club, Jim was entitled to buy wine having the Norton Hall label. He advertised this wine quite freely, as when friends or tradesmen did any work for Jim, invariably payment would be offered by way of a bottle or two of this wine.

 

Charlie McCune  – President in 1968. Charlie ran and owned ‘McCunes Haulage & Coach’ company. For many years he was a town councillor.

 

Peter Roberts – President in 1969. Peter served with the Chindits in Borneo and later returned to Nigeria, whereupon he set up a travel business. After Nigerian Independence, Peter returned to Stockton and set up a travel business in Silver street. His company was well known for its ability to plan and provide comprehensive holidays and travel anywhere in the world.

 

Leo Blackwell – President in 1972, 1973 & 1980. President of Durham County Bowling Association in 1978. Leo started bowling in 1964 and by 1969 he had won all singles　competitions together with champion of champions. In 1970 he was picked for Durham County and skipped for the county for 5 years. In 1972 he met David Harrison of Ainsty Bowling Club, which resulted in the West End playing Ainsty both home and away for 30 years, until sadly Ainsty as a Club, folded in 2002 due to the loss of their green, However, the traditionof the York festival has remained as some players including David Harrison have inssited the fixture be played with their new clubs, Bertkeech, Nestles and curently Rowntree.

 

Brian Dobson  – President in 1974. Brian was a Trustee of the club. A dispensing pharmacist by profession.

 

Stan Hird - President in 1975. Stan was a former Trustee of the club and was a director of Moorhouse & Barker (Builders)

 

Billy Millward D.F.M  – President in 1976, 1977 & 1997. Billy was a butcher by trade. During the Second World War whilst in the RAF he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal.

 

Ken Hiles – President in 1978, 1979 & 1982. Ken was a draughtsman and decided to emigrate to Cyprus, but returned in 2013.

 

Gordon Graham  – President in 1981.

 

Eddie Pinder – President in 1983 & 1986.　Eddie was the founder President of Cleveland County Bowling Federation (EBF), first formed in 1986, he was also president the following year. Most of Eddie’s working life was as an engineering manager with ICI.

 

Alfie & Les Lewis – Father and son, both butchers. They were and still are the only father and son to be Mayor of Stockton.

 

Peter Mallaby - President in 1990 Peter is the only president to have one the club championship