Your ultimate guide to winter bowling

Winter League

Updated 22 October 2026

Do you enjoy your bowling so much that you hope that the summer season will never end? Well summer is always going to end but that doesn't mean you have to stop playing your favourite outdoor sport. The Huddersfield Winter League has expanded in teams and bowlers each year and now has 81 teams competing weekly through the Winter months. So what is it that is attracting normally sane people to spend some of the winter months outside in the cold?

Many of the reasons that you bowl in the summer apply equally as much during the winter months, some more so. You bowl because you enjoy the social life; because of the exercise you get, for the competition, for the feeling of belonging to a team, for fresh air, for getting you away from the TV and for having a reason to get up in a morning. All these very good reasons apply all year round. So why don't you bowl all year round?

Well until recently there probably hasn't been that opportunity but the creation of the local Winter League has changed all that. Coupled with the milder winters we have experienced in recent years there is every reason and opportunity to extend your bowling season through the winter months. The 2025-26 season enjoyed a remarkable amount of sunshine days and only losing two days to the weather and they were both caught up within a week by the clubs. You will be cold so come prepared, you will probably get wet on occasions but you will during the summer season as well. Don't be surprised by or moan about the weather - this is winter bowling for goodness sake!

The Winter League bowls weekly from the beginning of October to mid-February with a two-week break over the Christmas/New Year holiday period. The start date may vary due to the availability of some host greens with some greenkeepers preferring to undertake some maintenance work between the end of the summer and the start of the winter season. The length of the season is determined by the number of teams in each division. In 2026-27 we have 9 divisions of 8 teams in each and one Division of 9 teams;. Eight in a Division equates to a 14-week season. Nine in a Division stretches things out to a 16-week season.

Each division is based on the same green right through the season so you see the same teams every week and get to know each other very well. It becomes a real community and you start to follow all the other teams' results as much as you do your own. We use Bowlsnet to record all our results and tables and you can view all that activity by clicking here.

Costs

Each team pays £12 per week green fees to the host club (£3 per bowler). This covers your green fee, a raffle ticket for each bowler and hot drinks and basic refreshments (e.g. biscuits). In practice the host clubs have always provided more than the basic refreshments with a range of hot and cold food at an additional cost. Clubs will offer more raffle tickets to bowlers and spectators. Hot drinks for spectators at £1 is normal and food is also available to those just there to watch the action on the green. Lunchtime bowling demands food for the participants and followers.

Host Greens

Host clubs can expect to make at least £3,500 over the course of a 14-week season. If your club has a bar and it is open on matchdays then you will make more. We have one host club with a bar that made £6,000 profit over a 16-week season. All this at a time when many wouldn't usually be making any money at all, so a good incentive for clubs over the course of a season. We have just started our 7th season of Winter bowling. Our two original clubs, Springwood and Milnsbridge, have been part of that success every season. The green does need a few more cuts over the Winter months but the myth that you cannot bowl on grass during the Winter months without damaging the surface has been thoroughly proven wrong.

Format All teams are of four bowlers playing two singles and 1 pairs game every week. Bowlers must have celebrated their 60th birthday before becoming eligible to bowl and we welcome men and women on an equal footing. We will strive to place new teams in the division that best matches the playing ability of their bowlers. Promotion and relegation feature in all divisions. We don't pay out prize money to teams or individuals but we have an increasing number of trophies we award to winners as well as memento trophies for individual team members to keep to mark team and individual achievements. We don't pay League officials to run the League, we are all in it for the enjoyment. We now have two individual competitions each year and both attracted over 150 bowler entries last year.

What next The best recommendation for Winter bowling that we can make is to go and see it in action for yourselves at any of our nine host greens. The number of spectators at the greens on matchdays has been a bit of a surprise as the numbers keep increasing. We have had up to 70 people at matchdays with 40-50 being the norm. If you want to take your interest to the next level then the best way of progressing that is to get in touch and we will be happy to talk to any club interested in signing up for the 2027-28 season. If your club might be interested in becoming a Host Club with the opportunity to earn at least £3,500 from a 14-week season then again please get in touch we will be delighted to share with you more details of the benefits of being part of the biggest success story that local bowling has seen in a long long time. Proud to be the fastest-growing League in the country.

The Winter League is here to stay and definitely part of the local bowling calendar so have a serious think about joining us next season. We are expanding the League for next season and aiming for 88 teams to play in 11 divisions, it could be more, we have no limits. We have grown every year since the League was first founded in 2020-21 when we had 14 teams in two Divisions. You have until 1 August 2027 to submit your team entry for next Winter and be part of the future. The earlier you apply to join us, the higher up the waiting list you will be.