HIGHLIGHTS 1906 - 1921

1907

At the second AGM, treasurer Mr F. Ellen reported that the county had £3 16/7d

Mr Harry Manfield one of the cup sponsors was elected a Vice President of the Association.

1908

At the AGM in 1908 it was agreed to change the date of the Manfield Cup competition to the third Thursday in July not Saturday.

Clubs joining the Association would now pay a joining fee of £1/1/-

1909

On 18th February a meeting was specially called  "To consider the advisability or otherwise of extending the Manfield Cup competition beyond the County of Northamptonshire"

The matter was discussed at great length and was unanimously opposed.

Mr JHC Crockett (Vice President of the Association) pointed out that in previous years a pair of bowls had been presented to the winning team of the Manfield Cup, the members of which played amongst themselves for their possession. This was thought rather unsatisfactory, and in this year it was decided to present each member of the winning tea with a medal.  Mr F. Bird, the ex-president of the County Ground club presented the Association with a new base for the cup, on which the names of the winning clubs would in future be inscribed.

1910

It was proposed that the secretary write to various clubs on whose greens the Manfield Cup are played suggesting the desirability of providing light refreshments for the players.  This was seconded and carried unanimously. F. Shatford, Kettering Lodge wins EBA National Singles.

1913

At a committee meeting held in February Mr Woolston of Wellingborough introduced the subject of the proposed match between the representatives of the affiliated clubs and the Canadian team.  Mr Piccaver proposed the following:-

"That the secretary be requested to write to the secretaries of all the clubs in the Association informing them of the suggested match and enquiring whether their clubs would be willing in the event of obtaining a fixture to subscribe a levy which would have to be made to cover the match expenses, such levy being made proportional to the number of representatives of each club selected to play in the match"

In March it was agreed not to enter the EBA's John Bull Cup (the forerunner to the Middleton Cup) but the item would again be discussed at the AGM.

Twelve cubs took part in the Manfield Cup and the rules were again changed, with each club providing just three rinks of four players - played under EBA rules, with Irthlingborough coming out on top, the first time the trophy had left Northampton.

1914

Again changes were made to the rules of the Manfield Cup competition for the 1914 season when the competition reverted to four rinks of four players with shots difference still determining the winners - Kettering Lodge picking up the first of their seven wins to date.

A proposition was put forward to run singles, pairs and fours competitions ideas were left in abeyance.

Bedfordshire became the county's first opponents in an "inter County" friendly but not classed as a county match which would have been under the control of the EBA.

The balance sheet at the AGM showed a healthy £3/12/11d in the bank.

Mr F. Shatford became the first player from the county  to Captain England -

although the county as such was not affiliated to the EBA (subsequently  G.S. Bull in 1930, A.H. Bull in 1939 and R.H. Stenhouse in 1970 all captained England as well)

1915

Rushden Town were re-admitted to the Association subject to their green being satisfactory and they pay 10/6d entrance fee.

An EBA directive stated that no competitions should be played due to the Great War, Northants however not a member of the EBA put the decision to a vote, but the majority agreed with the EBA and the competition was suspended until 1919 - and through this, an offer of a county friendly with Bedfordshire was turned down.

1916

AGM's were suspended until further notice.

1919

The chief business of a meeting held in March was to discuss the advisability of resuming the Manfield Cup competition. After hearing opinions from the various representative's present it was agreed to the competition being played in 1919.

1920

Extract from the 13th AGM on June 9th 1920

"Mr Anderson, Kettering Lodge Club, drew attention to the fact that the Association was not affiliated with the EBA and remarked that the Association as at presently conducted was an Association merely for the purpose of carrying out the competition for the Manfield Cup and did not take any interest in other competitions such as the North v South, the John Bull Cup etc and he thought the activities of the Association should be extended and he proposed that it should be affiliated with the EBA.

This was seconded by Mr Abbott of the Kettering Conservative Club and carried unanimously."

By 1920 the balance sheet showed a healthy £11 13/3d in the bank

At a special meeting in December the format of the Manfield Cup was revised.

The winners would be determined by firstly the number of winning rinks an secondly , shots difference -

a formula that has continued to the present day.