The men's singles four wood is one of the events at the annual Bowls England National Championships.[1]
The four-wood singles is the traditional variation of the game; see Glossary of bowls terms.
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.[2]
| Year | County | Champion | Club | County | Runner-up | Club | Score | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | Middlesex | James Carruthers | Muswell Hill | Northumberland | James Telford | Newcastle, West End | 21–1 | [3] | |
| 1906 | County Durham | C. L. Cummings | Sunderland | Middlesex | A. W. Taylor | Finsbury Park | 21–8 | [4] | |
| 1907 | Cumberland | James Emmerson | Edenside, Carlisle | Leicestershire | H. W. Gibson | Leicester | 21–12 | [5] | |
| 1908 | Surrey | R. Knight | Loughborough Junction | Cumberland | M. Turner | Carlisle Subscription | 21–9 | [6] | |
| 1909 | Northumberland | James W. Dick | Gosforth | Berkshire | Harry Childs | Reading | 21–10 | [7] | |
| 1910 | Northamptonshire | Frank Shatford | Conservative Kettering | Somerset | J. Dauncy | Victoria Weston-super-Mare | 21–10 | [8] | |
| 1911 | Cumberland | John Postlethwaite | Carlisle Courtfield | Kent | James Work | Tunbridge Wells Grove | 21–14 | [9] | |
| 1912 | Middlesex | W. J. Jones | Crouch Hill | Cumberland | G. E. Edmondson | Holme Head, Carlisle | 23–12 | [10] | |
| 1913 | County Durham | Charles Gibb | Sunderland Ashbrooke | Middlesex | James Carruthers | Muswell Hill | 21–9 | [11] | |
| 1914 | Surrey | Douglas Irvine Watson | Maldon | Surrey | W. Dean | Balham | 21–15 | [12] | |
| 1915–1918 No competition due to war | |||||||||
| 1919 | Kent | Ernie Moore | Bellingham | Hampshire | E. Dean | Richmond Park, Bournemouth | 21–16 | [13] | |
| 1920 | Kent | A. E. Godsall | Forest Hill | Northumberland | Willie Hamilton | Summerhill, Newcastle | 21–14 | [14] | |
| 1921 | Surrey | A. F. Warner | Belmont | Sussex | J. Harwood | Preston, Brighton | 21–3 | [15] | |
| 1922 | Northumberland | Willie Hamilton | Hexham | Devon | C. G. Roach | Plymouth Hoe | 21–16 | [16] | |
| 1923 | Leicestershire | William Wade | Hinckley | Buckinghamshire | G. Sainsbury | Wendover & Chiltern Hills | 21–15 | [17] | |
| 1924 | Devon | Frederick Hodge | Torrington | Hampshire | Edward Redman | Banister Park | 21–18 | [18] | |
| 1925 | Devon | Harold Webber | Plymouth | Somerset | William Jennings | Taunton Deane | 21–15 | [19] | |
| 1926 | Devon | Sir Francis Drake, Plymouth | Kent | Alfred Poingdestre | Bromley | 21–16 | [20] | ||
| 1927 | Berkshire | Tom Tickle | Park Institute, Reading | Hampshire | Edward Redman | Bannister Park | 21–17 | [21] | |
| 1928 | Hampshire | Southern Railway, Eastleigh | Kent | Bill Barlow | Bellingham | 21–14 | [22] | ||
| 1929 | Kent | Bromley | Sussex | Preston, Brighton | 21–20 | [23] | |||
| 1930 | Leicestershire | William Wade | Hinckley | Devon | Harold Webber | Plymouth | 21–10 | [24] | |
| 1931 | Isle of Wight | Edwin Topp | Ryde | Gloucestershire | Henry Duggan | Gloucester | 21–8 | [25] | |
| 1932 | Dorset | Poole Park | Somerset | Ernie Fortune | St George's, Bristol | 21–14 | [26] | ||
| 1933 | Middlesex | Paddington | Isle of Wight | Percy Guy | Shanklin | 21–18 | [27] | ||
| 1934 | Hampshire | Archibald Cochrane | Southampton | County Durham | Matthew Burdon | Dunelm | 21–7 | [28] | |
| 1935 | Yorkshire | Billy Linton | Smith's Docks | Isle of Wight | Jack Gallagher | Cowes | 21–15 | [29] | |
| 1936 | Buckinghamshire | Dick Goodson | Chesham | Sussex | Arthur Knowling Jr. | Worthing | 21–16 | [30] | |
| 1937 | Yorkshire | William Prentice | Redcar, Zetland | Devon | Harold Webber | Torbay C. Club | 21–14 | [31] | |
| 1938 | Hampshire | Keith Cross | Cosham | Northumberland | Harry Cook | Tynemouth | 21–15 | [32] | |
| 1939 | Northumberland | Jack Laws | Summerhill | Oxfordshire | Algernon Allen | City & County Club, Oxford | 21–8 | [33] | |
| 1940–1944 No competition due to war | |||||||||
| 1945 | Yorkshire | Albert Allison 'Bert' Keech | Bootham | Gloucestershire | Robbie Robison | Henleaze | 21–19 | ||
| 1946 | Dorset | Poole Park | Berkshire | Ernest Newton | Windsor & Eton | 21–20 | [34] | ||
| 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 | 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 | Parliament Hill | Hertfordshire | Frank Smith | Hatfield | 21–4 | [35] | ||
| 1958 | Hampshire | Farnborough British Legion | Isle of Wight | Frank Crockford | Bembridge | 21–10 | [36] | ||
| 1959 | Surrey | Croydon | Yorkshire | Middlesbrough, Albert Park | 21–11 | [37] | |||
| 1960 | Somerset | Clevedon | Yorkshire | Middlesbrough, Albert Park | 21–11 | [38] | |||
| 1961 | Hampshire | Banister Park | Lincolnshire | Ernie Hopcroft | Ruston Bucyrus | 21–9 | [39] | ||
| 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 | Banister Park | Sussex | Worthing | 21–19 | [40] | |||
| 1965 | Sussex | Ralph Lewis | Preston, Brighton | Dorset | Poole Park | 21–16 | |||
| 1966 | Somerset | Clevedon | Northumberland | Harry Kinnersley | Morpeth | 21–17 | |||
| 1967 | Worcestershire | Droitwich, Vines Park | Devon | Freddie Horn | Torquay | 21–12 | [41] | ||
| 1968 | Essex | Norman Groves | Witham | Hampshire | Walter Phillips | Boscombe Cliff | 21–15 | [42] | |
| 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 | Middlesbrough Co-op | 21–16 | [43] | ||
| 1973 | Somerset | David Bryant MBE | Clevedon | Buckinghamshire | Ian Harvey | Marlow | 21–12 | ||
| 1974 | Worcestershire | Droitwich, Vines Park | Northumberland | Tom Wilkinson | Swan Hunter | 21–10 | [44] | ||
| 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 | Boston Sleaford Road | 21–17 | [45] | ||
| 1977 | Norfolk | Cromer | Buckinghamshire | David Goldring | Woburn Sands | 21–9 | [46] | ||
| 1978 | Somerset | Taunton | Somerset | David Bryant MBE | Clevedon | 22-11 | [47] | ||
| 1979 | Cornwall | St. Austell | Suffolk | Chris Southgate | Risbygate | 21–14 | [48] | ||
| 1980 | County Durham | Tom Buller | View Lane Park | Dorset | Lou Trim | West Moors Memorial | 21–18 | ||
| 1981 | Kent | Blackheath & Greenwich | Surrey | Woking Park | 21–20 | [49] | |||
| 1982 | Norfolk | Cromer | Buckinghamshire | Bret Long | Slough | 21–10 | [50] | ||
| 1983 | Cumbria | Wigton) | Northumberland | Kevin Bone | Gosforth | 21–13 | [51] | ||
| 1984 | Surrey | Mid Surrey | Leicestershire | John Kilyon | Loughborough | 21–15 | [52] | ||
| 1985 | Devon | Ron Keating | Plymouth Civil Service | Cumbria | Ron Gass | Wigton | 21–8 | [53] | |
| 1986 | Surrey | Mid Surrey | Cumbria | David Taylor | British Rail | 21–18 | [54] | ||
| 1987 | Lancashire | Bolton | Gloucestershire | Cheltenham | 21–5 | [55] | |||
| 1988 | Cornwall | Richard Bray | Stenalees | Somerset | Ian Middlemast | Bath | 21–12 | ||
| 1989 | Norfolk | Wymondham Dell | Isle of Wight | Barry Croad | Ventnor | 25-13 | [56] | ||
| 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 | Wigton | Yorkshire | West Park, Hull | 21–18 | [57] | |||
| 1993 | Devon | John Wickham | Totnes | Kent | Gordon Charlton | Folkestone Park | 21–17 | ||
| 1994 | Nottinghamshire | G.P.T. | Derbyshire | Paul Wilkinson | Long Eaton Town | 21–14 | [58] | ||
| 1995 | County Durham | John Leeman | Craghead | Gloucestershire | Cheltenham | 21–13 | |||
| 1996 | Norfolk | Wymondham Dell | County Durham | Andrew Kirtland | Hundens Park | 21–18 | [59] | ||
| 1997 | Warwickshire | Richard Brittan | Erdington Court | Hertfordshire | Martyn Coles | Garston | 21–17 | ||
| 1998 | Worcestershire | Gilt Edge | Oxfordshire | Banbury Borough | 21–20 | [60] | |||
| 1999 | Huntingdonshire | White Hart | Warwickshire | Graham Ashby | Stoke, Coventry | 21–20 | |||
| 2000 | Norfolk | Wymondham Dell | Buckinghamshire | Andrew Wise | Marlow | 21–9 | [61] | ||
| 2001 | Kent | Gordon Charlton | Sandwich | Warwickshire | Mark Clarke | Kings Heath | 21–18 | ||
| 2002 | Hampshire | Southampton SC | Hertfordshire | Andrew Briden | Herts BC | 21–2 | [62] | ||
| 2003 | Yorkshire | Paul Allenby | Riverview | Yorkshire | Nafferton | 21–13 | |||
| 2004 | Yorkshire | Nafferton | Essex | Joe Stamper | Lionmede | 21–17 | |||
| 2005 | Middlesex | Simon Jee | Parsons Green | Nottinghamshire | Nick Cammack | Trent Vale | 21–11 | [63] | |
| 2006 | Yorkshire | Nafferton | Gloucestershire | Lee Williamson | Barnwood | 21–16 | |||
| 2007 | Essex | Maldon | Yorkshire | Nafferton | 21–10 | [64] | |||
| 2008 | Devon | Kings, Torquay | Derbyshire | Stute | 21–8 | ||||
| 2009 | Derbyshire | Stute | Surrey | Steve Tuohy | Egham | 21–20 | |||
| 2010 | Essex | Romford | Sussex | Hove & Kingsway | 21–8 | ||||
| 2011 | County Durham | Silksworth | Warwickshire | Graham Ashby | Rugby | 21–15 | |||
| 2012 | Hampshire | Atherley | Norfolk | Norfolk BC | 21–20 | ||||
| 2013 | Worcestershire | Worcester | Suffolk | Felixstowe & Suffolk | 21–14 | ||||
| 2014 | Gloucestershire | Cheltenham | Devon | Kings, Torquay | 21–18 | ||||
| 2015 | Cumbria | Whitehaven | Yorkshire | Vinnie O'Neill | Middlesbrough | 21–19 | |||
| 2016 | Kent | Sandwich | Worcestershire | Worcester | 21–13 | ||||
| 2017 | Northamptonshire | Northampton West End | Northamptonshire | Darren Childs | Northampton West End | 21–14 | |||
| 2018 | Devon | Kings Torquay | Essex | Maldon | 21–16 | [65] | |||
| 2019 | Essex | Essex County | Northamptonshire | Northampton West End | 21–14 | [66] | |||
| 2020 No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic | [67] | ||||||||
| 2021 | Devon | Kings, Torquay | County Durham | Silksworth | 21–12 | [68] | |||
| 2022 | Essex | Essex County | Warwickshire | Welford-on-Avon | 21–17 | [69] | |||
| 2023 | Kent | Appleyard | Leicestershire | Darren Allsopp | New Lount | 21–10 | [70] | ||
| 2024 | Devon | Culm Vale | Kent | Appleyard | 21–11 | [71] |