Who won? See below

• In the forties Chadderton League losers were not reported in the Oldham Chronicle- only winners, with their opponents score in brackets e.g. A Bowler (18). Probably saved the faces of those that got hammered!
• The Chadderton League in the fifties was 12 a side , playing 15 up and that some of the sides were handicapped
• In 1957 this was changed to 10 a side and 21 up (it does appear that some players still had handicaps)
• The Green Final Handicap (now the Oldham Chronicle Bowling Handicap) in 1955 had 300 entries and it took the committee 7 hours to allocate handicaps and do the draw
• In 1953 the Parks League players had individual handicaps in League matches. (This does not appear to be so from 1954)
• J Diskin of Oldham Cricket won the Chadderton League Presidents in 1953 when he beat A White, Crompton, and received the princely sum of 16 guineas- £16.80 (mind you the Rates were only about £22 a year!). I have to point out that it was probably a prize/vouchers to the value of 16 guineas as cash prizes were not allowed by BCGBA rules if you were an amateur bowler.
• 1956 saw the first Ladies Bowls Championship in Oldham. This was played at Waterhead Park for the Whittaker Cup. There were 54 entries and the ladies had to pay their own greenage- the winner was Mrs A Cavanagh (New Moston) who beat Mrs I Brown (Royton)
• Alan Jackson, current Springbank Veteran, entered the Green Final Handicap at age of 14 in 1958 and promptly won his first game 21-12.
• Alan was a year older than the youngest competitor, one S Buckley!
• Malcolm Percival (now of Dunwood Park Veterans), champion boy bowler of Crompton (the Chron's words not mine!) played Chadderton's top boy bowler Ashley Boardman in a game as a precursor to the annual Crompton v Royton bowls match in 1960. Malcolm won 15-6. See picture at top
• The first Oldham Ladies League was run in 1960- Buersil were the champions
• 1977 saw the first Lady entrants to the Green Final. Two lost their first matches but Mary Gibbison (aged 69) won her first match 21-19 when she beat Malcolm Neild (Alexandra Park). Bet he was embarrassed!
• The Ladies over 60s League was started in 1987