Benfield Rule the Green to Lift the Jubilee Cup in Style!
By Your Green-Side Insider
The grand finale of the Jubilee Cup took place at the weekend, serving up an absolute festival of bowls. It was a day filled with incredible drama, agonizing final-end twists, and a genuinely relentless performance from our newly crowned champions, Benfield, who stormed the tournament to finish with a flawless record.
2026 Jubilee Cup Winners: Benfield
Game 1: Benfield Set the Pace While Collingwood Pinch a Thriller
The tournament opened with two fascinating matchups that set the tone for the afternoon. Benfield laid down an immediate marker against North Shields West End (NSWE), finding their length early on the grass to secure a comfortable victory with a very healthy shot cushion.
Over on the neighboring rink, Collingwood and Newbiggin engaged in an absolute dogfight. It was a classic game of cat-and-mouse, but Collingwood showed ice in their veins when it mattered most, scraping home by just a single solitary shot (+1) to kickstart their campaign.
Game 2: Jack-Slicing Drama Hand Benfield the Edge
The second round of matches somehow managed to turn the drama up even further. Benfield continued their imperious form, putting on another clinical display to dispatch Newbiggin and bag another victory with a fantastic shot margin.
But all eyes quickly turned to the secondary rink, where NSWE and Collingwood were locked in a fierce battle. They went into the final end dead level. NSWE were sitting in a brilliant position, holding the match-winning shot. If they could hold on, the tournament would effectively be over, leaving Benfield in total control.
Then came the moment of the match: NSWE holding shot but agonizingly sliced the jack! In a heartbreaking turn of fortune, they went from holding the match to lying one down. Unable to reclaim it, Collingwood pulled off pure robbery to pinch another legendary +1 shot win.
The Final Showdown: Benfield Complete the Clean Sweep
With everything to play for, the tournament culminated in a straight shootout between the two undefeated sides: Benfield vs Collingwood.
Collingwood had shown incredible grit all day, but Benfield were simply a force of nature. Carrying their red-hot form into the final game, the Benfield rinks put on a absolute masterclass. They completely dominated the head to finish the day with a perfect 3 out of 3 wins, lifting the trophy with a massive +28 shot differential.
Collingwood took a well-deserved runner-up spot with 2 wins (-10 shots), followed by a resilient NSWE in third, and Newbiggin wrapping up the table.
2026 Jubilee Cup Runners-up: Collingwood
With Thanks
A massive congratulations to Benfield on a truly spectacular victory, and well played to all four teams for putting on such a brilliant show.
Finally, a huge thank you goes out to Portland for the use of their pristine green and their fantastic hospitality throughout the day. A special shout-out also goes to Anne-Marie for her superb work umpiring and keeping the games running smoothly. Until next year!
