{{Short description|English lawn bowler}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox sportsperson | headercolor = | name = Edna Bessell | image = | image_size = <!--Only for images narrower than 220 pixels.--> | caption = | nationality = British (English) | birth_date = Q3, {{birth year and age|1946}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=5dlwK46zxQjoJRjPs80XaA&scan=1|title=Index entry|accessdate=11 April 2021|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}}</ref> | birth_place = Gloucestershire | death_date = | death_place = | club = Yeovil BC | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{ENG}} }} {{MedalCompetition|World Outdoor Championships}} {{MedalBronze| 1992 Ayr|Triples}} {{MedalBronze| 1992 Ayr|Fours}} {{MedalCompetition|Atlantic Bowls Championships}} {{MedalSilver|1993 Florida|triples}} {{MedalBronze|1993 Florida|fours}} {{MedalGold|2005 Bangor|fours}} {{MedalBronze|2005 Bangor|pairs}} {{MedalSilver|2009 Johannesburg|pairs}} }}
'''Edna Ida May Bessell''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MBE}} (née Tovey), born 1946, is a former international lawn bowler from England.<ref>{{cite book|last=Newby|first=Donald|title=Daily Telegraph Bowls Yearbook 91|year=1990|publisher=Telegraph Publications|isbn=0-330-31664-8}}</ref>
== Bowls career == She won a bronze medal in the Triples with Barbara Till, Norma Shaw and Babs Barlow at the 1992 World Outdoor Bowls Championship. Barlow was the English president had stepped in to replace the injured Norma Shaw.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tinyurl.galegroup.com/tinyurl/6H4gn1|title=Jones, David Rhys. "Shaw's absence is one in the eye for England."Times, 8 June 1992, p. 26|newspaper=The Times|date=8 June 1992|page=26|publisher=Times Digital Archives|last1=Jones|first1=David Rhys}}</ref> She also won a second bronze in the fours with Jean Baker, Till and Mary Price.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bowlstawa.nz/titles/players/titles/3553|title=World Bowls Medals|publisher=Bowls Tawa}}</ref>
In 1993 she won the triples silver medal and fours bronze medal at the inaugural Atlantic Bowls Championships.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0503369651/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=53c04381|title='Shaw strikes gold'|date=25 October 1993|newspaper=The Times|access-date=25 May 2021|page=28|via=The Times Digital Archive|url-access=subscription}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0500635684/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=7805d2c8|title='Guernsey finally falter|date=1 November 1993|newspaper=The Times|access-date=25 May 2021|page=21|via=The Times Digital Archive|url-access=subscription}}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
In 2005 she won the fours gold medal and pairs bronze medal at the Atlantic Championships<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbowlsltd.co.uk/results.html|title=2005 Atlantic Rim Games|publisher=World Bowls Ltd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060111132351/http://www.worldbowlsltd.co.uk/results.html|access-date=23 May 2021|archive-date=2006-01-11}}</ref> and in 2009 she won the pairs silver medal at the Atlantic Bowls Championships.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbowlsltd.co.uk/results-old.php|title=2009 Atlantic Championships|publisher=World Bowls Ltd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314062629/http://www.worldbowlsltd.co.uk/results-old.php|access-date=21 May 2021|archive-date=2010-03-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0503964873/GDCS?u=oxfshlib&sid=GDCS&xid=284753c0 |title=Bowls |date=18 May 2009 |newspaper=The Times |access-date=21 May 2021 |page=61 |via=The Times Digital Archive |url-access=subscription }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Bessell also won four national singles titles representing Somerset. She later became team manager for England's women and was appointed MBE.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bowlsinternational.keypublishing.com/2016/09/08/england-womens-international-manager-announces-retirement/|title=England women's international manager announces retirement|publisher=Bowls International}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000769/19910810/123/0124 |title=Edna left to sweat it out |work=Coventry Evening Telegraph |date=10 August 1991 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=27 August 2023}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bessell, Edna}} Category:English female bowls players Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century English sportswomen