{{Short description|English bowls player}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox sportsperson | headercolor = | name = Tony Allcock<br /><small>{{nobold|{{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}}}</small> | image = | image_size = <!--Only for images narrower than 220 pixels.--> | caption = | nationality = British (English) | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|6|11|df=y}} | birth_place = Thurmaston, Leicestershire | death_date = | death_place = | sport = Bowls | club = Belgrave BC<br />Cheltenham BC | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{ENG}}}} {{MedalSport|}} {{MedalCompetition|World Outdoor Championships}} {{MedalGold| 1980 Melbourne | triples}} {{MedalGold| 1980 Melbourne | team }} {{MedalGold| 1984 Aberdeen | fours}} {{MedalSilver| 1984 Aberdeen | pairs}} {{MedalBronze| 1984 Aberdeen | team}} {{MedalSilver| 1988 Auckland | pairs}} {{MedalBronze| 1988 Auckland | fours}} {{MedalGold| 1988 Auckland | team}} {{MedalGold| 1992 Worthing | singles}} {{MedalSilver| 1992 Worthing | team}} {{MedalGold| 1996 Adelaide | singles}} {{MedalBronze| 2000 Johannesburg | singles}} {{MedalCompetition|Commonwealth Games}} {{MedalSilver| 1994 Victoria|singles}} {{MedalCompetition|World Indoor Championships}} {{MedalGold|1986 Coatbridge|singles}} {{MedalGold|1986 Bournemouth|pairs}} {{MedalGold|1987 Coatbridge|singles}} {{MedalGold|1987 Bournemouth|pairs}} {{MedalGold|1989 Preston|pairs}} {{MedalGold|1990 Preston|pairs}} {{MedalGold|1991 Preston|pairs}} {{MedalGold|1992 Preston|pairs}} {{MedalGold|1997 Preston|pairs}} {{MedalGold|2002 Yarmouth|singles}} {{MedalGold|2003 Yarmouth|pairs}} {{MedalCompetition|British Isles Championships}} {{MedalGold|1992|singles}} {{MedalGold|1995|fours}} }}
'''Anthony Allcock''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (born 1955) is an English bowls player. Born in Leicestershire, England,<ref name="Post">Gordin, Joel (1996) "Goodwill Ambassador", ''Jerusalem Post'', 22 October 1996</ref> he is considered to be one of the leading bowlers of his generation and was twice world outdoor singles champion (1992 and 1996) and three times World Indoor Singles Champion (1986, 1987 and 2002).<ref name="Whyte">Whyte, Derrick (2002) "[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/bowls-allcock-rolls-back-the-years-664095.html Bowls: Allcock rolls back the years]{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}", ''The Independent'', 21 January 2002, retrieved 2010-05-06</ref>
== Bowls career == === World Outdoor Championships === Allcock won double gold at the 1980 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Melbourne in the team event (Leonard Cup) and triples with Jimmy Hobday and the legendary David Bryant. Four years later he won two more medals including the gold medal in the fours with George Turley, John Bell and Julian Haines at the 1984 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Aberdeen.<ref>{{cite book|last=Newby|first=Donald|title=Daily Telegraph Bowls Yearbook 88|year=1987|publisher=Telegraph Publications|isbn=0-86367-220-5}}</ref> After winning three more medals at the 1988 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Auckland he went on to win two singles gold medals at successive championships. They were at the 1992 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Worthing and the 1996 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Adelaide. With his eleven world indoor titles he has won seventeen world titles in total.<ref name="Whyte" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bowlstawa.nz/titles/players/titles/4977|title=Profile|publisher=Bowls Tawa}}</ref>
=== Commonwealth Games === Allcock played in three successive Commonwealth Games in 1990, 1994 and 1998. He won singles silver medal in the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/commonwealth/bowls.htm|title=COMMONWEALTH GAMES MEDALLISTS - BOWLS|publisher=GRB Athletics}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thecgf.com/results/athletes/48363|title=Athletes and Results|publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation}}</ref>
Allcock was appointed the bowls performance coach for the England team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.<ref name="Stan">"England job for Allcock", ''Evening Standard'', 5 June 2001</ref> He is the current Chief Executive of Bowls England.<ref name="Perris">Perris, Jeff (2008) ''All About Bowls: The History, Construction and Maintenance of Bowling'', Sports Turf Research Institute, {{ISBN|978-1-873431-06-1}}, p. 3-4</ref>
===World Indoor Championships=== Allcock was also three times singles and eight times pairs champion at the World Indoor Bowls Championships.<ref name="Footman">Footman, Tony (ed.) (2000) ''Guinness World Records 2001'', IBS, {{ISBN|978-1-892051-01-1}}, p. 205</ref> The singles wins were in 1986, 1987 and 2002 and the pairs (six with David Bryant) were in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990 1991, 1992 (and one each with Mervyn King and David Holt) were in 1997 and 2003.
=== National === He has won eight National Championship titles, singles (1990,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005316/19900824/672/0068 |title=Champion John Strikes Again |work=Lancing Herald |date=24 August 1990 |via=British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription |access-date=22 August 2024}}</ref> 1991), triples (1990, 1995), fours (1994) and junior singles (1975, 1977, 1981) bowling for Belgrave BC and then Cheltenham BC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bowlsengland.com/about-us/past-records|title=Past Records|publisher=Bowls England}}</ref> He has also won the singles at the British Isles Bowls Championships in 1992.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://britishislesbowls.com/history-of-the-bibc/previous-winners/|title=Previous Winners|publisher=British Isles Bowls Council}}</ref>
== Personal life == Allcock was chief executive of Bowls England from 2008 to 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chief Executive announces retirement |url=https://www.bowlsengland.com/bowls-england-chief-executive-announces-retirement/ |publisher=Bowls England |access-date=26 January 2025 |date=24 September 2019}}</ref> Having been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1989 New Year Honours for services to bowls, he was promoted to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to lawn bowls.<ref>UK list: {{London Gazette |date=30 December 1988 |supp=y |issue=51578 |pages=11 }}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=62666|supp=y|page=B10|date=8 June 2019}}</ref>
== Publications and videos == Allcock has written several books on bowls, and released a series of instructional videos on the subject.
=== Books === *Allcock, Tony (1987) ''Improve Your Bowls'', HarperCollinsWillow, {{ISBN|978-0-00-218271-3}} *Allcock, Tony & Rhys Jones, David (1988) ''Bowls Skills'', Golden Books, {{ISBN|978-0-600-55778-4}} *Allcock, Tony (1989) ''End to End: A Year in Bowls'', Heinemann Kingswood, {{ISBN|978-0-434-98160-1}} *Bryant, David; Allcock, Tony & Horton, Edward (1994) ''Bowl to Win'', HarperCollinsWillow, {{ISBN|978-0-00-218523-3}} *Allcock, Tony ''Winning Bowls'', Hutchinson, {{ISBN|978-0-09-173677-4}}
===Videos=== *''Tony Allcock's Art of Bowls'' (4 volumes)
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allcock, Tony}} Category:English male bowls players Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Category:Bowls players at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Category:Bowls players at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Category:Bowls players at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Category:1955 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Leicestershire Category:Bowls World Champions Category:Indoor Bowls World Champions Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Medallists at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in lawn bowls