Sport in Worthing
Encyclopedia
A wide variety of sport in Worthing
has been played, which has a long and interesting history.
racing, windsurfing
and kitesurfing
and the town has held a regatta
for rowing
since at least 1859. The South Downs is popular for hiking
and mountain-biking, with around 22 trail-heads within the borough. The Downs is also the location for the Three Forts Marathon, a 27-mile ultramarathon
from Broadwater to the three iron age hill forts of Cissbury Ring, Chanctonbury Ring
and Devil's Dyke
. The Downs is also home to two of Worthing's three golf clubs, including Worthing Golf Club
.
Home to Bowls England
, Worthing is, with Johannesburg
, one of only two locations in the world to have hosted the men's World Bowls Championships
twice. The five international standard bowling green
s at Beach House Park
, which is sometimes known as the spiritual home of bowls, is the venue for the National Championships each August. Competitors come from all over England to compete in the various events which culminate in the inter-county Middleton Cup that takes place on the final day each year.
Various other representative and international bowls fixtures take place at Beach House Park from time to time including the British Isles
Championships and Junior Internationals.
A range of motorsports, including stock car racing, banger racing and go kart racing take place at the Oval Raceway in the outlying village of Angmering
. Founded in 2001, Worthing is home to a self-funded wrestling
organisation called the Just Wrestling Foundation (JWF), which is currently based at St Richard's Church Hall in Durrington
. Worthing has also been a mainstay for wrestling
promoter John Freemantle and his Premier Promotions wrestling bouts, held for several years at both the Worthing Pavilion and the Assembly Hall.
by 30 notches to 15.
and an England XI. As the town of Worthing grew separately from Broadwater in the 19th century, Worthing Cricket Club was formed in 1855, while Goring Cricket Club was founded in 1877.
In the 19th century horse racing
took place along the sands and at Ladies Mile (now Grand Avenue) in West Worthing
. A regatta
was first recorded in 1849 and a Worthing Regatta Committee was formed in 1859. Annual races have been held since, including the race in 1894 when Oscar Wilde
presented the awards. In the early 19th century archery took place at the Liverpool Terrace pleasure gardens and also at the Anchor Inn (now the Jack Horner). By 1861 a Worthing Archery Club was using Steyne Gardens. A Worthing Cycling Club existed by 1882, which was in 1887 superseded by the Worthing Working Men's Excelsior Cycling Club (now the Worthing Excelsior Cycling Club).
The Scarlet Runners were Worthing's first rugby club, who were in existence by 1883, changing their name to Worthing Football Club (RU) shortly afterwards. Together with Brighton and Hastings they were founder members of the Sussex Rugby Football Union
. The club folded in 1895.
1886 proved to be a particularly significant year for sport in the town. Worthing's main football club was formed in this year as Worthing AFC (later renamed Worthing FC). Also in 1886, the West Worthing Club opened at Downview Road, West Worthing with tennis and croquet
grounds for the new town of West Worthing.
Worthing Swimming Club formed in 1890 at the YMCA Rooms in Warwick Street, with swimming taking place in the sea and at West Worthing Baths (now the site of MGM Assurance in Heene Road). In 1898 the club's water polo team appeared in one of the Britain's earliest films. This was one of a number of films made by pioneer William Kennedy Dickson on a visit to Worthing. Also in the 1890s, Worthing got its first bowling green, in Homefield Park.
Worthing Hockey Club formed in 1896 and in 1899 were one of seven founder members of the Sussex County Hockey Association forum.
as a section of the Brighton League. The Worthing League became independent in 1922.
In 1920, Worthing Rugby Football Club
were formed at York House in the town, while in 1921, Worthing's main athletics club, the Worthing Harriers, were formed.
In 1932, Worthing’s International Easter Hockey Festival started when 11 teams participated, including Old Cranleighans, Beckenham, Brighton and Trojans, later increasing to over 50 teams. The festival moved to the Manor Sports Ground in 1939. The Manor Sports Ground, also the home of Worthing Cricket Club, was used for an annual County Championship
match for Sussex
between 1935 and 1964.
In 1969 Worthing hosted the start of the opening stage of cycling's Milk Race (now the Tour of Britain
). Starting at Montague Place, the race ran along the seafront and on to Swindon
, a distance of 164km. Sadly the success of the event was overshadowed by the death of a Zdenek Kramolis, a cyclist from the Czechoslovakia
team, who collided with a lorry. The race was won by the Polish rider, Kazimierz Jasinski.
In 1969, 1970 and 1974 Worthing's Hill Barn Golf Club on the South Downs played host to the Penfold Tournament
, part of the European Tour. Gordon Caygill won the 1969 tournament and Ryder Cup
captain Bernard Hunt
won the 1970 tournament.
In 1972, Beach House Park in Worthing hosted its first World Bowls Championships, with people from 16 countries competing. Welshman Maldwyn Evans won the Singles championship, while the England team won the Fours. Twenty years later, in 1992, Worthing again hosted the World Bowls Championships, this time with people from 28 countries competing. The 1992 Singles event was won by Tony Allcock
, who as of 2011 was the Chief Executive of Bowls England
, also based in Worthing. The Fours was won by the team representing Scotland.
In 1974 the West Worthing tennis club moved to a new site in Titnore Lane and its grounds in West Worthing were sold and demolished. In 1982 Dr John Bull of Worthing Hospital
started the town's annual Boxing Day
charity sea swim, which typically takes place at Splash Point. From 1984 to 1987 the Worthing Marathon was held, and was repeated in 1990 to celebrate the borough's centenary. The Brighton Bears
basketball club moved to Worthing in 1984 and as the Worthing Bears played in UK basketball's top league. They won the NBL Division One in 1987/88 and won the British Basketball League Championship in 1992/93. They also won the National Cup in 1993/94. When the Bears returned to Brighton in 1999, Worthing basketball fans established the Worthing Rebels, now Worthing Thunder.
involving a 1.5 km sea swim, 41 km undulating bike and 10 km promenade run, with the option of a Relay Triathlon for novices or those injured. In 2010 the first Birdman swimming race took place near Worthing Pier, with 2 km and 1 km races. The event takes place before the Worthing Birdman event which moved to the town in 2008. In basketball, the Worthing Thunder won back-to-back titles in the English Basketball League
in 2006 and 2007. In 2008 Thunder returned to the British Basketball League, bringing top-flight basketball back to Worthing for the first time since 1999.
September 2011 sees Worthing's first cyclosportive
, the Worthing 125. One of the most challenging sportives in the UK, the long course (Gran Fondo) is 125 mi (201.2 km) long, while the short course (Medio Fondo) is 125 km (77.7 mi) long. Both courses have gradients up to 17 per cent, starting in Steyning before crossing the South Downs to Worthing then returning over the Downs to Blackdown, the highest point in Sussex, before returning. The Gran Fondo has over 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) of climbing and the Medio Fondo over 2000 metres (6,561.7 ft) of climbing. In 2012 the event will be part of Worthing Excelsior Cycling Club's 125th anniversary celebrations.
and Eric Parsons
(football), Donald Smith
, Arthur Somerset
, Neil Lenham
and Jason Lewry
(cricket), Martin Lee (tennis), David Evans and David Leadbetter
(golf), Angela Barnwell (freestyle swimming), David Bryant
(bowls), Lisa John
(ten-pin bowling
), Byron Dafoe
(ice hockey), Lewis Crathern (kitesurfing), Alan Warren (sailing).
for cricket and hockey, Woodside Road
for football, Beach House Park
for bowls and Worthing Golf Club
and Hill Barn Golf Club for golf.
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
has been played, which has a long and interesting history.
Current sports
Worthing's location between the sea and the downs makes the area a popular location for outdoor recreation. The town's five miles of coastline and its wide open water makes it a popular location for watersports, especially catamaranCatamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
racing, windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
and kitesurfing
Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing or Kiteboarding is an adventure surface water sport that has been described as combining wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, and gymnastics into one extreme sport. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind to propel a rider across the water on a small surfboard or a...
and the town has held a regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
for rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
since at least 1859. The South Downs is popular for hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and mountain-biking, with around 22 trail-heads within the borough. The Downs is also the location for the Three Forts Marathon, a 27-mile ultramarathon
Ultramarathon
An ultramarathon is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of .There are two types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance, and events that take place during specified time...
from Broadwater to the three iron age hill forts of Cissbury Ring, Chanctonbury Ring
Chanctonbury Ring
Chanctonbury Ring is a hill fort based ring of trees atop Chanctonbury Hill on the South Downs, on the border of the civil parishes of Washington and Wiston in the English county of West Sussex. A ridgeway, now part of the South Downs Way, runs along the hill...
and Devil's Dyke
Devil's Dyke, Sussex
Devil's Dyke is a V-shaped valley on the South Downs Way in southern England, near Brighton and Hove. It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation.Devil's Dyke is on the way to Brighton and is a big hill at the side of the road.-Geological history:...
. The Downs is also home to two of Worthing's three golf clubs, including Worthing Golf Club
Worthing Golf Club
Worthing Golf Club is a golf club on the South Downs at Worthing, England.Located close to the Iron Age hillfort of Cissbury Ring in the new South Downs National Park, the club comprises two links golf courses, a driving range and a clubhouse...
.
Home to Bowls England
Bowls England
Bowls England governs the game of flat green outdoor bowls for men and women in England. It was formed on the 1st January 2008 following a merger of the English Bowling Association and the English Women’s Bowling Association....
, Worthing is, with Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, one of only two locations in the world to have hosted the men's World Bowls Championships
World Bowls Events
These are the premier events between national bowls organisations affiliated to -World Championship:First held in Australia in 1966, the World Bowls Championships for men and women are held every 4 years. From 2008 the men's and women's events are held together...
twice. The five international standard bowling green
Bowling green
A bowling green is a finely-laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of lawn for playing the game of lawn bowls.Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on them...
s at Beach House Park
Beach House Park, Worthing
Beach House Park is a formal garden in Worthing, a town and local government district in West Sussex, England. Opened by Worthing Borough Council in 1924, the park has formal lawns and flowerbeds, bowling greens of international standard, and a war memorial commemorating war pigeons...
, which is sometimes known as the spiritual home of bowls, is the venue for the National Championships each August. Competitors come from all over England to compete in the various events which culminate in the inter-county Middleton Cup that takes place on the final day each year.
Various other representative and international bowls fixtures take place at Beach House Park from time to time including the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
Championships and Junior Internationals.
A range of motorsports, including stock car racing, banger racing and go kart racing take place at the Oval Raceway in the outlying village of Angmering
Angmering
Angmering is a large village and civil parish between Littlehampton and Worthing in West Sussex, England. It is located approximately two miles north of the English Channel; Worthing and Littlehampton are about four miles to the east and west respectively.Angmering railway station is miles away...
. Founded in 2001, Worthing is home to a self-funded wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
organisation called the Just Wrestling Foundation (JWF), which is currently based at St Richard's Church Hall in Durrington
Durrington, West Sussex
Durrington is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England. It is situated near the A27 road, northwest of the town centre.Durrington means 'Dēora's farmstead', Dēora presumably being the name of a Saxon settler...
. Worthing has also been a mainstay for wrestling
Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom
Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom spans over 100 years but became popular when the then new Independent Television station - ITV began showing it in 1955 firstly on Saturday afternoons and then also in a late night mid week slot...
promoter John Freemantle and his Premier Promotions wrestling bouts, held for several years at both the Worthing Pavilion and the Assembly Hall.
Sports teams
The main sports teams representing Worthing are shown below:| Club | Nickname | Sport | League | Venue | Established |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worthing Cricket Club Worthing Cricket Club Worthing Cricket Club is a cricket club in the coastal town of Worthing in West Sussex, England. Founded in 1855, the club's first XI plays in the Premier League of the Sussex Cricket League which is the accredited ECB Premier League for Sussex and is the highest level for recreational club... |
Cricket Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the... |
Sussex Premier League Sussex Cricket League The Sussex Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in Sussex, England, and since 1999 the Premier Division has been a designated ECB Premier League. The league has nine divisions, four for 1st XI sides, four for 2nd XI sides and one for 3rd XI sides.-1st XI... |
Manor Sports Ground Manor Sports Ground The Manor Sports Ground, is a cricket venue in Worthing, West Sussex, England. It is home to Worthing Cricket Club.-History:One of the earliest recorded cricket matches at the Manor Sports Ground was on 17 July 1902 when Sussex Second XI took on Essex Second XI... |
1855 | |
| Worthing Football Club Worthing F.C. Worthing Football Club are an English association football club based in Worthing, West Sussex, currently playing in the Isthmian League Division One South... |
The Rebels | Football | Isthmian League Division One South | Woodside Road Woodside Road Woodside Road is a football stadium in Worthing, West Sussex, England. First opened in 1892, it is the home of Worthing F.C. and has a capacity of 4,000.-History:... |
1886 |
| Worthing Rugby Football Club Worthing Rugby Football Club Worthing Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team. The first XV, nicknamed the Worthing Raiders currently plays in National Division Two South, the fourth tier of English rugby union competition... |
Raiders | Rugby union Rugby union Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand... |
National League 2 South National League 2 South National League 2 South, known before September 2009 as National Division Three South, is a league at level 4 in the English rugby union system. The league is one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart covering the north of England... |
Roundstone Lane, Angmering Angmering Angmering is a large village and civil parish between Littlehampton and Worthing in West Sussex, England. It is located approximately two miles north of the English Channel; Worthing and Littlehampton are about four miles to the east and west respectively.Angmering railway station is miles away... |
1920 |
| Worthing United Football Club Worthing United F.C. Worthing United F.C. is a football club based in Worthing, England that have played in the Sussex County League since their inception in 1988. They gained promotion from Division Three in their second season . In 2004, they gained promotion from Division Two. Between 2004 and 2009, they were... |
The Mavericks | Football | Sussex County League Division 2 Sussex County Football League The Sussex County Football League is a football league broadly covering the counties of East Sussex, West Sussex and southeastern Surrey, England.Formed in 1920, the league now has six divisions - three for first teams and three for reserve sides... |
Robert Albon Memorial Ground | 1988 |
| Worthing Thunder Worthing Thunder Worthing Thunder is a basketball team from Worthing, England. Founded in 1999, until recently they competed in the top-tier British Basketball League, having previously having dominated the lower leagues in recent years, winning back-to-back English Basketball League Division One titles in 2006 and... |
Thunder | Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
English Basketball League English Basketball League The English Basketball League is a semi-professional and amateur basketball league in England. It forms the second-tier of competition below the professional British Basketball League.... |
Worthing Leisure Centre Worthing Leisure Centre Worthing Leisure Centre is a Leisure Centre located in Worthing, England, near Worthing College and Durrington-on-Sea railway station. The Capacity of the Main Hall is around 1,000 people and can be adapted for a variety of uses including: Badminton , Basketball , Volleyball , Trampolining and a... |
1999 |
18th century
The first recorded sport in Worthing was cricket, which is recorded as having being played on Broadwater Green in the 1720s. Broadwater Cricket Club was the first club to be formed in the modern borough of Worthing. Founded in 1771, the club's first game was also in 1771 when they built HenfieldHenfield
Henfield is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, northwest of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester at the road junction of the A281 and A2037. The parish has a land area of . In the 2001 census 5,012...
by 30 notches to 15.
19th century
Cricket continued to be the area's main sport in the 19th century, although other sports soon grew in popularity. In 1837 Broadwater hosted a match on Broadwater Green between a Sussex XISussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
and an England XI. As the town of Worthing grew separately from Broadwater in the 19th century, Worthing Cricket Club was formed in 1855, while Goring Cricket Club was founded in 1877.
In the 19th century horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
took place along the sands and at Ladies Mile (now Grand Avenue) in West Worthing
Heene
Heene is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England. It lies on the A259 road 0.6 miles west of the town centre.Heene comes from the word Hīun or Hīwun meaning family or household....
. A regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
was first recorded in 1849 and a Worthing Regatta Committee was formed in 1859. Annual races have been held since, including the race in 1894 when Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
presented the awards. In the early 19th century archery took place at the Liverpool Terrace pleasure gardens and also at the Anchor Inn (now the Jack Horner). By 1861 a Worthing Archery Club was using Steyne Gardens. A Worthing Cycling Club existed by 1882, which was in 1887 superseded by the Worthing Working Men's Excelsior Cycling Club (now the Worthing Excelsior Cycling Club).
The Scarlet Runners were Worthing's first rugby club, who were in existence by 1883, changing their name to Worthing Football Club (RU) shortly afterwards. Together with Brighton and Hastings they were founder members of the Sussex Rugby Football Union
Sussex Rugby Football Union
The Sussex Rugby Football Union is the society responsible for rugby union in the county of Sussex, England and is one of the constituent bodies of the national Rugby Football Union.-Membership:...
. The club folded in 1895.
1886 proved to be a particularly significant year for sport in the town. Worthing's main football club was formed in this year as Worthing AFC (later renamed Worthing FC). Also in 1886, the West Worthing Club opened at Downview Road, West Worthing with tennis and croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
grounds for the new town of West Worthing.
Worthing Swimming Club formed in 1890 at the YMCA Rooms in Warwick Street, with swimming taking place in the sea and at West Worthing Baths (now the site of MGM Assurance in Heene Road). In 1898 the club's water polo team appeared in one of the Britain's earliest films. This was one of a number of films made by pioneer William Kennedy Dickson on a visit to Worthing. Also in the 1890s, Worthing got its first bowling green, in Homefield Park.
Worthing Hockey Club formed in 1896 and in 1899 were one of seven founder members of the Sussex County Hockey Association forum.
20th century
Worthing FC were founder members of the Sussex County Football League, winning the inaugural title in 1920, and a further seven championships before joining the Corinthian League in 1948, the Athenian League in 1963 and then the Isthmian League in 1977. In 1921, John Chillam founded the Worthing and District Football LeagueWorthing and District Football League
The Worthing and District Football League is a football competition based in Sussex, England, currently known as the Ian Hart Funeral Service Worthing & District Football League after its main sponsor....
as a section of the Brighton League. The Worthing League became independent in 1922.
In 1920, Worthing Rugby Football Club
Worthing Rugby Football Club
Worthing Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team. The first XV, nicknamed the Worthing Raiders currently plays in National Division Two South, the fourth tier of English rugby union competition...
were formed at York House in the town, while in 1921, Worthing's main athletics club, the Worthing Harriers, were formed.
In 1932, Worthing’s International Easter Hockey Festival started when 11 teams participated, including Old Cranleighans, Beckenham, Brighton and Trojans, later increasing to over 50 teams. The festival moved to the Manor Sports Ground in 1939. The Manor Sports Ground, also the home of Worthing Cricket Club, was used for an annual County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
match for Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
between 1935 and 1964.
In 1969 Worthing hosted the start of the opening stage of cycling's Milk Race (now the Tour of Britain
Tour of Britain
The Tour of Britain is a cycle race, conducted over several stages, in which participants race from place to place across parts of Great Britain....
). Starting at Montague Place, the race ran along the seafront and on to Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, a distance of 164km. Sadly the success of the event was overshadowed by the death of a Zdenek Kramolis, a cyclist from the Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
team, who collided with a lorry. The race was won by the Polish rider, Kazimierz Jasinski.
In 1969, 1970 and 1974 Worthing's Hill Barn Golf Club on the South Downs played host to the Penfold Tournament
Penfold Tournament
The Penfold Tournament was a golf tournament on the European circuit/European Tour. It was played from 1932 to 1974 at a variety of courses. The purse for the 1974 event was £11,388....
, part of the European Tour. Gordon Caygill won the 1969 tournament and Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
captain Bernard Hunt
Bernard Hunt
Bernard John Hunt, MBE is an English professional golfer.Hunt was born in Atherstone, Warwickshire. He turned professional in 1946 and was a leading player on the European circuit in the 1950s and 1960s. He topped the Order of Merit, which was then points-based, in 1958, 1960 and 1965...
won the 1970 tournament.
In 1972, Beach House Park in Worthing hosted its first World Bowls Championships, with people from 16 countries competing. Welshman Maldwyn Evans won the Singles championship, while the England team won the Fours. Twenty years later, in 1992, Worthing again hosted the World Bowls Championships, this time with people from 28 countries competing. The 1992 Singles event was won by Tony Allcock
Tony Allcock
Tony Allcock MBE is a British bowls player. Born in Leicestershire, England, he is twice world outdoor singles champion , and world indoor singles champion . He was also world indoor pairs champion with David Bryant six times . He has won fourteen world titles in total...
, who as of 2011 was the Chief Executive of Bowls England
Bowls England
Bowls England governs the game of flat green outdoor bowls for men and women in England. It was formed on the 1st January 2008 following a merger of the English Bowling Association and the English Women’s Bowling Association....
, also based in Worthing. The Fours was won by the team representing Scotland.
In 1974 the West Worthing tennis club moved to a new site in Titnore Lane and its grounds in West Worthing were sold and demolished. In 1982 Dr John Bull of Worthing Hospital
Worthing Hospital
Worthing Hospital is a medium-sized District General Hospital located in Worthing, West Sussex, England. It has approximately 500 beds. In 2001 a £1.3m Children’s Centre opened, enabling almost all children’s healthcare needs to be met under one roof...
started the town's annual Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
charity sea swim, which typically takes place at Splash Point. From 1984 to 1987 the Worthing Marathon was held, and was repeated in 1990 to celebrate the borough's centenary. The Brighton Bears
Brighton Bears
Brighton Bears was a British basketball team based in Brighton, Sussex. From 1984 to 1999 the club was known as the Worthing Bears and was based in the town of Worthing, 12 miles west of Brighton. The Bears played in the top-flight British Basketball League until 2006 when the franchise folded...
basketball club moved to Worthing in 1984 and as the Worthing Bears played in UK basketball's top league. They won the NBL Division One in 1987/88 and won the British Basketball League Championship in 1992/93. They also won the National Cup in 1993/94. When the Bears returned to Brighton in 1999, Worthing basketball fans established the Worthing Rebels, now Worthing Thunder.
21st century
The Worthing Triathlon started in 2004, and is a standard distance triathlonTriathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
involving a 1.5 km sea swim, 41 km undulating bike and 10 km promenade run, with the option of a Relay Triathlon for novices or those injured. In 2010 the first Birdman swimming race took place near Worthing Pier, with 2 km and 1 km races. The event takes place before the Worthing Birdman event which moved to the town in 2008. In basketball, the Worthing Thunder won back-to-back titles in the English Basketball League
English Basketball League
The English Basketball League is a semi-professional and amateur basketball league in England. It forms the second-tier of competition below the professional British Basketball League....
in 2006 and 2007. In 2008 Thunder returned to the British Basketball League, bringing top-flight basketball back to Worthing for the first time since 1999.
September 2011 sees Worthing's first cyclosportive
Cyclosportive
A cyclosportive, or often simply sportive, is a short to long distance, organised, mass-participation cycling event, typically held annually....
, the Worthing 125. One of the most challenging sportives in the UK, the long course (Gran Fondo) is 125 mi (201.2 km) long, while the short course (Medio Fondo) is 125 km (77.7 mi) long. Both courses have gradients up to 17 per cent, starting in Steyning before crossing the South Downs to Worthing then returning over the Downs to Blackdown, the highest point in Sussex, before returning. The Gran Fondo has over 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) of climbing and the Medio Fondo over 2000 metres (6,561.7 ft) of climbing. In 2012 the event will be part of Worthing Excelsior Cycling Club's 125th anniversary celebrations.
Famous sportsmen
Peter BonettiPeter Bonetti
Peter Phillip Bonetti is a former football goalkeeper for Chelsea, the St. Louis Stars, Dundee United and England. Bonetti was known for his safe handling, lightning reflexes and his graceful style, for which he was given the nickname, "The Cat"...
and Eric Parsons
Eric Parsons
Eric "Rabbit" Parsons was a footballer who played for West Ham United, Chelsea and Brentford.A winger and crowd favourite whose blistering pace earned him the nickname "the Rabbit", Parsons started his career with West Ham United, spotted by the club during a game against West Ham Boys at Upton...
(football), Donald Smith
Donald Smith (cricketer)
Donald Victor Smith is an English former cricketer, who played in three Tests for England in 1957....
, Arthur Somerset
Arthur Somerset (cricketer)
Arthur William FitzRoy Somerset was an English first class cricketer. Though hailing from Chatham, Kent, Somerset moved to Castle Goring, a country house now in the town of Worthing in Sussex, and former home of Sir Bysshe Shelley, grandfather of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.Somerset played 48...
, Neil Lenham
Neil Lenham
Neil John Lenham born is a former English cricketer who played for Sussex and captained England under 19's in 3 tests and 3 ODI's earlier in his career....
and Jason Lewry
Jason Lewry
Jason Lewry is a former English cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman and a left-arm medium-fast bowler.Born in Worthing, he played for Sussex from the beginning of his career in 1993 until his retirement in 2009. He has played Twenty20 cricket since 2003...
(cricket), Martin Lee (tennis), David Evans and David Leadbetter
David Leadbetter (golf instructor)
David Leadbetter is a leading golf instructor, originally from Worthing in England. He began his career on the European and Southern African tours, but had little success as a player...
(golf), Angela Barnwell (freestyle swimming), David Bryant
David Bryant
David James Bryant CBE is a former three-time World singles bowls champion in 1966, 1980 and 1988 and also a three-time World indoors singles champion in 1979, 1980 and 1981. He also won the Commonwealth Games singles bowls championship on 4 occasions in 1962, 1970, 1974 and 1978...
(bowls), Lisa John
Lisa John
Lisa John is an English ten-pin bowler.A resident of Worthing, West Sussex, Lisa has been bowling since 1990. Currently ranked number 6 in the UK Lisa has been a National Team Member from 1997 – 2003, but has been out of the National Team due to personal reasons and injury.Lisa was selected to...
(ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
), Byron Dafoe
Byron Dafoe
Byron Dafoe is a British-Canadian former National Hockey League goaltender. He was born in Worthing, Sussex, England and moved to Duncan, British Columbia with his mother at the age of two months old. Between 1992 and 2004, he played for the Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Los Angeles Kings...
(ice hockey), Lewis Crathern (kitesurfing), Alan Warren (sailing).
Facilities
Facilities include the Manor Sports GroundManor Sports Ground
The Manor Sports Ground, is a cricket venue in Worthing, West Sussex, England. It is home to Worthing Cricket Club.-History:One of the earliest recorded cricket matches at the Manor Sports Ground was on 17 July 1902 when Sussex Second XI took on Essex Second XI...
for cricket and hockey, Woodside Road
Woodside Road
Woodside Road is a football stadium in Worthing, West Sussex, England. First opened in 1892, it is the home of Worthing F.C. and has a capacity of 4,000.-History:...
for football, Beach House Park
Beach House Park, Worthing
Beach House Park is a formal garden in Worthing, a town and local government district in West Sussex, England. Opened by Worthing Borough Council in 1924, the park has formal lawns and flowerbeds, bowling greens of international standard, and a war memorial commemorating war pigeons...
for bowls and Worthing Golf Club
Worthing Golf Club
Worthing Golf Club is a golf club on the South Downs at Worthing, England.Located close to the Iron Age hillfort of Cissbury Ring in the new South Downs National Park, the club comprises two links golf courses, a driving range and a clubhouse...
and Hill Barn Golf Club for golf.