Tony Allcock is one of this country’s most decorated sportsmen.

The king of bowls, now 66, collected world titles for fun back in the 80s, 90s and early noughties, reigning supreme in all formats of the game.

He was on top of the world both indoors and out, and was picking up gold medals whether playing singles, pairs, triples or fours.

The one-time Cheltenham Bowling Club, Painswick Falcon, MidGlos and Cotswold player won national titles galore as well and yet ask Allcock, who these days lives in Guiting Power – he’s chairman of the parish council – what his proudest achievement was and his answer may surprise you.

“It was one that I wasn’t physically involved in myself,” he told The Local Answer.

“It was after I was appointed the bowls performance coach for the England team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

“One of the events was for the visually impaired and this was something that was new to the Games.

“The pressure was on because although Sport England were supportive financially, they wanted results.”

The competition was for bowlers who were completely blind and after skirting the country looking for the ideal person, Allcock came across Ruth Small, who was in her 70s and from Kent.

“I thought long and hard about her,” admitted Allcock. “I thought about her age, but she was a very good player.

“It’s incredible the way players like her play, how they visualise bowls on the green.”

They are helped by a sighted person but as Allcock explained: “There weren’t really any high level coaches back then and her husband of 50 years was her partner, guide and carer.”

And that’s where Allcock worked his magic.

“They had a great affinity and I trained her physically and him tactically.

“It was unique in those days and he became an expert tactically and I improved her technically.”

So much so that Small steamrollered her opponent in the final in Manchester, much to the delight of Allcock.

“It was the best gold medal I got my hands on,” he said.

And to understand just why that victory meant so much to Allcock you have to scroll back some 25 years earlier to when he was starting out in his professional life.

“I worked in adult education, teaching people with learning difficulties,” he explained.

And it was through his work that Allcock, who was born in Thurmaston, Leicestershire, first came to this part of the world, because he was appointed head teacher at a school for people with learning difficulties in Tewkesbury.

He’d previously been an assistant head teacher in Leicestershire but Allcock said of his promotion: “I was 25 years old, I was very, very young, it was a big accolade.”

Allcock went on to become head teacher at St Rose’s School in Stroud – another specialist provider – and only gave up the role because bowls was taking him away from his job more and more.

“It wasn’t a problem and it never was a problem,” said Allcock, who has been awarded an MBE and an OBE. “Gloucestershire County Council was always very good about me playing bowls but I didn’t want it to ever become a problem.

“I was playing in tournaments that were on TV, it was untenable for me to be a head teacher.”

Allcock had by then already announced himself to bowls fans across the globe, winning gold in the triples and team events in the world outdoor championships in Melbourne in 1980.

His golden years were probably from 1984 through to 1996, but even in his latter years he still managed to win a third world indoor title in 2002 and indoor pairs titles in 1997 and 2003.

That final pairs title was the last match that Allcock played competitively, bringing the curtain down on a glittering career that saw him win 17 gold medals on the world stage.

So which victory was the most memorable?

“The first outdoor world title at Worthing,” said Allcock.

That was in 1992 and Allcock continued: “I’d won consecutive English championships but David Bryant was the world champion.

“In those days a country would nominate one player to compete in the singles and it was probably controversial at the time because I got the selection to play ahead of David.

“And playing in front of my home crowd, the pressure was absolutely immense.

“David Bryant was brilliant supporting me – he was that kind of guy, there was no animosity. I was in my 30s and in my prime but the pressure I was under showed in the opening round-robin game, which I lost 21-13 to Wales.”

Fortunately, that was Allcock’s only setback as he won his remaining round-robin matches and eventually went on to beat Scotland’s Richard Corsie 25-20 in the final.

Four years later, Allcock retained his world title in Adelaide, along the way beating homegrown favourite Kelvin Kerkow in the semi-final.

“The whole country was against me but I never played better,” recalled Allcock. “All the pressure was on my opponent, just like it was for me at Worthing.”

Bowls was clearly a huge part of Allcock’s life around this time but it was by no means his only interest.

“I was showing dogs which was my hobby,” he said. “I bred toy dogs and I was able to compete in the dog world.

“Four or five years ago I won the accolade of UK Breeder of the Year.”

And it wasn’t just breeding that he was involved in because for five years he owned Teckels Boarding Centre, an animal sanctuary in Whitminster just south of Gloucester, and is the current chairman of The Kennel Club, the largest organisation in the country that is dedicated to dog health, welfare and training.

And that’s a role for which Allcock is ideally suited because he has had plenty of experience in senior management, having for many years served as chief executive of Bowls England.

And his impact on the sport in an administrative role was just as impressive as his stellar playing days.

“The sport of bowls was crying out for a massive overhaul,” said Allcock, who was appointed chief executive of what was then the English Bowling Association in 2003. 

“There was also the English Women’s Bowling Association and while it was fine to have separate gender competitions, everything else needed to be pulled together.”

And after plenty of hard work and lots of persuasive talk, that eventually came to fruition at the start of 2008 with the formation of Bowls England.

And if that wasn’t enough, Allcock was also the driving force behind the move that saw the sport’s HQ switch from Worthing to Leamington Spa in 2013.

Six years later, just before the first lockdown, Allcock considered his work done and stood down from his role.

He said: “I thought, ‘The sport is in a very good place. The engine is running and it’s got a full tank, it’s time for someone else’.”

And just as when he stopped playing in 2003, Allcock has never been tempted to turn back the clock.

“I don’t have anything to do with bowls at all, although I’m heavily involved in charity work for disability bowls,” he said.

“The day I retired I said they won’t see me for several years and they haven’t, they won’t. The time to finish is at the top.”

He’s certainly done that, of course, and if you look back at his playing days it’s fair to say he was as dominant or well known in his sport as the likes of Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne, Ian Botham, Steve Davis, Frank Bruno and Nick Faldo were in theirs at the time.

The difference was that they were all involved in high-profile sports and were rewarded financially to a much greater extent, but Allcock said: “I’ve got no envy, I’m happy with my lot, I’m happy with my recognition.

“People who played bowls in my day all knew who David Bryant and I were.

“Of course, if I’d have won all those gold medals in another sport I could have won a lot more money, but I live in a small cottage in a wonderful village in the heart of the Cotswolds, I couldn’t be happier.”

And that extends to all facets of his life.

“My partner is male, we’ve been together for 16 years,” said Allcock.

“That was a challenge in the early days playing bowls but, interestingly, when I found myself and had a sense of belonging I enjoyed a great run and won just about everything.

“I wasn’t popular in the early days, I was too aloof, but Tony is my partner and has always been there to support me. I’m not shy about the situation.”

And Allcock is also proud of his involvement with the Gloucestershire Masonic Trust.

“I’m a volunteer and we do a huge amount of fundraising,” he said.  “The Gloucestershire Masons are very proactive. I take great pleasure in assisting charities and I used to do it for bowls.

“I received an MBE for services to sport but I received an OBE for administration in sport and service to charity, which is a big upgrade.

“Helping people is what I like to do best.”

And he’s doing that in the delightful village of Guiting Power, the place he is very proud to call home.

“I bought the cottage eight years ago and we moved here just before the first lockdown,” Allcock said.

“I was asked to sit on the parish council,” before adding with a laugh, “and I was railroaded into becoming chairman when the previous chairperson stepped down.

“It’s not an arduous task and I’m a real community person. It’s an amazing community. Fewer than 300 people live in the village but we have bonfires, parties, dog shows, skittles, barbecues, picnics, a Christmas tree, mulled wine on the green; it’s quintessentially Miss Marple!”

It’s no wonder he has little time to give to bowls these days, although we all know you should never say never.

“I might get invited to present a gold medal in the bowls at next year’s Commonwealth Games,” he said.

And if Allcock did receive that call, after all he has done for the sport, there would surely be no one more deserving.