The Sheppard Bowl also known as The Rose Bowl is a magnificent embossed silver cup 20cm in diameter, approximately 14cm high, standing on a two-tier base. Joy Sheppard presented The Rose Bowl to the association for a lady’s championship, then appropriately became the first winner in 1953! Joy probably did more than anyone locally to popularise women’s racing over many decades. At some point it was renamed the Sheppard Bowl but I am not sure when.
Joy was a prolific time trialist who along with husband Frank (who later became her coach) rode for many local clubs before settling in with Kettering Friendly after World War Two. Joy was a member of the Bedfordshire Road C.C. team that set the ‘best on record’ time for 30 miles in 1941, then in 1943 set the ‘best on record’ time for the individual and team for 50 miles while riding for The Eleanor R.C.
Kettering CC still promote the Frank & Joy Sheppard Memorial TT sponsored by their daughter Karen also who rode for the Kettering Friendly.