January 2024
Happy New Year to all club members!
January sees the World Indoor Bowls Tournament at Potters to give you inspiration. They make it look so easy!
That brings me to the first indoor bowls match at the Royals last night. Although we lost overall, we won or drew on several rinks.
Fish and Chip Lunch Saturday 20th January
Please let Geoff Wickenden know your food choices asap, and at any rate by 19th. OAP portions (still ample) are being provided for £10 per head. A choice of 2 desserts to be provided by the club.
Please bring along your own drinks and your own board or card games for afterwards.
Club Shirts
Those of you who attended the AGM will know that the new shirts selected will be 60/40 cotton/polyester mix with a royal blue body and gold sleeves and collar. Geoff Wickenden has sent everyone a guide to sizing. The cost to members will be £20 for 2, effectively buy one get one free.
NB Orders need to be in now as there is a 6 week lead- in for production.
You can pay Geoff at the fish and chip lunch or by BACS.
London Beach Hotel Afternoon Tea Sunday 24th March 3pm
This is a departure from the usual lunch and vital for Club funds, so please support this event at a subsidised cost of £20 a head.
Greys or Whites?
Many Clubs have converted to playing in greys only, and it has been decided to follow this trend. The colour is a mid-grey and should be worn for all future matches.
New Sponsor
We have a new sponsor in GoCruise and Travel fronted by Philippa James in the village. She can help with all your travel plans and is backed by ATOL & ABTA. Through the scheme, the Club will receive a £20 donation for any bookings once holiday completed, and the member will receive a bottle of fizz. This includes all members, friends and family who quote Pembury Bowls Club when booking. No supplements compared with booking yourself, apparently.
Contact Philippa James on 07387 782990 or philippa@gocruiseandtravel.co.uk.
Quiz night February 23rd February 6.30pm for 7pm
This promises to be a fun evening, with Richard Lloyd as quizmaster.
Many thanks to Barbara Allan for all her hard work in providing questions etc which will be used in another quiz in the near future.
New Clubhouse mobile 07729 608738
Thanks are due to Gordon McKenzie for providing the club with a mobile phone. Useful in an emergency.
Wendy Bidder Hon Secretary 21st January 2024.
February 2024
Final reminder for the Quiz Night, Friday 23rd February in the clubhouse, 630 for 700pm. Don’t forget to bring your refreshments and nibbles as you your brain will need fortifying if Richards striking flyer is anything to go by.
Richard’s artistic bent has now manifested itself on the updated website which I would encourage you to visit if you haven’t already done so. You will be impressed, but please bear in mind that it is still a work in progress. Well done Mr. Lloyd!
If the evening is as much fun as the Fish & Chip lunch fun and games with Barbara’s cryptic themed quizzes and a wide variety of after dinner activities giving enjoyment to all of the twenty eight members that took part and resulted in a small profit for the club.
Progress has been made with the order for the new club shirts with almost all playing members taking up the offer. The order has now gone in and the deposit paid, so its just a matter of waiting for them to materialise, which should be in time for the Registration day Saturday 6th April between 10am and 2pm, when you’ll be able to collect your shirts and part with your hard earned, for subs, shirts, competition entries, 50 club, and maybe even some fresh stickers for your woods!
On the subject of competitions, please note that some are on fixed dates so please avoid these if you’re going to be on holiday as rearranging these causes problems for everyone else.
London Beach Hotel, High Tea, Sunday 24th March at 3pm. You should all have received an email giving details. Names and numbers to Geoff please. Just for information this was the forerunner of the luncheon in days gone by so its not something brand new.
Coming up fast is the Open Day, Saturday 20th April from 10am till 2pm, volunteers will be needed to assist on the day with getting the green ready and coaching the multitude in the art of bowls, and feeding and watering.
Tony has obtained the large banners for the village green and Bo-Peep displays and will again be supplying posters for you to display in your garden (front) to attract people to have a go.
More getting the green ready on Sunday 7th April, when volunteers are needed to clean out the ditches of winter debris, pressure wash and replace the rubber ditch mats. You may notice that the side nearest the clubhouse has been levelled, raised, and reinforced, thanks to the efforts of Geoff, Malcolm, Jenny, Richard, John, David, Bunny, Lester, Antony, Ollie, Alban, apologies to anyone I missed.
Yes even the juniors pitched in, and good news for them is that the Saturday junior sessions will again start on May 4th (easy to remember, Star Wars Day), for twelve weeks.
We now have another new sponsor “Arkiton Roofing and Building” who have been very generous. Also our treasurer is negotiating a further two so watch this space, it’ll be easier to watch when we erect posts along the hedgerow opposite the footpath. Yes another working party!
If you're not too tired by then, it is intended to have the green open for play on Monday 8th April, subject to snow clearing!
Malcolm Rhodes: 22 February 2024
March 2024
Happy Easter to you all, which means the start of the bowls season is fast approaching, so while your polishing off your chocolate eggs you also need to be polishing up your bowls equipment ready for the off!
The Quiz Night went well in February, though it did expose a distinct lack of knowledge with the average score for each round was four out of ten.
“Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise.” (Thomas Gray)
The evening did raise over a hundred pounds as well as being entertaining, so well done to Richard.
Those who didn’t go to the London Beach on the 24 March missed a fine repast, sandwiches, cakes, and scones with lashings of cream and jam, and of course an oversize cheque at the end. Well done those that did come for swelling the club funds as well as waistlines.
Saturday 6 April is Registration Day from 10am in the clubhouse where our treasurer will be waiting to collect your money for subscriptions. Competition entries, 50 club, and probably anything else he can think of. Not known at this time if the new club shirts will be there, but if so more money needed.
Also available, free of charge, will be the posters for promoting the Open Day.
Sunday 7 April. Now that your pockets are lighter you will find it easier to help clean out the ditches, pressure wash the rubber mats and replace them in the ditches. This can be a messy process so please don’t wear your Sunday best. Weather permitting the green should be available for play the following day though will need regular rolling so if you have an hour to spare and need to burn off all that Easter chocolate please come and have a go.
Sunday 20 April is of course the Open Day when we may be able to encourage new players to come and have a go and maybe even join up. Volunteers are needed from 9am to assist in laying out the green and instructing guiding and generally encouraging visitors on the green, any time between 10 and 2pm just an hour will help you don’t need to be there all day.
If everyone has displayed their posters we should have a good turnout.
A couple of changes to the fixtures list. Rotherfield aren’t able to support a full list so the away match with them scheduled for 15 June will not now take place. Also due to the Pembury Village Fete being a week early this year we will now be hosting Bidborough on 13 July instead of 6 July.
While your eagerly waiting to put the first wood up the green take a moment to browse the rule books and guides available in the clubhouse to glean some tips on strategy, and do’s and don’ts on play. This will enhance your enjoyment of the games.
Malcolm Rhodes, 28 March 2024
April/May 2024
The first Newsletter of the Bowls season, when we see the start of the internal and Friendly matches.
OPEN DAY - About 40 visitors braved the cold weather to try their hand at bowls. Thanks are due to Tony Partridge for the advertising and organisation on the day, as well as all those who contributed to the running of the day. The cakes, as usual, were excellent! Although no new members signed up on the day, there were several promises to return.
CLUB SHIRTS - The new shirts are at the clubhouse, so please collect yours. A minimum of 5 is required for any further order.
REGISTRATION - A very good turnout this year! Only 9 were absent, but most have since joined.
COMPETITIONS - Our new Competitions Secretary, Barbara Scholten, has everything ready for the various competitions, apart from the new Handicap. This is to be introduced on a trial basis for a year. The new rules look quite complicated but I am told that once you have actually played it, it becomes much easier! John Saunders is promoting the new system, brought from Calverley. Barbara, Malcolm and John are to set the handicaps.
The teams for Monday night are now out! The draws for the other competitions will follow.
THE GREEN - The green and surrounds looked very tidy for Open Day. The green has been scarified and rolled. Working parties have cleared out the ditches etc, also the gardening group has been cleaning the benches, painting the fences and gate, as well as mowing the surrounds.
The green has been well prepared for the season, but we have been asked to vary the position of the mat as far as is allowed, to avoid excessive wear in one area.
CLEANING AND TEAS ROTAS - Barbara Scholten is now in charge of these, and it is up to you to make a note of your allocated days. Cleaning should be done on Friday or Saturday morning before home matches. If you are unable to do it on your allocated day, please try to swap with someone else.
TUNBRIDGE WELLS LADIES LEAGUE - 11 keen ladies have signed up to play in the league this year, so we have a lot of talent to choose from! Crowborough Wolfe and Rotherfield have withdrawn due to lack of numbers so we have fewer matches, starting on June 4th. A playing schedule will be sent out soon.
LADIES FUN DAY Friday 16th August - Invitations have already gone out for our popular annual event. The cost is being increased from £15 to £18 this year, with no refunds.
LONDON BEACH HOTEL PRESENTATION LUNCH - Please note that this has been postponed to 27th October instead of 6th (at the hotels request).
IN MEMORIAM - The club is sad to note the deaths of Robert Mercer and David Bentham. Donations have been made to the requested charities.
FAREWELL - We have to say a sad farewell to long-standing members Ted and Eileen Lucas. They have both been very active playing members over the years, and latterly as social members. They will be missed!
Let’s hope for some warm, dry weather at the start of the season!
Wendy Bidder Hon Secretary & Ladies Captain 28th April 2024