Taster mornings for prospective members

On 5th Match we held a hilarious evening of fun and games hosted by Alison Collard, again at the Battle Guide Hut. Won by Roy’s Rovers it raised over £250 for club funds from entry fees and raffle and was a highly successful evening enjoyed by all. It was a real eye opener to see the effort employed by fully grown adults tearing up a newspaper page to get the longest possible strip of paper from it! The results were certainly impressive.

BATTLE BOWLS CLUB SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024

Not long now! The green is looking very good and, well… green; hardly surprising considering the recent weather. But it absorbs the moisture very well, and is surprisingly firm when you walk on it. As usual, we owe sincere thanks to Ian Tomisson, who has been working on it all winter, supported as usual by Selwyn’s advice, and the team of swishers who operate all year round. Mowing has started, and the team of mowers will soon be in regular action. It is time for our usual green set-up day, which – weather permitting – will be on Saturday April 6^th, or during the following week if the Saturday proves too wet. So any volunteers to help with this will be welcome – starting about 10 00 am. There will not be anything particularly strenuous to do, and it shouldn’t take very long: the mats in the ditches will need to be put out, the covers on the gazebos erected, and some weeding of the paths round the green is needed.  

There are also various other jobs to be done. The clubhouse and changing rooms need to be coated with wood-preservative again, which I would like to get done during the weeks beginning April 8^th and April 17^th; again, volunteers to help with this will be welcome, so please communicate with me if you are able to help with this, and let me know when you will be available during these weeks.

Various other things have been done, or are in the process of being done. The foundations are being laid for a new shed for maintenance equipment, next to the existing one, and various members have been coming along to dig that out. The shed has arrived, but has not yet been put up, which we hope to do before the season starts.

Pam Poling has asked me to remind you about signing up for tea-duty. A few people have already offered to do this on particular days, but not very many. This is a job that we expect everyone to take their turn at, and if everyone does, it only comes round once a year. By the time we get on the green, the list will have been put up at the clubhouse, and you can sign up on that, but if you already know what day you could do it, please let Pam know, to see if the date is still available (at the moment, most are!)

The Committee has been thinking about club shirts. The ones we currently wear are rather dull compared with those of many clubs we play against, and some members have complained that they do not last very well, so we intend to look into having some new ones designed and made up. We have looked at some designs – nothing lurid! – and a ‘sub-committee’ is working on them, with the aim of producing a couple of alternative designs so that members can vote which one they prefer. They will be a bit more expensive than the current ones, but not very much, and should last longer, as well as looking better. We shall expect members who play in league or friendly matches against other clubs to buy one and wear it; if you only come to Spoon Drives, there will be no need to have one. Concerning Spoon Drives, the Committee has also decided that there will be no longer any need to wear white shirts and grey trousers for these, but please try to look ‘smart casual’ – i.e. no scruffy jeans, etc! The same will apply to internal club competitions, except for those members who get through to Finals Weekend. Dress for matches against other clubs remains the same.

Stuart MacNab has set up an Instagram account for the club, for those of you who use social media. If you don’t, he tells me that the thing to do is to go to your App Store and download the Instagram App; when you’ve done that, search for Battlebowlsclub. If you aren’t able to do this, please ask Stuart when you see him, rather than me, as I don’t know anything about these things. While on the subject, it will be good to put some photos on it, which will of course include some of us playing. If you object to photos of you being used in this way, please let me know, so that we can make sure none go public!

The Committee has been considering allowing outsiders to ‘pay and play’ on the green. But this would mean allowing them to play unsupervised, which is undesirable, or that a club member would have to be there to keep an eye on them, which would be an extra burden for someone. As an interim measure, we have decided that if members know of people who might be interested in playing occasionally, but do not wish to become members of the club, they will be able to play on payment of £5 per session – that is, for as long as they want. But it is essential that the member introducing them should stay while they are playing, and record in the green diary how many have played and how much they have paid. Clearly we can’t simply let non-members play whenever they want, unsupervised, even if they pay, as it would not be in the interests of members who pay a subscription.

The question of green use raises another issue, which is that of keeping the green in good condition, which Ian and his team work so hard to do. When the surface of the green is damp, it causes considerable damage if players drop their woods, or throw them: we understand that not all of us can bend as well as we used to, but please do make an effort to keep your woods on the ground as much as possible. We have occasionally put down long mats, in front of the bowling mats, when it has been wet, and we shall probably do this more this year, especially if this wet weather continues into the season. When these mats are in use, please remember that they are to be bowled on, not thrown over, and that they do not affect the course of your woods.

You will all have received the annual documents from Alison, so if you haven’t returned them, please do so as soon as possible, and do enter the club competitions – don’t think that you won’t get anywhere in them: every year there are some surprises, so give yourself a chance!

As you know by now, our opening day is Saturday April 20^th, on which there will be a match between Captain’s v President’s teams, so if you want to play in this please let me know so that we can sort out teams. There are two friendly matches during the week following this, and then the first league matches on Sunday 28^th; if you want to play in the league match, please play in one of the friendlies to get in practice. Last year we started badly in the league, and got better when it was too late, so I’d like to try to get a good start this year!

I look forward to seeing you all soon, and to the sun shining a bit!

Roy.

On Tuesday January 30th we held another popular Quiz Night hosted by Colin Miller, Quizmaster supreme, at the Battle Guide Hut. Won by the Macollards it raised £304 for club funds from entry fees and raffle and was a highly successful evening enjoyed by all. The venue was a great success – we shall certainly host things here again.

Roy, Dick and Alison played in the Cranbrook Triples tournament on Saturday 22nd July.

We played three matches over 10 ends ending with 2 good wins over Ditton and our Rother League rivals, Hawkhurst and a close loss to a team who play their bowls at Gidhurst Park Bowls Club in Eastbourne. The weather in the afternoon was really wet but we persevered and succeeded in getting a good win in our last game. In the end it was enough for us to secure 3rd place winning a nice cash prize.

The official opening of the green took take place on Saturday 22nd April at 2.30pm with the first bowl being played by Councillor Vikki Cook, Chairman of Battle Town Council.

This was followed by a ‘Spoon Drive’ style informal roll-up event open to all members.

Unfortunately the planned friendly match between a Captain’s team and a president’s team, on Sunday 23rd  was rained off.

Hello Everyone,

Well, it’s just about Spring, and at least it’s not snowing (at the moment).

I hope you’ve all had a good Winter, and are ready to be off again on the green: as you’ll know from Alison’s communication, the Green Opening weekend will be Saturday and Sunday April 22 and 23, and I hope as many of you as possible will be able to come along on one of those two days. On the Saturday we shall have a brief opening ceremony as usual and then some bowls, probably in a sort of Spoon Drive format, and then tea, etc. Cakes, etc, will not be refused. On the Sunday, we shall have a match between the President’s team and the Chairman’s, so if you want to play in that please let me know and Bruce and I will sort out teams from those who put their names down. And don’t forget that the first match is on Saturday April 29^th, at home to Cross-in-Hand, followed by a Rother League match on the Sunday against Ninfield, both at home.

We had a successful and most enjoyable Quiz Night at the Railway recently, as many of you will know, so thanks to Pam for doing the organisation for that, and of course to Colin and Judy Miller for running it. We’re aware that the food was less elaborate, and less in quantity, than last year, but we needed to keep down catering costs in order to keep the ticket price the same as last year. And, of course, this is a fund-raising event, as well as a fun evening: we raised £226 for the Club, which was less than last year, but still represents a successful event. If anyone had ideas for other fund-raising events that they would enjoy, please let us know.

The green is coming along well, under Selwyn and Ian’s ministrations, so we should give them a hearty cheer as usual for all their efforts. We shall be starting to mow regularly soon, when Selwyn gives the word, and we have a new recruit to the Mowing Team in the shape of Philip Edmondson, so thanks to him for stepping up. We could still do with another mower or two, so if anyone else feels able to help we should be very grateful. You need to be reasonably able-bodied, as the mower is quite heavy, but it doesn’t take very long once you get used to it – not much more than an hour, if that – and as long as we have a full complement of mowers, it’s only once a fortnight during the season. We shall also need to have a ‘sort-out’ day at the club to get everything ready for the season – the white chairs need a good clean, for example, and the benches need a coat of wood-stain – probably at the beginning of April, and we’ll suggest dates for that before long.

I have an important message from Alison, who is our Club Safeguarding Officer, and says, ‘Following Bowls England guidance, we have adopted the BDA (Bowls Development Alliance) safeguarding policies for adults and children, and also their anti-bullying policy. These are now pinned up on the notice-board, and are on our website, battlebowlsclub.org.uk, under Club Documents.’ So please take a few moments to look at these.

We are sorry to be losing two Committee members: Nigel has resigned as Fixture Secretary because of pressure of other commitments, and Jenny as Clubhouse Officer, as she is moving to Cranleigh to be closer to her family. Jenny will of course, unfortunately, be leaving the Club, but Nigel will still be playing for us and offering his coaching expertise. We thank them both for their efforts over the past year or so. This means that we have vacancies on the Committee – not necessarily for those particular jobs – so if anyone is prepared to join us we shall be very pleased. Otherwise I shall be going around pestering people, once the season starts. I shall take over fixtures again for this season, having done it before, but we have no one as yet to take responsibility for the Clubhouse, so if anyone feels able to do that, please let me or another Committee member know.

Barbara and David Brooks have kindly offered to take over responsibility for gardening at the Club, and indeed have already done some. No doubt they will be needing assistance with this, so contributions from any gardeners amongst you will be most welcome.

We shall be holding Taster Days, on Saturday April 29 and Saturday May 13 (the gap is because of Coronation Weekend), from 10.00 a.m. to midday, so if anyone can come along to help out and encourage potential new members, please do. As far as recruitment goes, Pam Poling and I attended the Parish Assembly day at Battle, with a stall for the Bowls Club, and raised a bit of interest; it’s important that we raise the profile of the club around the place, if nothing else, so that people know we’re here. We are also going to produce some flyers to be distributed to houses around Battle, and it would be good if members could take some of these and post them through letter-boxes around where you live. This won’t be too strenuous: we shan’t ask you to do more than a small area, so it can be done whilst walking the dog, etc. Not having a dog is not a legitimate excuse.

We have recruited a good new sponsor for this season, as well as the previous ones, but as usual, if you have a business or know someone who does, do come forward. Basic sponsorship, which gives advertising on our website and Sponsors’ Board at the club, can be had for £50; major sponsors pay £100 upwards, and can put up a sign alongside the green, like the one already there which advertises Fosters’ Motors.

Coronation Weekend: we would normally have played Bexhill on the Sunday, but we’ve agreed with them that some people will be doing other things, so we have cancelled that for this year. We were going to set aside the Saturday for a club Competition Day which may face the same problem. I shall ask around before then to see if there is any interest, so let me know if you would want to play on that day. Battle Council are organising various events that weekend, about which I’ve been to a couple of meetings. They haven’t fully made up their minds yet, but on the Monday, May 8, they are thinking of having some sort of event at the Recreation Ground, in which sports clubs and other organisations will take part. We can’t play bowls there, of course, and it’s no use putting on something at the green, as it’s too far away. What I’ve thought we might do is organise a petanque competition, which people from sports clubs and other clubs can take part in. I’ve said that I will run it, if there is enough interest, so if you want to be involved with that, either playing in it (no experience necessary – I’ve only played it three or four times, but that won’t stop me organising it), or helping to run it,  please let me know. And if you have a set of boules, can we please borrow them? Again, this is a way of publicising ourselves, and it may even encourage people to take up (proper, English) bowls!

Finally, if you haven’t renewed your membership yet and sent the forms back to Alison, please do so as soon as possible, and no later than April 1.

Best wishes to all, and see you on the green before long,

Roy.

Thursday 23rd February saw another popular Quiz Night hosted by Colin Miller, Quizmaster supreme, at the Railway Pub. Won by Rock ‘n Bowl it raised £224 for club funds from entry fees and raffle and was a highly successful evening enjoyed by all.

Greetings All,

I hope you’re all wintering well. We may not get a white Christmas but we’ve had a white something-or-other, and I for one am glad to see the back of that and to be able to walk about properly again.
As you know, the green has been duly renovated, and is looking suitably greener – or at least, it was before it went white. The work on the paving in front of the clubhouse is complete, and looks much better as well as being safer for all. It won’t be that long before we can start thinking about getting ready for the new season, and with that in view I’m pestering for volunteers (as usual): this time to take on the responsibility of keeping the garden areas tidy. As you know, Jackie did that for a time, and the surrounds of the green looked much better last season, so we need someone to take on that role, please. It doesn’t mean that you’ll have to do all the gardening yourself – quite a number of people do things on their own anyway – but it would be good to have their various efforts co-ordinated, rather as Jenny does for the clubhouse.
The Annual Dinner seemed to me to go off very well in the new venue, and everyone I’ve seen and talked to about it seems to agree. The attendance was much higher than usual, probably because it was in Battle, and if most members agree we should perhaps go there again next year. So thanks to Pam and Jenny for finding that and for organising menus etc, as well as to Dick for finding ways to relieve you of your pound coins, to President Bruce for presenting trophies and certificates, and to Alison for making sure that we gave them to the right people in the right order. If anyone won a trophy last season but hasn’t got it yet, please let me know and I’ll get it to you. And can I remind you that we agreed that engraving trophies should from now on be the responsibility of the winners (perhaps that will discourage Nigel from winning so many next year!); Alison has found a place in Bexhill that will do them, or if a number of people want them doing at the usual place in Hastings, and I can get enough of them, I could take them there and get a discount. Incidentally, it was good to see a number of new people winning trophies and certificates this year. So when the competition entry forms go out, if you don’t usually enter, do consider doing so next season. You won’t win anything unless you have a go!

Whilst on the subject of competitions, some things for you to think about. As you know, last season we did not play the Club Championship as a separate competition, but as a ‘challenge match’ at Finals Weekend between the winners of the Ladies’ and the Men’s. What do you think about that? Is it better that way, or should we revert to the old format? I’ve also had a suggestion from Mike Artz concerning competitions: that one or more of the competitions that we currently play throughout the season could be played over a full weekend, or on one day if entries were small, sometime during the season, the finalists to play on Finals Weekend as usual (as we do with the Two Woods, for example). There is no doubt that playing competitions throughout the season presents difficulties of organisation, especially for the Competition Secretary, who has to badger people to get their matches played in time. On the other hand, there might be people who would like to enter competitions who were unable to play on a particular day or weekend. So get your thinking caps on about that too, please, and communicate with me or another committee member before we have our next meeting, which will be in mid-January.

As I said, it won’t be too long before we’re thinking about getting out on the green again. But it would be nice to have a social event or two before then. What would we like? One event, probably in February, or two, spread out during the next three months or so. Another quiz? Colin Miller says he is happy to do another if we’d like one. Alison has suggested a Beetle Drive (remember Beetle Drives?). What about that? Again, any ideas will be gratefully received, and argued about by the committee.
Finally … I know that 2022 has been a hard year for some of us, who have suffered losses that cannot be replaced. I know too that all our members will be sending their sincere thoughts to them at this time, and on behalf of the committee I wish everyone the best possible Christmas time, and the very best for the New Year.
Roy.