The start of the new outdoor season is almost upon us; the green is looking great; and the weather, so far at least, is inviting. Our first scheduled match is at home to Iden on Wednesday 23rd April but for an early sight of the coming season’s complete fixture list, please take a look at our website (https://battlebowlsclub.org.uk/).

Green Opening

The green opens this year on Saturday 19th April with the traditional match that afternoon between the Captain’s v the President’s teams. Please make sure that Roy knows if you want to take part in the match. In the event that the weather is unkind on the 19th, another attempt at the official opening will be made the following day.
As we confirmed at last October’s AGM, in order to ensure that the green is in the best possible condition for the new season, no-one is permitted to play on it before the official opening day.

Taster Days

A week after our opening, on Saturday 26th April, the Club will hold its first Taster Day for prospective new and returning bowlers between 10am and noon. Volunteers to help with the running of the day and with introducing the game to visitors will be welcome. A second Taster Day will be held on Saturday 10th May. Flyers to advertise the Club and to invite prospective bowlers to the taster sessions have been distributed around the town and we wait to see how effective they will prove to be.

Etiquette

Following discussion at the AGM, the Committee agreed that we could do more to help new bowlers learn how to apply the rules of the game and to introduce them to the playing etiquette. As a result, we plan to spend 10 to 15 minutes at the start of each Thursday spoon drive in the early weeks of the season demonstrating aspects of the game’s rules and expected behaviours. We hope these short sessions will be a useful introduction for new players and maybe a helpful refresher for anyone else who wants to brush up their knowledge of the game. Any requests for particular aspects of the game that anyone wants covered will be welcomed.

Social Events

Two social events have taken place since the New Year; a “Games Evening” in February and a “Quiz Night” in March. Both events were well supported and together raised over
£600 for club funds and, more importantly, gave us all a chance to keep in touch during the winter break from bowling activity. Thanks go to Alison, Dick and Roy for their organisational skills and to John Cherrington for running the raffles at both events.

Renovations

Over the winter, we have refurbished the Ladies’ Changing Room, smartened up the Men’s Changing Room with a lick of paint, carried out repairs to rotten woodwork in the toilet doors and windows and to gutters on both the changing rooms and clubhouse, and erected the new storage shed alongside the green.
The refurbishment and repairs were delivered by contracted professionals but the rest of the work was carried out by volunteers from the Club to whom goes our sincere appreciation for their time and effort.

Club Shirts

A reminder that the new club shirts can be embroidered with your name by Superstitch86. Your name should be on the right breast (opposite the logo), in capital letters, in the dark burgundy colour of our logo/shirt panels and the cost to you will be £6 plus VAT (ie £7.20).

However, anyone who has already purchased a badge will be able to wear it if that’s their preference but there is no need to invest in a badge if you haven’t already done so. Some of us do not wish to have names on our shirts at all.

Superstitch86 are based at 7 Castleham Road, Castleham Industrial Estate, just off Battle Road in St Leonards and are open Monday to Friday 8.30-5 and on Saturday morning. Their telephone number is 01424 852225 and their email address is schooluniform@superstitch86.co.uk.
If you need any assistance dealing with Superstitch, Chris Thomas, who managed the supply of our old shirts for us, is happy to provide it. He can be contacted on 07974 072175.

Indoor Interclub League

In the Winter Newsletter, I was delighted to be able to report the Club’s first win in the Gullivers’ Indoor Interclub League. Although that proved to be the Club’s only win this year, Battle still achieved a higher ranking in the six-team league than last year – fifth rather than sixth. We hope for even greater things next winter!

I look forward to seeing you all again very soon,

Kevin

The Games Night held on 25th February was a great success, enjoyed by over 40 members and guests at the Guide Hut in Battle.

A total of £336 was raised for club funds

We are holding another of Colin Miller’s highly competitive Quiz Nights, also at Battle Guide Hut, on March 26th. All members and guests welcome.

I hope it’s not too late to wish a Happy New Year to all members of the Club. A lot seems to have happened since the end of the season and there’s a lot to happen yet before we are all playing again. As the days are starting to lengthen, the promise of sunny summer afternoons on the green begins to beckon – even if the reality turns out to be woolly jumpers and dodging the showers!

AGM

The club held its annual general meeting on 31st October and many thanks to everyone who attended. Holding the meeting in Battle and in the afternoon seemed to have been successful in boosting the attendance and is something we’ll repeat – although this year we’ll be looking to avoid a date in the school half-term holidays when family responsibilities keep some members away.

The meeting was largely taken up with regular business but importantly it unanimously supported the Committee’s recommendation to end the Club’s affiliation to Sussex County Bowls and Bowls England, a decision which has now been put into effect.

Presentation Night Dinner

The annual presentation dinner was held in November at the Railway, next door to our green. It was the first occasion on which we had used this venue for our Presentation Night as the restaurant we had used for the previous two years had closed and the Committee was keen to hold the event in Battle. Attendees were there in good number and enjoyed an early Christmas dinner. Our President, Bruce, presented competition winners and runners-up with certificates of achievement and commemorative glasses.
Trophy winners are reminded that they are responsible for having their names engraved on trophies, cups and shields.

Social Events – Dates for Your Diary

Two social events are planned for the next two months so that members can get together and, of course, to raise funds for the Club. Both will be held in the Guide Hut on Battle Recreation Ground. Alison’s popular “Games Evening” will return on Tuesday 25th February with a “Quiz Night” on Wednesday 26th March. Please make a note of both dates in your diary and look out for further details nearer the time.

Renovations

A complete refurbishment of the Ladies Changing Room has been completed during the winter. As well as extending the life of the building, this should make using it a much more pleasant experience for our players and visitors alike. Along with this, there have been minor repairs to rotten woodwork in the toilet doors and windows and to gutters on both the changing rooms and clubhouse.
We expect, too, to see the long-awaited new equipment shed erected alongside the green before the start of the season.

Club Shirts

Our new club shirts were delivered soon after the end of the season and most have now been collected.
The conversation about names on shirts has been continuing. This has never been mandatory, and is not now, but for members who want their name on their shirt, the Committee has agreed that there should be an embroidery option. An embroidered name can be added to a shirt by Superstitch86, who embroidered our old shirts, and should be on the right breast (opposite the logo), in capital letters, in the dark burgundy colour of our logo/shirt panels. The cost to you will be £6 plus VAT (ie £7.20).

Anyone who has already purchased a badge will be able to wear it if that’s their preference but there is no need to invest in a badge if you haven’t already done so. Some of us do not wish to have names on our shirts at all.
Superstitch86 are based at 7 Castleham Road, Castleham Industrial Estate, just off Battle Road in St Leonards and are open Monday to Friday 8.30-5 and on Saturday morning. Their telephone number is 01424 852225 and their email address is schooluniform@superstitch86.co.uk.

If you need any assistance dealing with Superstitch, Chris Thomas, who managed the supply of our old shirts for us, is happy to provide it. He can be contacted on 07974 072175.

New Year, New You

The Club was represented at Battle’s “New Year, New You” event in the Memorial Hall at the start of January. This event for all the clubs and societies in Battle showcases opportunities for people to get involved. Although attendance was probably affected by the time of the event (opening at 10am on a Sunday morning) and the bitterly cold weather, our stallholders spoke with a steady flow of visitors, taking contact details for some and giving others details of our Taster Days. Hopefully the event will again, as it did last year, attract new members when we reopen for the season.

Green Opening

The green will open this year on Saturday 19th April and with the first match that afternoon being the traditional Captain’s v President’s teams.

Taster Days

A week after the opening, on Saturday 26th April, the Club will hold its first Taster Day for prospective new and returning bowlers between 10am and noon. Volunteers to help with the running of the day and with introducing the game to visitors will be welcome. A second Taster Day will be held on Saturday 10th May. Look out for further details.

Etiquette

Following discussion at the AGM, the Committee has concluded that we could do more to help new bowlers learn how to apply the rules of the game and to introduce them to the playing etiquette. As a result, the plan is to devote 10 to 15 minutes at the start of each Thursday spoon drive in the early weeks of the season to demonstrating aspects of the game’s rules and expected behaviours.

We hope this will be a valuable introduction for new players but also that older hands will participate and find it a helpful refresher.

Indoor Interclub League

Battle Bowls has once again entered the Interclub League, run during the winter at Gullivers’ indoor rinks. Matches take the format of a single triple over 15 ends (or 2 hours, whichever comes first). Last year, the Club went through the competition without managing to win a match but experience is obviously starting to tell this year with the Club’s first success (21-13 against Fairlight) having just been recorded. If you are an indoor bowler interested in joining the squad, please let Stuart Macnab know.

Mike Barber

We were all saddened to learn of Mike Barber’s unexpected death in November. The many messages posted by members showed just how popular a figure Mike was and how much he will be missed at the Club. That his funeral service in January was filled to capacity and beyond, including with many Club members, was testament to the high regard in which he was held. Our sympathy goes to his family and friends.
I look forward to seeing you all again soon,

Kevin

 

Taster mornings for prospective members

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.