Christmas is already a distant memory but nonetheless, a Happy New Year to all our members and may 2026 bring you everything you wish for.

Quiz Night

By now, you will have seen Pam’s email with the details of the Quiz Night which we are holding on Thursday 26th February at 7pm in the Guide Hut at Battle Recreation Ground. The evening will once again be hosted by Colin and Judy Miller and will also include a “Bring a Bottle” Raffle in John Cherrington’s capable hands.

If you haven’t already done so, please let Pam (pam.poling@icloud.com) know if you want to take part. You can come as a team of four or simply add your name to the list and we will make teams up on the night. Enlist family and friends – the more, the merrier! The cost is £5 per player. Please bring your own drinks and snacks; tea and coffee will be available.

Games Evening

We will also be holding a fun and games evening in the Guide Hut at 7pm on Wednesday 1st April – fools will be welcome! Details are still being finalised so please put the date in your diaries and watch out for the announcement in your inbox.

AGM

We had a good turnout for our AGM back in October and thanks go to all who were able to attend. After the busy and weighty meeting in 2024, the 2025 edition was a simpler affair; reports were received from club officers and the Committee was reappointed with a few changes in role. Most significantly, Roy Hyde confirmed that he was stepping down as Club Captain after four years in the job. Our thanks go to Roy for everything he has contributed in that time to the running and development of our teams. His influence has been clearly shown by the excellent results the club achieved in the Rother League and in friendly matches during last season. Roy will be missed in the role but will hardly be missing since he will be continuing to play a key part in the club as both Fixtures Secretary and Competitions Secretary.

Roy will be a hard act to follow but Stuart Macnab, nominated by Roy, was elected to do just that as Captain for the new season. We all wish Stuart well in the job and he will surely be able to count on everyone’s support as he takes it on.

A Message for the Men

Two announcements were made at the AGM affecting the Men’s Changing Room which bear repeating here.

First, that there is still a selection of clothing items hanging in the changing room with no indication of whether they are abandoned or still wanted. If you have any clothes in the changing room, please call into the club and either remove them or else put them in a carrier bag in the clubhouse. We shall assume that any clothes still in the changing room when it comes to being prepared for the new season are unwanted and shall dispose of them.

Second, last season an increasing number of bags and bowls were being left on the benches. Please try to keep the benches clear for seating and place bags on the floor underneath. When we are preparing for the new season, we shall be looking to make better use of the racking to provide extra storage space so please play your part in keeping the changing room uncluttered.

Presentation Night Dinner

The annual presentation dinner was held in November at the Railway, next door to our green. A good crowd enjoyed a meal from a specially-selected menu and were entertained with party games including a particularly frantic version of “Pass the Parcel”. Our President, Bruce, presented competition winners and runners-up with certificates of achievement and, for the first time, with commemorative medals.

Trophy winners are reminded that they are responsible for having their names engraved on trophies, cups and shields before they return them prior to this year’s finals.

New Year, New You

In January every year, Battle stages its “New Year, New You” event in the Memorial Hall when local clubs and societies showcase their activities. This year, our club was represented among 48 stands in the Hall and attracted a lot of attention from the many visitors to the event. We distributed leaflets promoting our Taster Days in April and May (see below) and around a dozen people left their contact details with us so that we can remind them nearer the time.

Indoor Interclub League

The Club is again competing in the indoor interclub league held through the winter on the indoor rink at the Gullivers club in Bexhill. Battle, represented by one triple in this competition, have played six matches to date, winning two and losing four. With four matches still to be contested, this is already an improvement on the one win recorded in the league last winter!

Sponsorships

Sponsorships bring some welcome extra revenue to the club. If any members know of businesses that are prepared to sponsor Battle Bowls could they please get in touch with any member of the Committee who will be delighted to hear from them. We will happily accept sponsorships from £50 upwards and all sponsors are acknowledged on our website. Additionally, sponsorships of £100 or more are recognised with advertising boards at the ground.

Green Opening (and Closing)

The green will open for the new season on Saturday 18th April when we shall be staging the match between the President’s and Captain’s teams at 2pm to get things under way.

The Committee has decided that this year, rather than closing immediately after Bizarre Bowling, the green will remain open for Spoon Drives and casual play until the end of September. In recent years the weather in the last two weeks of that month has been favourable and the chance to play a little longer is too good to miss! Fingers crossed that the rain gods delay their interventions again this year.

Taster Days

A week after the green opening, on Saturday 25th April, we will be holding our 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 9th May. Look out for further details nearer the time.

Additionally, there will be another opportunity on the afternoon of Sunday 31st May for any prospective players to discover the game alongside an instructional session for new players who have chosen to join the club.

And finally … a plea

As we look to the new season, this is a plea again for any member who would be willing to join the volunteers who mow our green. The commitment needs to be no more than once a fortnight (less frequently if there are more volunteers, of course) and it plays an inescapable part in maintaining the condition of our green. Please contact Ian Tomisson, or any member of the Committee, for more details if you think you may be able to support the Club in this way.

I look forward to seeing everyone again when the new season starts in April.

Kevin

Taster sessions for prospective members

 

It seems that the season has barely started and already there are little more than seven weeks to go before we begin putting the green to bed for the winter. Where does the time go? But we still have some twelve friendlies, four league matches and another day competition to play so plenty of opportunities yet for us all to enjoy our sport.

Membership

Club membership currently stands at 61. This healthy position has been boosted by the recruitment of nine new bowlers to the Club this year. Many thanks to everyone who helped out at the taster days; who arranged bowling sessions for other local organisations; or who brought friends and neighbours along to our spoon drives just to give the sport a go.

Day Competitions

Two club day competitions have been completed so far this season. Congratulations to the winners who were:

Mixed Triples : Maria Macnab, Peter Stapley and Alison Collard

Kiwi Pairs : Maria Macnab and Peter Stapley

The Two Woods competition was also played to the semi-final stage. The final will be played, as usual, during finals weekend and will be contested by Jackie Legg and Alison Collard.
There is one more day competition to be played on Sunday 17th August. Look out for details.

Finals Weekend

The year, the finals of our knock-out competitions will be held over the weekend of Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st August. Details of the schedule will be circulated by email nearer the time.

The holders of trophies from last year’s competitions are reminded that they should return their trophies, suitably engraved, to the clubhouse no later than Saturday 23rd August so that they can be ready for presentation to this year’s winners at the close of play on finals Sunday.

Finalists are asked to wear club shirts and white trousers/shorts and all members are encouraged to come along to support the players and enjoy what should be some exciting and competitive bowls. As ever, gifts of cakes and other treats to keep players and spectators refreshed will be welcome.

Rother League

It has been encouraging to see the improvement in our league results from last year. Although Battle won’t be challenging for top spot, at the time of writing the club is in second place, with eight wins from fourteen matches. And there have been some notable successes, most especially the 10-0 win over Hollington with our four triples achieving a combined score of over 100!

Etiquette

Distractions
We have had a couple of issues recently with players feeling that their opponents are distracting them while they are preparing to deliver their bowls. This would, of course, not only be poor etiquette but would also break the laws of our sport. If it happened in a match, penalties could be incurred. When you’re playing, please avoid making any noise, talking to other players or spectators, or any excessive movement while your opponent is preparing to bowl.
Spectators, too, can play their part by avoiding loud conversation or excessive movement while they are near to a game in progress. In order to minimise the congestion in front of the clubhouse which may sometimes lead to distractions, we will in future be keeping chairs away from the barriered area of the path and putting the drinks trolley inside.

Kicking In
It is the role of the Lead from the team that has lost the previous end to collect up the bowls from the rink using the pusher ready for the next end. It is, however, good bowls manners for other players (from both teams) to assist by “kicking in” any bowls that are spread around the rink. Gathering the bowls together like this not only helps the Lead collecting them but also keeps the game moving along without unnecessary delay.

Dress Codes
There have been several queries about dress codes in recent weeks. Our policy is:

Matches against other clubs : Club shirts; grey trousers/shorts
Club competition days : Club, or other predominantly white, shirts; grey trousers/shorts
Spoon drives : casual dressing (but preferably not denim jeans)
Club knock-out matches (excluding the finals) : casual dressing (but preferably not denim jeans)
Club knock-out finals : club shirts; white trousers/shorts

Guest Players
Members can play on the green at no cost whenever it is available (ie when it is fit for play and no mowing, maintenance or matches are scheduled) and are welcome to bring non-member guests to play with them subject to a £5 donation to club funds per guest per session. As a member benefit, this is less than the cost of using a public green. Donations should be put in one of the brown cash envelopes and “posted” into the Treasurer’s box – all to be found in the cupboard in the clubhouse.

Social Events
Following the success of our two winter social events in February and March, we are now holding a summer social and fund-raiser. The “bring-a-bottle barbeque” will be on Thursday 14th August starting at around 5.30pm after the conclusion of that day’s Spoon Drive. Full details have been circulated separately by email but please let Pam Poling know as soon as you can if you’re planning to come along.

Green Maintenance Volunteers
The Club greatly appreciates the work of those members who support Ian in maintaining the green by volunteering to swish or to mow. New volunteers are always welcome and particularly at the moment anyone who might be able to join the mowing rota. If you feel you could support the club in this way and would like to find out what’s involved, please have a word with Ian who’ll be delighted to explain the role.

Indoor Interclub League
The Club will again be taking part in the indoor interclub league this winter. All matches are played on the indoor rink at the Gullivers club in Bexhill and are contested by one triple. Matches will be on a Tuesday morning from 10.00 until 12.30 and played over a maximum of 18 ends. The match fee will be £4.
If you are interested in joining the Battle squad for the coming indoor league season, please contact Stuart (stuartmacnab1961@outlook.com).

Club Shirts
We now have a stock of club shirts in various sizes available for any member to purchase. If you would like to buy one, please speak to Alison.
If you want your name embroidered on your shirt, this can be done by contacting Superstitch86 (01424 852225 or schooluniform@superstitch86.co.uk). Your name should be on the right breast (opposite the logo), in capital letters, in the dark burgundy colour of our logo and shirt panels and the cost to you will be £6 plus VAT.

Enjoy the rest of the season,
Kevin

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

 

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.