We started our campaign in the SML on Coronation Sunday with an 8-2 defeat at Hampton. We suffered heavy losses on two rinks, came a lot closer on the 3rd and enjoyed a nice win on the 4th, courtesy of Keith, Lynda and Eileen. Although not the start we wanted, it was an enjoyable afternoon with plenty of sunshine and support .. the Hampton captain noted there were even more supporters for Sunbury than the home team at one point!

Next up after Club Night on Tuesday is a home friendly with Walton on Wednesday afternoon. There may be a few places available so if you fancy playing please get in touch with Diane or reply to this update. For most of us it’ll be a great opportunity to get more time on the green!

A bumper turnout of 30+ for Tuesday’s Club Night enjoyed some kinder weather than of late .. some shorts were even spotted! The ground was still quite soft but most folk made surprisingly light work of reaching the minimum 23m mark. The grass will need more cutting and drier weather as we roll through May.

Some of you may have spotted the entry sheets for the South Middlesex competitions on the noticeboards of the club house. Unlike the full Middlesex competitions the SML ones are more local with the finals held at Staines on 17th September. If you’d like to enter please sign-up before 14th May.

Also a reminder that our own Club competitions Competitions 2023 are still open for entries, the first of which is Saturday 27th – the Mixed 2-Woods Pairs. The draw (and Pairs partners) will take place on the day.

The team for the first SML match at Hampton on Sunday 7th is pretty much sorted with a full complement of 12 players. Fingers crossed for Sunbury.

PS: Once we’re able to reach the ditches our bowls will be safe from dents and scratches.. the matting has now be attached to two sides of the green!

 

Our first match of the season takes place at Hampton on Sunday 7th. After the cancellation of a friendly last weekend and with limited green time we open our campaign in the South Middlesex League (SML) on Coronation weekend, so all round not an ideal start. It’ll be a hard ask to replicate last season’s opening victory against a team that finished 3rd in the league but you never know .. we are a few players short so please contact our captain Di if you can play.

April may have passed us by but we can finally look forward to playing bowls in May .. the green is officially open!

Some matting still needs attaching to the edge backs and some edges need straightening but the green itself received another cut today and sign-off by the greenkeeping team. We are hopeful that patience has paid off and the green plays well.

Just a reminder that Tuesday’s Club Night on the 2nd May is the first organised event on the green and the online booking system may be used to reserve rinks throughout the season. For the time being we will be playing in the direction from the car park.

We hope everyone enjoys a great season of bowls!

After best endeavours by all parties, this weekend’s opening team match with Ember is cancelled. Neither club could safely commit to playing on their greens.

We still intend to reopen our green at the earliest opportunity and certainly for Club Night on Tuesday 2nd May.

It’s a disappointing start to the season but hopefully it’s all for the better .. as some of you may know it’s been decided to close the green for the time being! The green is too heavy and needs time to dry out. As a precaution the first team match on Sunday 30th (a friendly vs Ember) has been switched to an away match.

It’s been decided to commence Club Night on Tues 2nd May at 6pm. A wet March and much of April thus far has done the green no favours! The green will officially be opened later today but it’s still damp in parts. The grass has been cut down to 8mm and if the weather plays ball it’ll be down to 6mm soon.

On Tuesdays please sign in at 5:45pm and be ready to bowl at 6. If you’re running late and know you’ll be there you can let me know and I’ll advise the co-ordinator.

Unfortunately the green opening and first Club Night are postponed for a week. Just one step onto the green this morning confirmed its closure until next week due to it being so soft and wet.

The green opening is therefore rescheduled for Sat 22nd and the first Club Night for Tues 25th.

 

After two days cleanup the green and grounds are almost ready for opening on Saturday. Unfortunately the weather looks a bit wet over the coming week so we’ll defer to head green keeper Dennis as to whether it’s okay and safe to open and then play the first Club Night on the following Tuesday.
Dennis and the green keepers team have quite rightly been concentrating on the green itself and despite the wettest March in decades have got the green looking pretty good.

The rooms have been tidied and cleaned over the last couple of days with the team sheets posted on the boards. Remember to sign up or contact club captain Di via txt/WhatsApp/telephone. There’s also an online sign-up sheet on the website. Sign-up

The flower bed has been attended to and some of the hedges have been trimmed and weeds cleared but there’s still more to be done so if you have a spare a hour or two please head on down anytime.
The ditches have been cleaned out, edges cut and matting put in place. One of the biggest remaining jobs is to attach the matting to the back wall of the edges. David and Brian have tested a method and plan to see how it goes.

The aim is to get the green and grounds all sorted in readiness for our first home match on 30th April. The Fixtures Booklets details all the matches/events but please refer to the online calendar for updates. Calendar

The season is nearly here so please come and sign-up on Tuesday 4th April from 7:30pm. Entries for the club competitions will open then too.

Activities to support the start of the season are gathering pace and there’s a request for members to help prepare the grounds over the weekend of 8-9th April. Any spare time you may have is appreciated. The actual opening day is planned for Saturday 15th April and the first Club Night on Tuesday 18th. Both are subject to change according to the weather etc.. so watch this space. All the dates are available in the Calendar and printed in the Fixtures cards, which will be distributed on Tuesday evening.

Looking further ahead, the Open days for prospective new members are planned for Saturday  20th May and Bank Holiday Monday 29th May.