The weekend may have felt more like March than May at times but crucially we didn’t see any rain over the two days of bowls!

We welcomed Strawberry Hill to Sunbury on Saturday for the first of a series of friendlies this season. After falling behind early on two of the rinks we recovered well and ended up winning on all 3 rinks with an overall 58-29 score.

 

 

On Sunday we turned our attention to the SML and an away fixture at sunny Staines. Despite arriving with a depleted team of 9 we came very close to winning on the day. One team led from the 5th end but dropped a painful 4 on the 17th and ended up losing by a single shot. So just like at Hampton the previous weekend, a win on just one rink resulted in an overall 8-2 loss.

Thanks to all from acting captain AlanP for 100% effort .. judging by what I saw the future is bright at Sunbury! I’ll be handing the reins back to Diane and Dennis for the next match on Sunday 21st – another away SML game this time at Stanwell.

Club Night resumes on Tuesday 6pm. Please take time to check the boards in the club house and sign-up for any matches and Friday Morning League. Also, Competitions sheets will be available .. the unannounced deadline is looming!

The weather may have won overall this week but we had a minor win with a rearranged Club Night on Thursday evening. Despite light drizzle during setup it actually remained dry for the 12 ends played! Club Night resumes on Tuesday evening with the weather forecast looking okay at this stage. Cassie and Barry will be in charge of arrangements so please contact them if running late, or contact me and I’ll get a message to them.

Earlier in the week we had to cancel both the regular Club Night on Tuesday evening and the friendly match with Walton on Wednesday afternoon due to on-off showers, some of them quite heavy.

Next up are two team matches this weekend starting with a home friendly against Strawberry Hill on Saturday 2:30pm. On Sunday we resume our campaign in the SML with an away match at Staines.

The sign-up sheets for the Friday Morning League are available in the clubhouse. The matches are expected to start on 2nd June and run for 10 weeks so please add your name if interested. Each team will comprise 5-6 players but only 3 will be needed each week – your team captain will liaise with the squad to fit your availability.

Here’s hoping for some better weather for bowls this weekend and beyond ..

After Tuesday’s washout we’re going to try Thursday for this week’s Club Night! Just pop on down at the same time – 5:45pm for a 6pm start.

The team matches are coming thick and fast .. after today’s home friendly we have two team matches over the weekend – a home friendly on Saturday and an SML at Staines on Sunday. We are currently short of players for the Sunday game so please get in touch if you can help out.

There’s still time to enter the first of our club competitions – Mixed Two-Woods Pairs on Sat 27th May from 10:30am. You don’t need a pair to enter – teams are drawn beforehand.

Finally, the Friday Morning League is scheduled to start on 2nd June so watch out for more details on this soon.

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.