CONTRIBUTIONS FOR FUTURE NEWSLETTERS SHOULD BE SENT TO OUR EDITOR: TONY BAKER (thetonybaker@gmail.com)
DIARY DATES:
2pm for 2.30pm Sunday 1 September: Club Fun Event (NEW)
5pm for 5.30pm Monday 2 September: Club rollup and fish and chip supper
Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September: Club Finals Weekend
5pm for 5.30pm Monday 9 September: Club rollup and fish and chip supper (subject to sufficient demand)
5pm for 5.30pm Monday 16 September: Club rollup and fish and chip supper (subject to sufficient demand)
NORTH WEST SURREY FINALS DAY 25.8.24 (TONY BAKER)
Ember hosted the N W Surrey bowls finals on Sunday 25 August. It is an honour to be asked to do this and especially so since we only hosted it last in 2019. N W Surrey comprises 24 bowls clubs and the knockout competitions last over the season and culminate in a day of finals.
There is to plan and on the day we were very busy from 8.30am until 7pm. Around 40 bowlers were playing and over 100 supporters attended so masses of food and drinks were served starting with 28 bacon baps, then lunches for 60 plus people, cakes and biscuits all day, ice creams in the afternoon and teas and coffees.
Great news for the Sports Club is that the bar was open all day and over £600 was taken!
On the day we had about 15 members at any one time helping. Pictured below is a lunch helper taking orders! Lots of them!
There was over 100 watching the games and enjoying some great bowls. The following pictures give a flavour of what was on offer:
Ember had one team that reached the finals and that was in the mixed triples. We were successful against a very strong team from Ashford, winning the match with what turned out to be the final wood.
Pictured are our winning team of Beth Cartledge (Lead), Mary Baker (Number 2 in the middle) and Tony Baker (Skip).
RACAL DECCA MIXED LEAGUE (TONY BAKER)
August was a good month for the Club. We had our last three RDML matches and the first was a win 65-42 at home against Hook and Southborough and 8 points to 2.
Next we played away to Malden Lime Grove on a very wet and stormy afternoon. The weather did not deter us and it was a win 65-42 and 8 points to Ember and 2 to Malden Lime Grove.
Our final league match was at home to Cheam Fields on 28 August. Another win and a big one! Ember 82 and 10 points and Cheam Field 34 and 0 points.The final league table is awaited but with 7 wins and 5 loses we should be in the top half of the league.
CHARITY DAY (ROSIE BURGES AND CHRIS AXTON)
Sunday, 18 August saw bowlers coming together on the green to play a charity bowls cricket match. Bowlers had to hit wickets and score runs against time. A bit like a 100 Cricket match with much enthusiasm and energy!
Pictured are bowlers playing cricket and later enjoying a cricket tea.
The aim of the day was to raise money for the Bowls Club 2024 charity: The Brigitte Trust. Money is still coming in it is likely to total £1,000.
The Trust offer a free service of emotional support and practical help from trained and supported volunteers. The service is for adults and their carers living in every Surrey borough and facing the challenges of life-limiting conditions including cancer, Motor Neurone Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Brigitte Trust volunteers provide a listening ear and practical help which is unique and respectful of the needs of the individual and the family. The aim is for their clients to live life fully and as well as possible.
BOWLS GREEN (IAIN GREGG)
We have acquired a roller for our bowling green. Had we purchased the roller new , it would have cost approximately £2,500 ex vat; however Tonbridge Bowling Club have ‘kindly donated’ the roller to us for a £400 contribution to their funds!!
The SISIS TRULEVEL is an all-steel triple roller for bowling greens. As the weight (120kg or 150kg with additional weights) is spread over three rollers, the soil is firmed without compaction. Because of the relatively small diameter, the rolling factor (pressure on the turf) is equal to that produced by a heavier roller.
Pictured is our Green Ranger (Iain Gregg) using the new roller:
Over-riding action on slight hollows allows level areas to be firmly rolled, whilst low areas are left, so that the playing surface is progressively levelled. Runs without effort on self-lubricating bearings and can be pushed or pulled with ease. Iain Gregg is now looking for volunteers to help with this new addition to our green maintenance equipment.
EVENING LEAGUE (KEN HOMEWOOD)
Congratulations to Foxtrot (John Rodgers, Rosemary Burges, Peter Aron, Geoff Hill, Jill le Maire, Jayne Brittan and Guill Collis) who are this year’s winners of the league. They scored 15 points and Foxtrot were second with 11 points.
The Condon Trophy will be presented to all Foxtrot team members at Finals weekend on the Sunday.
The top 4 teams have qualified for the knockout Cup competition to be played over Finals weekend.
The semi-finals for the knockout cup will be:
Foxtrot v Alpha and Charlie v Delta played on Saturday 7 September.
The 2 winners will play in the final on Sunday 8 September.
Dress code is WHITES for ALL games played at finals weekend. The final table is on display in the Clubhouse.
BONUS BALL (JENNY BAIRD)
Bonus Ball weekly winners (since 23rd July):
27th July (58) Ray Fairhead
3rd August (7) Tony Bettsworth
10th August (59) Tony Baker
17th August (49) Ian Harris
24th August (45) Allison Craze
Good luck in the final draw for this season, which will be on Saturday 31st August. Thank you to all those who bought Bonus Ball ticket(s). All profits from this fund raiser have benefitted the Bowls section of the club.
CLUB FRIENDLY MATCHES (CHRIS AXTON/ROSIE BURGES)
Mixed Friendly Matches (Chris Axton)
So far this season we have played 18 friendly mixed matches. Results are 9 wins, 7 losses and 2 draws.
Men’s Friendly Match (Chris Axton)
We have only played two men’s matches (two were unfortunately cancelled by our opponents) and we lost them both. Clearly we need more practice!
Ladies Friendly Match (Rosie Burges)
The ladies had only one friendly match in August, a home fixture against Hook and Southborough, which Ember won by 32 – 27.
Overall, this season has been a good one for the ladies’ team, winning 4 of the 7 Friendlies, but most importantly introducing a number of the newer bowlers to more competitive matches. They have performed well and been excellent additions to the team. Many thanks to them and all the ladies who have taken part in the fixtures.
FINALS WEEKEND 7/8 SEPTEMBER (MARY BAKER, LINDA PILLMAN AND ANN GREGG)
Finals’ weekend is on the horizon, 7th and 8th September to be precise. Please come and support those who are lucky enough to participate in the matches, they will appreciate your presence.
There will, of course be a raffle, which will be drawn when the Presentations have been made, and a Ploughman’s Lunch will be available on the Sunday lunchtime. Details for this and how to order will be on the notice board. Cakes will also be available, and, of course, the bar will be open.
The Sunday Presentations ceremony is the culmination of all our achievements this season, so please be there to cheer on the winners and runners up.
Full details will be sent out shortly with the timetable etc.
In the meantime, Ann Gregg has put in a plea…..As always, we hold a raffle, drawn on the Sunday afternoon before the presentations but if you are not there you will still receive your raffle prize. This raises much needed income for the bowls section but of course for this to happen we need prizes! Please can we ask for donations of suitable prizes, anything really that you yourself would like to win in a raffle. Donations can be left in a box I’ve left just inside the door of the committee room, in the ladies’ changing room in lockers 7 or 74 (one of the big ones next to the Captain’s locker) or give to me as I shall be around selling raffle tickets!
TROPHIES
Please could the winners of trophies & cups won at the 2023 Finals return them – polished! – there is a shelf available in the bar stockroom . According to the records there are 13 still to be returned.
Take a look at these websites to keep up to date with bowls at county and national levels.
www.bowlsengland.com
www.surreycountybowls.co.uk
www.ladiesbowlssurrey.co.uk
