On Thursday 20th February, Merrow Ladies entered a team in the Wey Valley ‘Ladies Open Invitation to Outdoor Clubs’. Ten teams played 5 games of 4 ends each, changing rinks after each game, whilst completing a two page quiz paper. The final game consisted of getting the bowl in a cardboard box in the ditch, not as easy as it sounds! Although the Merrow team of, Lesley, Lorna, Sally and Joan didn’t win the bowls, they did win the quiz for the third year running.

On Sunday 16th February, Merrow played our annual indoor match against Burpham at Wey Valley.

With the match requiring 24 bowlers on each side, Merrow struggled to reach the required numbers. However, we were fortunate to have some volunteers from other clubs coming to our rescue. Our special thanks to Rodney, Frank, Maggie, Mike, Trevor, and Brian Conley (Burpham), who joined us for the afternoon. The match was played in good humour, and with plenty of interaction between the teams.

With an overall score of 125-82 in Merrow’s favour, one would think that the match was very one-sided but that was not the case. Of the six rinks, Merrow won four, drew one, and lost one, with Burpham’s captain Vince winning on his rink. Merrow’s top rink was Lesley, Jarek, Andy, and David E with a great score of 29-7, narrowly beating John’s team for the honours. The afternoon concluded with a delicious roast dinner, enjoyed by all.

We look forward to hosting Burpham over the summer, and again next February.

I’m afraid the match photos aren’t that good. I was trying to use a camera instead of my phone but it didn’t really work indoors.

 

On Sunday, 26th January, Merrow bowlers travelled to Camberley IBC for our annual friendly. Due to a number of factors, we could only raise twelve players, instead of the planned fifteen, but Camberley were very understanding, and organised a match for six of their own players to make up the numbers.

As expected, this was to be a very tough fixture, with Camberley fielding a much more experienced and stronger side than Merrow. However, we all played our hardest, and on each of the four rinks, we certainly did our best to take the game to Camberley. The break for tea seemed to give the Merrow players renewed vigour, and we all came out fighting to win the remaining ends. However, the final score of 98-45 showed Camberley’s class, which we can only aspire to at present.

We had the unusual situation of two top rinks for this match. Both David E and Ken’s teams lost by the same margin, and won the same number of ends! However, Lewis, Lorna and Ken managed to keep their opponents in check to a greater degree, gaining them the accolade of Top Rink (and a chocolate bar).

The day was rounded off with a delicious roast dinner, followed by the raffle. At our 2019 match Merrow won all the raffle prizes but we were not quite as successful this year. All in all, a most enjoyable afternoon’s bowling with a friendly opposition. We look forward to our next meeting in 2021.

Merrow’s final match of the 2019/20 season is on 16th February, when we play Burpham over six rinks at Wey Valley. If you would like to play, please let David R know, either by email or phone. Alternatively, drop into the club and write your name on the team sheet.

Here are a few photos of the day. I was so engrossed in the match, I almost forgot to take any!

 

A very merry Christmas to all Merrow Village Bowls Club members, and to all who follow our exploits. ☃️

You can view the club’s new constitution on the website, by going to Club Documents, and clicking on the Club Constitution link. A paper copy will also soon be available in the clubhouse.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, 27th November, Merrow made the short trip to Leatherhead, where we played four rinks against Mole Valley IBC. It was a miserable, wet day, so an indoor match was just the ticket.

We were a player short, so were pleased that Mole Valley could loan us Fred at short notice. Fred turned out to be a godsend, being a very strong lead.

Merrow are still developing as a side, so it came as no surprise that we struggled to win ends. The exception was the team of Fred, Richard, Lorna, and David E, who played out of their skins to gain an impressive win. Unfortunately, the other three rinks weren’t able to overcome their opposition, and Mole Valley had a comfortable victory. Despite our defeat, we all had an enjoyable afternoon’s bowling with our friendly hosts.

We look forward to next year’s fixture, when we should be better able to take the game to Mole Valley.

Our next indoor match is at Camberley IBC on Sunday, 26th January.

 

 

The club’s AGM was held on Monday, 11th November. This year, the AGM was held in the Village Hall’s Library, a first for us. It was good to see so many members attending on the night, taking part in the various discussions. 

Reports

The committee presented their reports to the meeting, covering the following areas:

• Chairman’s report
• Treasurer’s report
• Secretary’s report
• Competition Secretary’s report
• Captains’ reports for mid-week, weekend, and leagues

Election of Officers

Then we went on to the election of officers, all of which were elected unopposed. A new post was introduced, that of Press Officer, which covers publicity and promotion of the club. Election results were as follows:

• President: David Matthews
• Chairman: Brian Taylor
• Treasurer: Debbie Ewins
• Secretary/Fixtures Secretary: David Ewins
• Competitions Secretary: Joan Mead
• Mid-Week Captain: Allen Mead
• Weekend Captain: David Raison
• Press Officer: David Raison

David Ewins will continue to run the Tuesday and Friday leagues, and John Wills the  Thursday league.

Resolutions

Two resolutions were presented by David Raison:

1. The first proposal was to raise the membership fee for Full Members to £70, after being held at £60 for at least a decade. Associate and new members to receive a 50% discount, paying £35.
2. The second proposal was to adopt a club constitution, based on a template from Bowls England. This formalises roles, club rules, and procedures. It also opens the door to gaining potential external funding for the club.

Both resolutions were discussed by those present, and passed by a show of hands.

The meeting closed, with some members retiring to the Village Club for a drink and a game of snooker, which generated a lot of laughs. 

Don’t forget the club AGM on Monday, 11th November. We meet at 7:30 in the Village Hall’s Library, as there are some noisy events in the Village Club.

Do come along, vote on resolutions, and hear what your committee has to say.

See you there!

On Saturday, 26th October, we held our second Jumble Sale of the year at Merrow Village Hall. As usual, we had a tremendous amount of clothes, fabrics, books, shoes, bric-a-brac, and electricals donated.

Late on Friday evening, a band of volunteers got together to prepare for the sale. We were putting out tables, carrying jumble in from both of our stores, and then sorting and  loading onto the relevant tables. A big thank you to everyone for their help.

In contrast, we had a very early start on Saturday, the morning of the sale. More jumble had arrived, and that had to be checked and distributed. Dealers get an early entry (at a price), and they arrived early, eager to see what we had on offer. One couple had travelled from East Sussex, an hour and a half’s drive, because we have “such a lovely Jumble Sale”!

At 10am, the general public were admitted. We still had tons of great items for sale, so they were not disappointed or short-changed in any way. I always enjoy the interaction and banter of the sale, and it’s a pleasure to see young children with their parents.

We finally closed our doors at about noon, when we had the task of moving everything that remained into our store, and tidying the Village Hall ready for the next occupants. A tiring day but most satisfying. Once again, a really big thank-you to all who helped during the sale, and those who came along to help clear away. We really appreciate your help.

Our next sale will be in Spring 2020, when we will have even more bargains. Watch this space for information on dates. The event will also be publicised on the websites of Eagle Radio and Guildford Dragon, and on the Merrow noticeboards, about a month beforehand.

On Sunday, 20th October, Merrow’s Presentation Lunch took place at the Masonic Centre in Guildford. As usual, there was a good turn out of members, ready to enjoy the afternoon. Pre-lunch drinks gave us all the opportunity to catch-up with all our friends.

The event began with a tasty lunch, preceded by a quiz kindly prepared by Tony Cekys, which had us all wracking our brains. Our meal was a welcome distraction from the quiz, and we all enjoyed the lovely food.

Following our meal, it was time for the prizegiving.  There was a lot of applause and good-natured banter from the attendees, as Richard and David M made each presentation. Following the awards, a small gift was given to David and Debbie for their work on improving the green, to which club members had contributed. Then it was on to the raffle! We had all brought along a raffle prize, and agin there was a lot of laughter for the winners.

We look forward to next year, and another fun-packed afternoon.

Note: should anyone like a copy of their photo, please contact David R.