The skills you’ve honed over a lifetime of sport will make you a star on the green, and that green’s just up the road at Merrow Village Bowls Club.
If you know anyone who plays a different sport, and who may be interested in finding out more about bowls, show them this video and get them to contact David Ewins.
Thanks to David and Debbie, bowls is back on the agenda. At present, access to the green is limited to two sessions per week, bookable in advance as mentioned in the email you will have received.
On Tuesday 19th, the first of the sessions got underway under a blazing hot sun. Thank heavens for the shade provided by the trees. Everything ran very smoothly, with Lorna and me (David R) playing on rink 3, Tony O on rink 2, Tony R on rink 4, and David and Debbie enjoying themselves on rink 1. There is a gap of 4.5 m between rinks, and we have a Green Steward present to help members comply with guidelines.
Here are a few photos to mark the occasion.
“To all members of MVBC, a message from your President.
With the exceptional impact of Covid-19 on the whole country, many of us thought that bowls this year was not going to be possible. But, people like David and Debbie, The NHS, and scientists, etc., have awakened the bulldog spirit of the British people. I thank them all for their positive outlook and dedication to get us on the green to enjoy our free time, and play the game of bowls again.
Please respect the new rules, and the people around you, at all times. I also thank the green stewards for helping you all through this new part of bowls. I hope you all enjoy Merrow Village Bowls 2020.
There is a long journey.
David Matthews, President.”
At this time, as we come to terms with the new COVID-19 guidelines, we are only opening the green to paid up members of the bowling club. However, if you are interested in joining the club or would simply like to try the sport, then please get in touch with us through our Contact page, and we will be in contact with you very shortly.
David Matthews kindly volunteered to officially open our green on Sunday, 17th May, some time after our original plans. A short video of the event is available on the MVBC WhatsApp group. If you would like to join the group, please contact David Raison.
More Spring loveliness, thanks to Joan
With time on my hands, and some surplus wood, I decided to make a step for the green. This is to help bowlers who may be a bit less agile cross the ditch and enter/leave the green in safety. The photo shows the step in its raw state but it will soon turn a ‘nuclear yellow’, once I put some fence paint on.
All we need now is for the lockdown to be lifted.
We dropped into the club to say hello to David and Debbie (from a safe distance of course). As usual, they were both working hard to keep our green in tip-top condition.
There was also a lovely display of tulips outside the clubhouse, thanks to Joan.
As many of you will know, following instructions from the Government the Parent Club closed last Friday (20th) and will remain closed for the next few weeks.
The Friday West Surrey league and the Thursday Knaphill Triples league have been cancelled for the season. Friendlies in the early part of the season have been cancelled by a number of clubs, with some doing so until the end of May and some to the end of June. Our next Committee meeting is scheduled for the 20th April, which is a week after the current ‘lock down’, so hopefully we will be able to make definitive decisions at that point, e.g. about opening the green for practise/informal rollups and playing of friendlies. Members should assume that the green will not be available until they have been informed.
I circulated statements from Bowls England and Bowls Surrey last week, but if you were unable to open the attachments these are available from the Bowls Surrey website: https://www.surreycountybowls.co.uk/
Bowls England has today launched its own YouTube channel as part of its commitment to inform and entertain its members. The intention is that this will provide Bowls England with a one stop shop for all its multimedia content, e.g. where you will find the ‘Extra End’ Podcast, ‘Keep Active’ videos and other audio-visual content. You can find a link for this at: https://www.bowlsengland.com/bowls-england-youtube/
For more general news from Bowls England, please visit their website: https://www.bowlsengland.com/news-items/
I have also spoken with Conor Grogan, our BDA Club Development Officer today, and he will be sending information to me in the next few days to enable the committee members to complete background work before we undertake any green based activities. As you will have seen from the minutes our revised date for our Open Day is Sunday 21st June, so please put that date in your diary.
We are continuing to undertake essential maintenance of the green so that we can be ready for play within a few days of being given the go ahead. I know that a number of members have offered their support for this but, for the time being, to make it relatively straight forward for us to comply with government guidance, e.g. correct social distancing, Debbie and I will do the necessary work. Obviously we will be asking for help as soon as we feel this would be practical.
Finally, if any members need support/help over the coming weeks, please let Debbie or me know. Our contact details are on the website https://merrowbowls.com/club-officers/ and in your Fixture Booklet.
Kind regards
David Ewins, Secretary
Due to the Corona Virus restrictions and advice, we have decided to cancel our Spring Jumble Sale on 18th April.
Please do not bring any jumble to the club, as we will not be able to store it.
You can now follow Merrow Bowls on Twitter at @BowlsMerrow. This in addition to our Facebook page.
On Monday 4th March, seven intrepid Merrow bowlers (plus one wife) sailed to the Isle of Wight. We were headed to the Warners hotel at Bembridge, where we joined friends from Castle Green, and played in an Open Fours competition. This was our second year, so we had some idea of what to expect.
The competition gave each team a minimum of three matches, with two points for a win, and one point for a draw. The standard of play is quite high, so we were not surprised to miss out on the quarter-finals. However, that did mean a free Thursday, so we were able to please ourselves.
While at Warners, we were able to make use of the facilities including pistol shooting, rifle shooting, and archery. There was also access to an indoor pool and a gym.
One of Castle Green’s ladies celebrated her birthday on the Monday, when drinks were enjoyed by all.
All photos courtesy of Andy Kirk.
Oh, I almost forgot. The final was played out between two Cove teams.
