On Saturday, 22nd June, Merrow bowlers made the journey to Ottershaw for our annual fixture. It promised to be a hot and sunny afternoon, and we weren’t disappointed.

We played three rinks of triples, with a break for tea at the halfway mark, nine ends. Ottershaw fielded a team of very experienced bowlers, in contrast to our team where most have less than five years experience. Experience shone through as Ottershaw started to rack up the points, leading to an overall win of 64-28. A big “well done” to Ken, Debbie and Lorna who came very close, losing by just four points. As a side, we did our best against very strong opposition and acquitted ourselves well, despite the score.

We only play Ottershaw once a year, so our next meeting will be at Merrow in 2020.

After the cancellation of several matches due to bad weather, it was a relief for Merrow to visit Albury on Saturday, 15th June for a friendly of four triples. Although we had had rain on and off over the previous week, the day had started dry and sunny. However, things changed in the afternoon, with heavy cloud and showers making the outlook rather bleak. We were fortunate that, after a short shower, the weather dried up and we were able to stay dry for the match.

As ever, Albury had fielded a strong side, and we approached the match knowing they would be hard to beat. Our bowlers had had little opportunity to practice during the previous week, so we were really up against it. After two trial ends, we played the eighteen ends straight through, which was a good plan given the weather conditions.

The teams were soon battling away, with each Merrow team doing their best to win each end. Sadly, we were overcome, with Merrow only winning on one rink; that of Sally, Richard, and David R who won 20-9. Rink three came s-o-o-o close to winning, being three down on the last end and holding four but Albury put paid to that by winning on the last bowl of the match. Well done though to Judy, Len, and Ken for a spirited performance.

Following the match, we enjoyed tea and drinks with our hosts.

 

 

 

On Wednesday, 5th June, Merrow travelled to Puttenham for a match of three triples. The weather was cool and threatened rain, although we were fortunate to have a dry afternoon.

As ever, we were made very welcome by the Puttenham bowlers and the match was soon underway. Puttenham’s green is rather different to most that we play on. It is quite short and, unusually, doubles up as a putting green for the adjacent golf club.

Merrow soon worked out how the green was running and moved ahead early on. A welcome stop for tea after nine ends helped us all warm up and enjoy some sandwiches and cakes.  After the break, it was business as usual, with Merrow scoring well. The final result was a win for Merrow, 53-37. Top rink was Sue, Lesley and David R with a score of 22-8; well done team.

We look forward to entertaining Puttenham at Merrow on 14th August.

It is with regret that I am cancelling our planned triples competition for less experienced bowlers, scheduled for 16th June to celebrate our 90th anniversary.

The reality is that, despite contacting about thirty clubs across Surrey, we had just one entry. We had kept the entry cost to an affordable level and stressed that the competition was to give the less experienced bowler a chance to compete, all to no avail.

Or, a weekend of mixed fortunes

The weekend of 1st-2nd June provided Merrow with another packed and challenging programme, hosting Heathervale and Godalming clubs. Both matches demonstrated the friendliness that epitomises the sport of bowls.

Heathervale

On an extremely hot Saturday, 1st June, we hosted Heathervale for a match of four triples.

Under blue skies, all four rinks got down to the task in hand. All was going well until the break for a much needed cup of tea and cake. Thanks to Tony for providing the refreshments.

After the break, Heathervale really got into their stride on the captains’ rink, getting ahead sufficiently to ensure an overall win of 68-73, despite good performances by Merrow on the other rinks.

Merrow’s top rink of Lesley, Lorna, and Richard Had a great result, winning 20-13.

Godalming

Sunday, 2nd June turned out a lot cooler and windier than Saturday; we even felt a few raindrops! Godalming were our visitors for only our second fixture with them, which was of three triples instead of the planned four.

The Merrow teams got off to a good start, with much good humour between the two sides. At the break for tea and cake, kindly provided by Sally and Robin, we all took the opportunity to relax for a few minutes.

At the restart, Merrow were soon in the ascendancy, with all rinks playing well. At close of play Merrow came out on top with a score of 61-38. Our top rink with a great score of 31-10 was Jarek, David R, and David E. However, all our teams played their hearts out to contribute to the win.

We look forward to visiting Godalming next season.

A selection of photos from both matches

Over the winter, David and Debbie have been working hard to get our green into better shape for the new season. I’m sure you’ll agree that we can see the difference already.

To keep the green in shape, it needs mowing about three times a week. To help David with the day-to-day work, Ken and Allen have volunteered to take on some of the mowing duties. However, that still leaves a shortfall of volunteers. Can you spare one morning a week to mow the green? You’d be paired up with another member, so it would not be a solo job, and David will train you on how to use our Dennis mower.

Please contact David if you can help.

Merrow played two friendlies over the weekend of 25/26th May. Saturday’s match was at Burpham for the first of our local derbies, while on Sunday Merrow entertained Knaphill for our first friendly in recent memory.

Burpham

On a hot Saturday afternoon, Merrow visited Burpham for a match of four triples. We were made very welcome by our hosts and it was good to meet up with a number of players that we know from the indoor sessions at Wey Valley.

The match started well, with Merrow bowlers giving a good account of themselves. We stopped for a cup of tea at the halfway stage to slake our thirst, which was much appreciated given the hot weather. The final outcome was a win for Burpham by 6 points with a score of 73-67, with each side winning on two rinks. Merrow’s top rink with the highest margin was Lesley, Richard and David R, winning 16-12 but special mention goes to Sally, Brian R and Bob who won 23-21, giving them the highest scoring rink overall.

We look forward to our return match on 24th August.

Knaphill

On Sunday, 26th May, Merrow hosted Knaphill for an inaugural friendly of four triples. Unlike Saturday, the sky was overcast and we had a heavy shower just before the match started. However, despite the lowering clouds, the match was played in dry but cool conditions.

Knaphill had brought a strong side, and Merrow were under pressure from the outset. There was spirited play from two of the Merrow teams, with Mark, Allen, and Bob losing by a single point. The high point of the match was on rink 1, where Jarek, Debbie, and David E won by a magnificent 23-12. Overall though, Knaphill were convincing winners by 81 points to Merrow’s 52. Man of the match must be Jarek, who only joined Merrow as a new bowler a couple of weeks earlier and played a great game.

We all enjoyed the interval tea and cake, which this time was a joint effort by several members.

We only play Knaphill once this season, so we hope for a better result next year.

 

Wednesday, 22nd May saw Merrow play one of their few evening matches. On this occasion we visited Westfield for a match of four triples.

We were blessed with a lovely evening on which to play bowls, although the low sun did pose a few problems until the trees gave us some shade. The match started well for Merrow, on a green that was reasonably fast with few problems. As this was an evening match, we played straight through without a break for tea, so it was essential to have a drink to hand.

The Merrow bowlers gave a good account of themselves, with each rink playing hard for a result. Unfortunately, we were unable to turn our efforts into a positive result, with Westfield winning 74-62 overall. However, there were good results for two of our teams. Sue, Allen, and David E won 17-16, with Debbie, Lorna, and Ken winning 17-13. A big “well done” to both teams.

After the match, Westfield laid on tea, which was enjoyed by all. We look forward to the return match at Merrow on 14th July.

On Sunday, 19th May, Merrow hosted Milford for a match of four triples.

Milford brought a strong team. The atmosphere was friendly and well contested. At the end of the match honours were even, with each team winning on two rinks. However, Merrow prevailed to win 66-62.

On Saturday 11th May, Merrow bowlers travelled to Liphook for a match of four triples. Leaving Guildford in the rain and hail, we were pleasantly surprised to find Liphook sunny and dry.

The match was closely fought, with the lead moving first one way and then the other. After a break for tea and cake, both sides resumed battle much refreshed. The eventual outcome went in Liphook’s favour, with a score of 81-62. Liphook won on three rinks but congratulations to Ron, Len, and Bob on their win of 22-20. There was a narrow loss by a single point for Lorna, Debbie, and John; well played, you nearly made it.

We look forward to entertaining Liphook later in the year.