Earlier in the year, we were forced to cancel a couple of home matches because of the torrential rain. On Saturday, 30th June, we hosted a rescheduled match with the Pippbrook club from Dorking.

A shortage of Pippbrook players resulted in a match of three triples, played in scorching heat with only a little shade available.

The match fluctuated with each side taking and relinquishing the lead. Eventually, Merrow managed to win on two of the three rinks, and winning overall by just two points with 44-42.

Our best rink turned out to be that of the captain, your correspondent. Well done to Tony (who stepped in at the very last minute), John, and David R, who won by nine points in a low-scoring game.

Rodney provided everyone with a very welcome tea at half time, which was taken in the shade of a convenient gazebo.

Well done to all the Merrow players.

The Fixtures list, which details our Friendly matches, has been revised.

You can now see match results throughout the year, although historical entries have yet to be entered.

Be sure to check each week!

We’ve had a little re-vamp.

If you look at your browser’s address bar, it now says “merrowbowls.com”. No mention of WordPress, although they still host our site.

Another nice feature is something that you won’t see anymore; advertisements. We now have a paid-for website, which does away with advertising.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be adding results to the fixture list so that you can monitor how well we are playing in our friendlies.

Make sure to bookmark the new site and drop in each week for the latest news updates.

Happy bowling!

On Wednesday, 13th June, Merrow entertained Castle Green for an evening match. We played four rinks of triples, although Castle Green had to play as pairs on two of the rinks, due to a shortage of available bowlers.

The evening was a little chilly, but that was soon dispelled by the warmth of welcome by both teams.

Play commenced at 6pm and we played all eighteen ends straight through, to ensure we didn’t run out of daylight. Games on all four rinks were played in a friendly but competitive spirit, with Merrow running out as overall winners by 60 points to 50.

Well done to Mark, Mike, and Brian R for battling on a difficult rink four and getting a draw. Top rink goes to Ken, Lorna, and Wednesday Captain, Brian T, winning by a nine point margin.

The evening was rounded off with drinks and a chat.

On Saturday, 9th June, Merrow bowlers made the trip to Ewhurst to play four rinks of triples.

A warm day promised a pleasant afternoon’s bowling. With introductions complete, the match got under way.

Ewhurst’s green proved a delight to play on; fast and smooth, with plenty of movement. Scores ebbed and flowed on each rink, with each side gaining the advantage during the match.

We broke off for tea and cakes after nine ends, and then we all got back to the business in hand.

The final result was a first for your correspondent, a draw! Each side won two rinks, which seems a fair outcome.

A special mention must go to Allen, Ken, and Colin, who came back from 21-4 down to only lose by two points at 21-19. Our top rink was John, Mike, and David E, who won by 8 points.

Our thanks go to Thelma for organising the refreshments, and to Mike for running the bar.

We look forward to our return match.

Merrow’s latest mid-week friendly was hosted by Puttenham on Wednesday, 6th June.

The weather gods were smiling on us as the match of three triples got under way. Initially, both sides had problems reading the green, with even the home side suffering.

Despite Merrow’s best efforts, we lost on two of the three rinks, with Puttenham winning by 53-41. However, congratulations to our top rink of Lorna, Len, and David E, our only winners.

Sadly, one of Puttenham’s bowlers was taken ill towards the end of the match and was treated on the green by a team of paramedics. I’m sure all Merrow players join me in wishing him a speedy recovery.

Our afternoon was rounded off with a delicious tea, with scrumptious home-made cakes.

Merrow entertain Puttenham on 14th August and we look forward to a good match.

Photos by David Raison and Libby Taylor.

On Sunday, 3rd June, Merrow visited Godalming for our maiden friendly.

We were treated to a beautiful, and very hot, afternoon of bowls, accompanied by a band playing in the adjacent park. There were hordes of people out enjoying the sunshine and music, and some even watched us bowling. Overall, a very bucolic scene.

Godalming had surplus bowlers who wanted to play, so we ended up playing two triples and two rinks, with Godalming loaning two players to make up the fours.

As ever, although this was a friendly, no quarter was given, but the match was played with good humour on both sides. The green was playing well, fairly smooth and fast with bowls turning as expected.

We had a welcome break for tea after ten ends, when Merrow were presented with a scroll marking Godalming’s 150th anniversary in 2017.

The final result saw a victory of 70-57 for Merrow, but each side won on two rinks, which seemed a fair result. Congratulations to Merrow’s top team of Ken, Lorna, and David E for an outstanding performance, winning 25-8. We look forward to this match becoming a regular fixture.

Photos by David R and Ben Hosking: