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: