… On Sunday 22nd it’s our annual match against the Village Club! Don’t forget to put your name down, or at least come along and cheer us on. Remember, they beat us last year, so let’s do our best to win.

There will be a barbecue and raffle too.

On Wednesday, 11th July, Merrow played host to Holloway Hill for a friendly of four triples.

The weather, while warm and sunny, was a little cooler than of late, which was most welcome.

As the match developed, Holloway Hill were in the ascendancy, with only your correspondent’s rink ahead for Merrow. But, as you know, we Merrow bowlers never give up and recovery was on the cards. At the culmination of the match, Holloway Hill came out on top 57-60. However, Merrow won on two rinks and drew on a third, so we can be pleased with our performance, particularly as we had some inexperienced bowlers playing.

We stopped for some very welcome tea and cake at half time, provided by David Foster.

Merrow’s best rink, winning by two points, were Lorna, Debbie, and Ken. Good performances by Bernard, Julian, and Robin are also to be conmended. Well done to all our bowlers.

We had a clear-out at the club today and uncovered a lot of interesting documents and photographs, plus the odd trophy or two.

I shall be scanning and uploading the documents and photos over time, but for now, I’ve uploaded a letter confirming our acceptance into the Surrey County Bowling Association. All the uploads can be found under the menu item “Club History“, so why not take a look.

On Wednesday, 4th July, Merrow hosted a friendly match of three triples with Mayford Hall.

We were fortunate that, with so much hot weather, there was a nice breeze to stop us overheating. With the ongoing lack of rain, the ground was very hard and dry, which resulted in a fast green, albeit a little bumpy.

After a shaky start, Merrow were soon in control. We managed wins on all three rinks, giving us a score of 61-38. Top rink was Mike, David R, and David E. It was great to have two of our newer bowlers in action; well done Bernard and Julian on a fine performance.

At the half-way mark, we all tucked into delicious home-made cakes and tasty watermelon. Our thanks to Lorna and Lesley.

Sunday, 1st July, saw Merrow travel to Ripley for a match of three triples.

The day was hot and overcast, making for very sticky conditions. Fortunately, there was a ready supply of cool drinks by the green to keep us hydrated.

The match was very hard fought, with an outstanding win of 22-8 for Merrow’s Lesley, Len, and John. Well done to them. Sadly, we could not emulate that performance on the other two rinks, and Merrow lost by the slimmest of margins; 44-45.

Because of the heat, we had played the eighteen ends without a break, so the tea provided by Ripley was most welcome.

We look forward to our return match on Saturday, 1st September.