On what must have been the hottest day of the year so far (32+), Merrow travelled to Dorking for a match of three triples at Pippbrook.

Under a blue sky with the sun beating down, the teams embarked on the first of eighteen ends. Hats and suncream were the order of the day. Merrow were soon battling hard and, on two rinks, moving ahead. Plenty of liquids were being taken on board, as we were playing straight through without a break. Sadly, one rink conceded early, as a Merrow player was unable to continue due to the heat.

The match ended with each side winning a rink, and one drawn. However, the overall score favoured Pippbrook, who won 57-44.

Merrow’s top rink was Lesley, David R, and John, who won 21-19. Our drawn rink of Judy, Lorna, and Ken, narrowly missed out on a win, with Pippbrook gaining a single on the last end to draw level.

The post-match tea was welcomed by everyone.

For the latest in our midweek matches, on Wednesday 26th we travelled to East Horsley for a match of three triples. A hot and sunny afternoon beckoned and, of course, I’d left my hat at home.

Merrow started well, with all rinks winning ends. However, things started to go wrong for your correspondent’s rink as East Horsley started to move ahead, often winning ends that we felt could have been ours. Fortunately, the other two rinks were faring much better, as they fought hard to maintain a lead.

Stopping for tea and cakes at nine ends was a welcome relief from the heat, and we all started the next half with renewed vigour.

The end result was an overall win for East Horsley, with a score of 60-44. However, Merrow won two of the three rinks, with Lorna, Andy, and Ken being our top rink with a score of 22-13. Well done to both rinks.

We only play East Horsley once a year, so we look forward to welcoming them to Merrow in 2020, when we hope for an improved result.

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