Richard found this photo of Merrow players from 2010.
I’m sure many of you will recognise faces.
Back row: Richard Duddy, Tony Oldland, Ken Webb, Ray Owen, Roy Edwards, Mike Jordan, Derek Oliver
Front row: Charlie Boys, Dave Matthews, Daisy Stewart (Dave’s granddaughter), Tony Cekys, Steve Mable.
On Sunday 17th April our green was officially opened for the new season. Our chair Richard Duddy and David Matthews’ daughter Sara each gave a short speech to the assembled throng before David’s widow Rosemary delivered the first bowl of the season
David Ewins had organised a short game of triples over six ends. Thanks to the good turnout, we had bowlers on six rinks and we were able to use our new scoreboards, kindly funded by Rentokil Initial. Everyone enjoyed playing in the warm sunshine and the afternoon was rounded off with tea and cake.
Here’s to a successful season.
Our first (post-Covid) jumble sale since October 2019 was held on Saturday, 9th April in the Village Hall.
We made £443.79 at the Jumble Sale with a possibility of more to come from sales on ebay.
Joan and Allen would particularly like to give a big thank you to those that helped in various ways, including our ‘donors’ and customers; without your support it would not have been such a great success.
The club’s annual Presentation Lunch took place on 24th October at the Guildford Masonic Centre. Due to the Covid pandemic we had to skip our 2020 lunch, so this was a welcome return to our calendar.
As usual, we were blessed with a fine day and a great turn out, with an impressive number of new members joining us for the event.
The carvery lunch was very well received by everyone. As usual, a quiz was provided for each table and, once everyone had eaten, it was time for president David Matthews to present the trophies. Congratulations to all the winners.
The afternoon concluded with a raffle and the results of the quiz, which was won by table five.
Photos kindly provided by Andy Kirk.
Copied from A Question of Bowls on Facebook.
On Sunday 2nd May, Merrow hosted Albury for our first Friendly of the season. In keeping with recent weather conditions, the day was cloudy and cold, but at least it didn’t rain.
Fortunately, our green is big enough to accommodate four rinks, with plenty of space between. The playing surface is also in splendid condition.
On to the match. Three of Merrow’s rinks got off to a good start, but the fourth was not so fortunate, with Albury storming ahead. However, as the match progressed, Albury really got into their stride.
A break for some hot tea at ten ends (thanks David and Debbie) was most welcome. Tea was held outside with table service, in line with Covid restrictions.
When play resumed, Albury forged ahead, leading on all four rinks, and running out winners with a score of 98-53.
On the plus side, we all had a pleasant afternoon’s bowling and plenty of bonhomie.
Our next match is also at home, when we play Horsell on 8th May.
Merrow played our first competitive match of the season at home on Thursday afternoon. Our opponents were Knaphill C in the Knaphill Triples league.
We were all a bit taken aback by the sudden drop in temperature, so there was plenty of wrapping up at the start of the match. However, when the dark clouds departed, it was at least possible to remove one layer.
Our green is in splendid shape, and can only improve. Our opponents seemed to struggle with the speed, which worked to our advantage. The final score came out as 33-23 to Merrow, a great result for our first match.
Our next match, on Sunday 2nd of May, is our first Friendly of the season, also at home. Our opponents will be Albury BC, and we shall play four triples.
As part of our bid for world domination, the club now has an Instgram account. Just look for “merrowbowls”.
The banner is up, inviting people to our club.
Looking forward to seeing old friends on the green again.
Monday was our second week of clearing the bank at the side of our green, having adopted it from the parent club.
Over the years, the bank has become overgrown with weeds and ivy, resulting in a not very attractive outlook. The plan is to clear the site, and replant with something more decorative.
While at the club, it was great to see our green looking splendid. I can’t wait to get my bowls out again.
Merrow Village Bowls Club 