Thanks to David and Debbie, bowls is back on the agenda. At present, access to the green is limited to two sessions per week, bookable in advance as mentioned in the email you will have received.

On Tuesday 19th, the first of the sessions got underway under a blazing hot sun. Thank heavens for the shade provided by the trees. Everything ran very smoothly, with Lorna and me (David R) playing on rink 3, Tony O on rink 2, Tony R on rink 4, and David and Debbie enjoying themselves on rink 1. There is a gap of 4.5 m between rinks, and we have a Green Steward present to help members comply with guidelines.

Here are a few photos to mark the occasion.

From our President

“To all members of MVBC, a message from your President.

With the exceptional impact of Covid-19 on the whole country, many of us thought that bowls this year was not going to be possible. But, people like David and Debbie, The NHS, and scientists, etc., have awakened the bulldog spirit of the British people. I thank them all for their positive outlook and dedication to get us on the green to enjoy our free time, and play the game of bowls again.

Please respect the new rules, and the people around you, at all times. I also thank the green stewards for helping you all through this new part of bowls. I hope you all enjoy Merrow Village Bowls 2020.

There is a long journey.

David Matthews, President.”

Guidelines

At this time, as we come to terms with the new COVID-19 guidelines, we are only opening the green to paid up members of the bowling club. However, if you are interested in joining the club or would simply like to try the sport, then please get in touch with us through our Contact page, and we will be in contact with you very shortly.

The Official Opening

David Matthews kindly volunteered to officially open our green on Sunday, 17th May, some time after our original plans. A short video of the event is available on the MVBC WhatsApp group. If you would like to join the group, please contact David Raison.

 

More Spring loveliness, thanks to Joan

With time on my hands, and some surplus wood, I decided to make a step for the green. This is to help bowlers who may be a bit less agile cross the ditch and enter/leave the green in safety. The photo shows the step in its raw state but it will soon turn a ‘nuclear yellow’, once I put some fence paint on.

All we need now is for the lockdown to be lifted.

We dropped into the club to say hello to David and Debbie (from a safe distance of course). As usual, they were both working hard to keep our green in tip-top condition.

There was also a lovely display of tulips outside the clubhouse, thanks to Joan.

Due to the Corona Virus restrictions and advice, we have decided to cancel our Spring Jumble Sale on 18th April.

Please do not bring any jumble to the club, as we will not be able to store it.

You can now follow Merrow Bowls on Twitter at @BowlsMerrow. This in addition to our Facebook page.

On Monday 4th March, seven intrepid Merrow bowlers (plus one wife) sailed to the Isle of Wight. We were headed to the Warners hotel at Bembridge, where we joined friends from Castle Green, and played in an Open Fours competition. This was our second year, so we had some idea of what to expect.

The competition gave each team a minimum of three matches, with two points for a win, and one point for a draw. The standard of play is quite high, so we were not surprised to miss out on the quarter-finals. However, that did mean a free Thursday, so we were able to please ourselves.

While at Warners, we were able to make use of the facilities including pistol shooting, rifle shooting, and archery. There was also access to an indoor pool and a gym.

One of Castle Green’s ladies celebrated her birthday on the Monday, when drinks were enjoyed by all.

All photos courtesy of Andy Kirk.

Oh, I almost forgot. The final was played out between two Cove teams.

On Thursday 20th February, Merrow Ladies entered a team in the Wey Valley ‘Ladies Open Invitation to Outdoor Clubs’. Ten teams played 5 games of 4 ends each, changing rinks after each game, whilst completing a two page quiz paper. The final game consisted of getting the bowl in a cardboard box in the ditch, not as easy as it sounds! Although the Merrow team of, Lesley, Lorna, Sally and Joan didn’t win the bowls, they did win the quiz for the third year running.

On Sunday 16th February, Merrow played our annual indoor match against Burpham at Wey Valley.

With the match requiring 24 bowlers on each side, Merrow struggled to reach the required numbers. However, we were fortunate to have some volunteers from other clubs coming to our rescue. Our special thanks to Rodney, Frank, Maggie, Mike, Trevor, and Brian Conley (Burpham), who joined us for the afternoon. The match was played in good humour, and with plenty of interaction between the teams.

With an overall score of 125-82 in Merrow’s favour, one would think that the match was very one-sided but that was not the case. Of the six rinks, Merrow won four, drew one, and lost one, with Burpham’s captain Vince winning on his rink. Merrow’s top rink was Lesley, Jarek, Andy, and David E with a great score of 29-7, narrowly beating John’s team for the honours. The afternoon concluded with a delicious roast dinner, enjoyed by all.

We look forward to hosting Burpham over the summer, and again next February.

I’m afraid the match photos aren’t that good. I was trying to use a camera instead of my phone but it didn’t really work indoors.