Woo-hoo! We have been featured in the May edition of Merrow Pages, with Sue making a starring appearance on the front cover.

Let’s hope the article prompts some potential new members to get in touch.

Our unofficial opening to declare the green open for practice took place in glorious weather on Sunday, 21st April. Our President, David Matthews, sent up a longish jack and managed to trail it with his first bowl remarking it was something he had waited 25 years to achieve.
Three rinks were used for roll ups and short games and there were some very tidy looking heads achieved which bodes well for the coming season.
The Official Opening by Anne Milton MP will be 28th at 1pm followed by a friendly match against Albury. We wonder if David can repeat his jack trailing, come and see!

The new outdoor season is almost upon us. The green will be officially opened by our President, David Matthews, on Sunday, 21st April, giving us a week to hone our skills before our first match on Sunday, 28th April. The match will be preceded at 1pm by our MP, Anne Milton, opening our 90th season. Do come along and support your club.

Club nights start on Tuesday, 23rd April, so why not come along, have a roll-up, and meet up with old friends.

On Saturday, 13th April, we held our first jumble sale of 2019.

We were lucky with the weather, cold but sunny, which helped to bring the buyers.

Friday evening had been a very busy time, setting up tables and putting out the jumble ready for the early Saturday start. I’m particularly grateful to all the club members who turned up at 10:30pm to get us set up.

On Saturday, dealers were our first visitors at 8:30. They pay a premium for early entry, which helps boost our takings. At last 10:00 arrived and we were able to let the public in. It was good to see some familiar faces and there is always the opportunity for some freindly banter. Sales were brisk and, as expected, some great bargains were there for the taking. A first for this year was the cake stall, where all but two fairy cakes went to an appreciative home.

Eventually, time was up and we set to work clearing the hall. It’s always surprising to see items that one expects to sell still on the tables.

Once again, a big thank you to everyone who helped make the sale a success. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Our next jumble sale is on 26th October.

Yes, it’s our first jumble sale of 2019!

Why not come along to Merrow Village Hall at 10am on Saturday, 13th April and bag some bargains. We’ll have textiles, books, toys, and bric-a-brac stalls to temp you.

A new feature for this year is a cake stall. Indulge your taste buds and support the bowls club at the same time.

Doors open at 10am with an entry fee of just 50p. If you want first choice, you can pay £5 for entry at 8:30am.

Tuesday, 26th March was a lovely warm and sunny day. Taking full advantage of the favourable conditions, a group of club members spent the morning planting, painting, mending, rolling, and mowing.

David and Debbie’s herculean efforts on the green have certainly born fruit, with a lovely smooth surface. We all owe them a vote of thanks for their work.

Update: I should also mention the hard work put in by Bernard and Andy preparing the benches ready for painting. There’s been a fair bit of repair work and an awful lot of sanding!

We are holding the first of our 2019 Jumble Sales on 13th April. If you are able to donate jumble please get in touch with any committee member, who will help organise storage.

If you are able to put aside some time to help set up on the Friday evening from about 10:30pm, or if you can help on the day of the jumble sale, please let David R know. We always have a great deal of fun dealing with the buyers, so the more the merrier.

Click here for the details: Jumble Sale ad A4 white

On Sunday, 17th February, Merrow hosted Burpham at Wey Valley IBC for a friendly of 6 Rinks over 21 ends. This match was the last of Merrow’s indoor matches and required almost all of our players, with the final numbers being made up by Brian and Rose from Burpham.

The match was played in a very friendly manner, with much jollity among the teams. Up until our break for tea and cake, the overall scores were very close. However, after the break Burpham started to edge ahead, eventually winning by 31 points, with an overall score of 107-138.

However, it was not all bad news. Merrow had two winning rinks: Rink 5 with Sally, Joan, Andy, and David E our top rink winning 32-10, and Rink 6 with Sue, Tony, Len, and Rodney coming a close second with a score of 31-17. Congratulations to both teams.

One further team worthy of special mention was on Rink 2, where Sue, Rose, Ken, and Bob came a close second, losing by a mere 5 points. What makes this result stand out is that only Ken plays indoors, so the team was really up against it.

After the match, a delicious meal was served up by Nicky and her team, which everyone enjoyed. We mustn’t forget Robert behind the bar

We look forward to our two outdoor matches against Burpham over the Summer.

As Merrow celebrate our 90th anniversary, it’s pleasing to see that Scuderia Ferrari are also celebrating. Perhaps they’d like a game of bowls 😀

Unless you have paid your Village Club (not bowls) annual subscription, then your subs are overdue. Please drop into the club any day to pay.