Mid-May Weekly news and match report

Kim Wright
4 days ago
5 min read

Weekly News

Don't forget, Allan/Wendy will hold coaching sessions every Monday at 4:45pm, prior to the start of the Umbrella at 6:15pm. As well as instruction on the green, the coaches will provide hints and tips, pointers on rules, and of course, etiquette.

Why not come along and join in? Potential new members are welcome.

Call Mike Nickson, club captain on 07708 451348 for details, and to book a place.

Open Day this Saturday

Come to Banwell Bowling Club, West Street, Banwell. Park in the village car park, and wander down past the shops, You will see our green clubhouse just past the barber's shop

We are looking forward to our open day on Saturday 24th May. There will be plenty for our visitors to see and do. It runs from 11am to 5pm, with a sausage sizzle available from 12-2pm, and tea and cake in the afternoon, along with the ladies vs men match to watch, and plenty of room for visitors to have a go at bowling.

There will also be a sale of pre-loved bowls clothes and equipment, plus plants and bric a brac, books and puzzles. If you have any items you can donate to these, please bring them into the clubhouse. Dee will run a whisky and a Baileys raffle. Bob and Janis will have the bar open.

There's still time for members to volunteer help, so please let Wendy know if you can do any of the following:

Light the BBQ and cook a few(!) sausages
Make a cake
'Meet and greet’ non members and help them to have a go at bowling if they want to
Man the stalls, including tea and cakes

Invite your friends!

News of an electronic selection trial

From this week, the selection committee will add you to the selection system if you have

signed up for a match on paper. This means that, when they select you online, you will receive an email to say you are selected, with a link to Clubhouse Chat, where the team sheet will have details.

You will also get an email reminder email the day before the match.

The trial is taking place to see if we can find a more efficient way of selecting, that better reflects the needs of the selection committee.

Calling all members - are you free on Fridays?

We've been having a go at a shorter version of bowling called bowls bash. It takes about an hour, and we're finding it to be great fun. If you fancy a go, why not come along to the club on Fridays at 2pm to join in?

Ask Allan!

This week, I thought I would discuss with you the duty of players and their roles in a match - the role of the skip, number 3 and the lead, as described in Section 3 Duty of Players, in the Law of the game of Lawn Bowls.

I usually play skip at Banwell. It's not a position that I crave, as you seem to be on a hiding to nothing most of the time. You are expected to retrieve the end when it's down; I promise you it's not an enviable position!

So, to the Skip's duties;

Law 40 -1-1 The Skip will have sole charge of the team, and all the players in the team must follow the Skip's instructions.

This can be difficult to take at times.

Law 40 -1-2 The Skip must decide all disputed points with the opposing Skip.

I have omitted the part that deals with the Skip's relationship with an umpire as we probably will not be playing in a match that has an umpire.

According to Law 40-1-7 The Skips must;

Be responsible for the score card
Make sure that the names are correct on the score card, of both sides
Record on the score card, all shots scored for and against, for both teams as each end is completed
Compare and agree the score card with the opposing Skip when the end is completed
At the end of the game, record the time the game finished sign the card and the opposing skip's card
The Skip can transfer the Skip's duties as described above to other team members, telling the opposing Skip

Law 40-2 covers the responsibilities of the Third;

The Third can decide any disputed shots
The Third should tell the skip how many shots have been scored for or against their team as the end is completed.
As a Skip, I get rather frustrated with players in the head walking around the jack like chickens around a feeder. I say, if in doubt, measure. As also re-iterated in Trevor's Tips at Umbrella last week, the only players to have any input to the number of shots scored is the Thirds; the other players should stand away from the head to give the Thirds room to do their job. Sometimes the Third may ask the number two their opinion. I have no problem with that.

Law 40-3 gives the role of the Lead. The lead of the team to play must first;

Place the mat as described in law 6-1-1
Deliver the jack and make sure it is centred before delivering his/her first wood.
The position of lead is very important; a good lead can quite often influence the outcome of the end.

I would be interested in any feedback you have about the information above.

Next week I will talk about section 6 - placing the mat

Allan Shattock, coach/ over 55s captain

Match Report

15/5/25 Over 55's away at Clevedon Prom

It was a win on 3 of the rinks, with a loss on the others - the result went down to the wire.

With Barry Taylor having a massive win, it all looked good for the match win. Afterwards, the away captain had us winning 102-100. Excellent, but alas not to be, as their skip made a faux pas in the arithmetic department. Honesty prevailed as it was pointed out that Clevedon Prom had actually won by 109-103.

Good wins for John Wright, Paul Aldus and president Barry Taylor. So close and yet so far.

17/5/25 B Team at home to Portishead RBL

Captained by Harry Woodards, the B team put on an emphatic performance, winning on all three rinks. Hats off to Mike Turnbull, Alan Vickery and Harry Woodards as skips on their rinks.

A 62-38 win saw a full house on the points taken.

17/5/25 A Team at home to Burnham

The A team matched our B team's performance by also providing an emphatic win.The 85-45 win showed there's still life in this old dog yet. This meant that, again,we saw a full house on points won. As both teams were at home we saw wins on all six rinks.

Fine entertainment for the spectators. Well done to all who played. Thanks as well go to Kim and Doreen for their excellent bar duties.

18/5/25 NSML away at Yatton

There must have been something in the water this weekend as we saw yet another win for a Banwell team. Starting off at 10:30 am wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but we came away with a win 21-19.

Angela Merchant skipped her rink, picking up 7 points. We picked up 14 points, with Steve Merchant - standout on our rink - having a great game, despite carrying several war wounds. Thanks to the late replacements for stepping up.

Mike Nickson,club captain