Weekly news and match report

Special Edition - All about the green

This week's Cornish tour team, enjoying the green

As you probably know, the majority of our annual subscription is spent on the green, with greenkeeping contractors regularly attending to maintain it. However, much work continues daily all year round by club members to keep our green looking as good as it does.

Paul Aldus oversees the green work, as well as putting in many hours himself. He creates a report for each committee meeting, giving details and costs of the treatments and processes that happen day by day - click here to read the latest.

Paul now has his own page on the website here, where you can read all about the great job done all year round.

You can also click on the Green Status button at the top of any web page to see Paul's latest updates.

In the meanwhile, here's his summary ;

• Costs of materials and treatments continue to rise. During the close season, we avoided the need for expensive fungicide applications, thanks to the work of the swishing team in reducing conditions favourable to fungal development, along with effective contractor management. I would like to thank the team for their efforts over the close season: Trevor Burnett, Bob Grant, Martin Brand, Doreen, Gerry Bean, Brian Davis and Barry Taylor, with Phil Baird providing cover when required.

  
  

• The green is currently looking as good as it has for several years. It remains somewhat soft due to the winter rainfall and is not yet suitable for pushers, but regular mowing and play will help firm it up.

  
  

• During the fine weather in March, some members quite reasonably asked why the season could not start earlier. In summary, both contractor-led maintenance and natural recovery processes are essential to ensure the green can withstand the demands of the playing season. Read here for more information

• This year, we are expecting to spend up to an additional £3000 on equipment and treatments, and including recent repairs to the pump room. Pete Shipton has been key to the repairs, providing his time, equipment and additional parts without charge - more details are available in this month's green report. Grateful thanks go to Pete for his significant contribution.

• Now that the pump room work is complete, we have a fully-functioning pressurised watering system, which will help greatly in keeping the green playable. However, the pump shed is rotting - we may need to fundraise to replace it

Paul Aldus

Green Liaison Officer

This week's match report

Mens friendly at Winscombe, 18/04/26

Not the most auspicious of starts to the season against a well-tuned Winscombe side bristling with talent on all rinks. The first game is always a challenging one and we were outclassed, losing heavily on three of the six rinks. There was a loss by five on the rink of John Wright, a one shot loss on the Captain's rink and a well deserved draw by Alan Shattock and his merry men. Well done Alan! In our defence we were missing a considerable number of players through illness and injury, and a number of others simply not available.

The less said about the rest, the better. It was the first time in living memory that we were unable to field a full team against our closest neighbours and rivals for the opening game of the season. Winscombe - it seems - have more players available than they know what to do with. Mike Nash, a Banwell resident himself but member of Winscombe, kindly stepped in to play for us. It was somewhat ironic that his rink was one that lost quite heavily. However, he did win the whisky in the raffle!

On a positive note, the green bowled well and the sun shone and so, it was at least a pleasant enough afternoon. Thanks to those who did turn out and a special mention must go to Benedict who, at the age of 11, was one of the better players on his rink.

The score for the record:

Winscombe 122 Banwell 71

H F Guckian (Captain of the Day)

Cornish Tourists mixed friendly, 20/04/26

The sun shone, and the green looked and played in perfect condition as we welcomed the first touring side of the season from Cornwall. The team brought five rinks to us and sent five more to St Andrews for the afternoon, their A side choosing to come to Banwell with a host of county representatives and ex Vice Presidents.

The players were drawn from eighteen different clubs within the County and it was obvious from the start that they had brought some talented bowlers to us for the day. They last came to Banwell in 2009 and before that in 2000 when, in both cases, Banwell took the honours. Sadly, it was not to be third time lucky with a loss on four rinks and an honorary draw on the other. The main difference in the overall score was the result on Rink 1, usually a guaranteed home rink winner, with a 40-6 win for Cornwall.

Following speeches and the usual good banter which touring sides bring, they then

departed happily back to Weston for their evening meal and - no doubt - to talk about

their exploits on Rink 1.

Cornwall Tourists 103 Banwell 62

H F Guckian (Captain of the Day)

Training for the new defibrillator

We had a really interesting and informative session on CPR on Wednesday afternoon.  Jennie, a senior paramedic from SW ambulance, took us through the process of recognising when someone has had a cardiac arrest, how to administer CPR, and how to use the defibrillator, as well as some real life examples from her own experience.  One of the key takeaways from the session was that giving CPR is critical to giving the best chance of survival in the event of an arrest.

Thanks to those who attended who are now better prepared to deal with an emergency if the worst happens. For the information of all users of the club, the defibrillator is currently situated on the shelf beneath the team sheets noticeboard.

Open day this weekend

Click the pic below to see why we play lawn bowls

Don't forget our open day this Saturday 25th April, from 11am til 4pm. The weather is looking good. The green is looking great. Let's show it off to our visitors and give them a warm welcome.

The sausage sizzle is bound to go down well, and thanks in advance to those who are making cakes for afternoon tea.

Remember - bring friends and encourage those around you to come along and have a go!