July News Update

As the sun has shone, July has been a busy and enjoyable month for Biddenden Bowls Club.

Club Competitions - The Open Pairs was held on 30th June but due to the exceptionally hot weather, the semi finals were held over and played on Sunday 15th July. Chris and Colin beat Kim and Paul on an extra end with Kev and Jim losing out to Maggie and Laurie on the final end having fought back from going 12-0 down!!

It was all Ladies in the semi-finals of the Two Woods on Saturday 21st July. The men had fallen by the "wayside" when Chris and Jeannette along with Kim and Margaret contested the semi finals. Congratulations to Chris and Kim who won through to the final. It was great to see some of our newer bowlers competing and doing very well in their matches; particular mention for Ashley who won through to the quarter finals losing in a closely fought match. Well done Ashley!!

The Drawn Pairs is on the 4th August closely followed by the Handicap on 11th August. If you have not already put your name down but would like to play please let Paul, competitions secretary, know. If you want to know more about them talk to Paul or have a look at the competitions pages. Don't forget to bring along your picnic lunch. Finals weekend is on 25th and 26th August. Whether you have made it to a final or not come along to be a part of this really interesting and enjoyable couple of days which sees the culmination of all of the club's 2018 competitions. A BBQ is planned - more details will follow!

LADIES TOURNAMENT - Thursday 9th August - With 28 ladies triples entered we will be welcoming 80+ visitors to our club for what is a very popular and well thought of tournament. The day is supported by our sponsors but is also a very important fund raiser for the club with sales of cakes, teas and coffees, a BBQ and a raffle. Please, if you have not already done so, let Kim or Jeannette know if you are able to make a cake for the event or alternatively give a donation of £3 so that we can buy in some extra cakes. The raffle will be run by Jean and Cliff and prizes are needed. They can be given to Kim, Jeannette or Jean or placed in the box in the pavilion (any chocolates in the fridge!!). The more support and involvement from members on the day the better so please do come along.

LEAGUE UPDATES - There are just 3 games to go in both the Weald Mixed League and Mens Maidstone League. We are currently first in the 'Weald' closely followed by Bearsted and Ditton. Last Tuesday (17th) the team battled on Bearsted's carpet unfortunately going down 10 points to 0 but they will be battling back at home on Tuesday 24th against Loose with another home fixture against Hunton on 31st. The Maidstone League team are second behind Cranbrook having had a good win against K Sport last Friday. They will be playing at home on Friday 3rd August against Lenham and on 10th August against Headcorn. Why not come along to support the teams and enjoy a very sociable evening. Full details of the remaining games and the league tables are on the fixtures page.

TRACTOR FEST - 18th and 19th August - This is a massive event for the village of Biddenden and for our bowls club. Our role in helping to run the tea tent working with 2 other village organisations results in our receiving a significant sum from the Tractor Fest towards club funds. Members are asked to commit 2 hours on either the Saturday or Sunday undertaking a range of roles from washing/drying up, serving tea/coffee, clearing tables, filling urns etc etc. Cakes will be collected in the days running up to the Fest so once again we call upon your baking skills. There is a rota up showing the different time slots on the pavilion notice board or let Jeannette know when you are able to help and if you can contribute a cake. It is a great event to be involved in and to visit.

SKILLS DAY - 15 members and a few guests from Cranbrook came along to a really useful and enjoyable day. This was a really good opportunity for both new and experienced bowlers to receive tips and guidance, learn rules, develop marking skills and practise 'reading the head'. A big thank you to Chris for organising the day and to her fellow coaches for coming along.

VISIT FROM U3A (University of the 3rd Age https://u3a.org.uk ) 19th July - 8 members of the U3A Hawkhurst Branch came along to experience bowls and have a roll up. The mixed group enjoyed the experience both on and off the green. Thank you to the members who came along to guide the visitors on the green and provide tea and biscuits on the balcony.

THE WEATHER - The amazing spell of hot weather which we are experiencing is causing challenges for the green keeping and maintenance teams. Decisions on when to water, spike, roll and cut are tricky and working in the heat on Tuesday mornings and at a number of other times during the week is challenging. So when you experience the odd strange run or little bounce do be understanding!! It has really helped that more members are now coming along on Tuesday mornings to help with the variety of tasks which need to be done and this will be especially important in August in the run up to the Ladies Tournament and the finals weekend at the end of the month. If you can spare a few hours please come along. If you want to know more about what is involved talk to Jim, Paul, Jeannette or Denise.