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Congratulations and well done to all the Tetbury bowlers who have played in our men’s and ladies leagues! The last matches have been played and the results are mixed but overall, we are proud of our efforts (visit www.tetburybowlsclub.co.uk for more details). From May through mid-August, our teams played over forty matches battling COVID, injuries, illness, and heat to make sure Tetbury was well represented in local competition. Our best result this year was in the men’s South Cotswold Bowls League second division, where we came second and next year will be promoted to division one.
During the Commonwealth Games, most of our members were glued to BBC iPlayer to watch the lawn bowls events unfold, although there were a lucky few who went to experience the action in person. Like most sports, if you watch world-class matches and listen to the commentary there are numerous tips that you can pick up to improve your own game! One of the closest matches was the England vs Australia women's pairs. The game was tied 18 | 18 at eighteen ends, Australia played a driving bowl to win gold by one shot – the last bowl on the extra end. A shot that not many could have made successfully and definitely not for the faint of heart.
Our focus shifts now to the National Finals at Royal Leamington Spa where players from Gloucestershire clubs compete against some of the best in England. And we’ll be participating in our own club competition finals. This year, almost twenty different competitions are underway including the Junior Shield, the Jack Comely over sixties pairs, and the Mike Bird Challenge Cup, with sixteen different finals taking place between the 28th of August and the 23rd of September. We wish all the finalists the best of luck!
We’re very much looking forward to restarting our Monday after-school short mat programme at St Mary’s in mid-September. During a session, ten children are taught the basics of bowls – setting up the mat, delivering the bowl, some of the rules, scoring and measuring – and playing short games. St Mary’s will notify parents with the details.
Although our playing season ends on the 24th of September, the club is planning fun social events (and some learning ones too) to be held throughout the winter months. Some of our members will enjoy the break from bowls, some will undertake training such as marking, safeguarding, etc. while others will continue to play at indoor venues.
If you’d like more information about membership, our events, fixtures, league results, as well as the junior section, visit www.tetburybowlsclub.co.uk.
Susanne Knaus
Tetbury Bowls Club