Sunday lunch 3rd March 2024


Over 30 members sat down in the Clubhouse for a beautiful Sunday roast, cooked by Sam.  Finishing off with coffee and After Eight mints, everybody left very full and looking forward to a relaxing afternoon.


Quiz Night Saturday 27th January 2024


54 members and friends had an enjoyable evening at this years quiz night.  The evening started with fish and chips or options.  Once the food was cleared away the 7 teams got down to answering 8 rounds of questions plus a table round.  The final score was very close with only 3 points separating the top three teams.


Happy New Year it's 2024

Finals Day 16th September


On a very sunny and hot day the Finals Day was a very joyous day with excellent bowls and refreshments. There were many spectators supporting their friends, family members and other members. View the winners and finalists here.


September 15th - Belle Trophy final at Bellingham


Our ladies played the Belle Trophy final at Bellingham this afternoon against Bromley Town. The competition is made up from a singles game, a pairs game, a triples game and a rink game with the best total score winning the trophy. It is wonderful to report that our ladies won the trophy, well done to all the team.


August 26th - Captain's Day

 

A great afternoon well organised by Gail & John Barnes with a wonderful tea and the weather held out, just!!! Hopefully a good sum was raised for this years charities, Mind / Alzheimer Research.


Club / County Updates


The National Finals are now finished at Leamington, see the daily schedule with this link and the schedule of winners at this link.


AFTER A GREAT START BY KENT WINNING 3 OF THE 7 TITLES ON THE FIRST FINALS DAY THEY HAVE NOT GOT TO A FINAL SINCE. HOWEVER APPLEYARD B.C. HAVE GOT TO BOTH SEMI-FINALS IN THE MEN'S AND LADIES TOP CLUB. UNFORTUNATELY THE LADIES LOST VERY NARROWLY BUT THE MEN WON TAKING KENT'S TITLES TO 4.

 ( see our New & Info / County News for reports on the matches.)


You can watch all games on the internet, follow link to: bowlsengland.com/bowlstv


A recommendation from Paul Patten: Watch the recorded Men's Pairs final from 15th August

in Paul's opinion it was one of the best games he has ever seen.


President's Day


Our President, Bill Mewis, has had to cancel President's Day this year on 8th September. Bill is due for an operation on 25th August which should get him fully on the road to recovery. We all wish him well. 


The Belle Trophy


Congratulations to our Ladies who beat Eltham Ladies this morning in the semi-finals of the Belle Trophy

at Bromley B.C. as the neutral green. They will now play in the final at Bellingham on Friday 15th September.



GAME 18 AWAY BETHLEM

We travelled the short distance to BETHLEM …..a nice place to go & play the last game of the season.Nothing at stake , no pressure not like 2 seasons ago where we had to get enough points to win the title. Over the last few seasons the green has improved
& today the green was adequate (I think that’s the right word ) adequate ?? BETHLEM is in a nice setting ..BEAUTIFUL TALL TREES all round the green… parakeets in the trees….where you sit on the bench’s at the side on the green they have added this giant tyre with beautiful flowers in it . I forgot to ask how big was the lorry to have a tyre THAT BIG…….VERY IMPRESSIVE. The only downside ….NO CAR PARK you have to park between those beautiful trees. The only answer would be to cut down some of those trees & put down concrete slabs …..I didn’t have the heart to mention that to Captain Michael. After the very hot days it was nice to play the match with clouds in the sky ( I think our Carol calls it overcast ) it was still 22 degrees.   Here are the results….like a lot of our games this season ANOTHER CLOSE MATCH

Rink 1. Les BENWELL, SIR PAUL PATTEN.Brian EDE.       WON 20- 15
Rink 2 David FIGG, BOMBER G. LANCASTER,M.WHITEHEADLost 15- 17
Rink 3 Paul ROLFE,Paul RISPOLI ,Dave SMITH             Lost 15- 16
Rink 4 Aura TANNA,John URIE, Graham CHAPMAN        WON. 21 - 15. B.W. R.
          W. W. 71shots.  POINTS 6.     Bethlem 63 shots. POINTS 4

Special Thanks to SIR PAUL who came off the bench when Ted Martin dropped out when he damaged his bowling hand ( SORRY HIS DRINKING HAND ) And ANOTHER Special Thanks to David FIGG came off the bench who replaced Tim Pearce ( was going to make his debut in LX ) who had to look after his wife. THANK YOU Captain Mike for your hospitality …..loved the silver teapots …also the biscuits were very good. Captain Mike I have spoken to a team of IRISH Workman …..they will give you a quote to knock down a few trees & concrete the area…….NO PAPERWORK …CASH ONLY. The W, W. management have given me the vote of confidence & extended my contract for another year ,after that I might be too old to carry on( if ROY at Palace can carry on why not ME )
The only thing they will change is my JOB DESCRIPTION….TO TEAM CARER…….WHY   ASK MR. URIE…….he will EXPLAIN
  Thank you everyone…….happy bowling Brian


GAME 17 ( only 1 more to go - away to Bethlem Royal Hospital)
 

HOME TO BLACKHEATH - Do you remember that catchy song ITS COMING HOME…ITS COMING HOME …we ALL know it never came HOME …The Lionesses & the men’s England football teams could not manage it…..we at West Wickham B. C. could not bring back the LX trophy back to our club AGAIN….I think I will change the words to that delightful catchy song….ITS NOT COMING HOME ..ITS NOT COMING HOME …the LX BOWLS TROPHY IS NOT COMING HOME…ITS NOT COMING HOME….stop it Brian..….lets get back to Wednesdays game with our friends from Blackheath….it’s always a competitive match with them…lots of banter & noise & drinking afterwards….head barman IAN …when I told him BLACKHEATH were in town….HIS EYES LIT UP….money,money,money….WHO SUNG THAT SONG?…..Back to the game….here are the scores…….

Rink 4 John Urie,Graham Lancaster,Malcolm Whitehead WON 41- 10.  B.W.R.
Rink 5 David Figg, Martin Salter,Graham Chapman.     WON 21- 20
Rink 6 Ted Martin ,Paul Patten, Brian Ede.            Lost.  14- 18
Rink 7 Martyn Grover,Mike Flaherty,Dave Smith.       Lost.  13 - 17
   W.W. 89 shots POINTS 6.  B.H 65 shots. POINTS 4

Thank you Martyn Grover who came off the BENCH only 2 hours before kick off to replace Paul Rispoli who had to pull out when
his wife Carol fell over while out running…………PAUL were you chasing Carol ?????  How many times has the BENCH come into play this season…always at the last moment I repeat ALWAYS AT THE LAST MINUTE if you want to know …..I WILL ASK MY STATS MAN
We only have 1 more L.X game this season away to BETHLEM nice place to finish I might stay there for a few days for a rest
  Thank you everyone.  Sorry I forgot THANK YOU LADIES …Paulette ,Sandra & my better half Christine for making those WONDERFUL cakes


GAME 16. QUEENS MEAD  AWAY - 4th CUP FINAL ….only 2 to go….that means only 2 match reports for you to read….will
you miss it ???             Arrived in the car park at QUEENS MEAD Bowls club…….…in Shortlands   Looks the same….No changes……no different…….still the same……..      ....sorry there is something different. At the entrance they have a notice at the entrance  gate inviting anyone walking by in the park to come into the club & try the game of bowls that’s good they are advertising for new members……....will have to ask Captain Brian ( nice name ) if the advertising is working & if they have picked up new bowlers….LETS HOPE SO. I am going to repeat myself again,my last visit here I did mention the wonderful scenery, next to the club , other side of the park YOU HAVE Loads of WONDERFUL tall trees & behind that …..I cannot be sure the new Premier Inn building in Bromley….If I am wrong I am sure my editor will put me right? It’s a pity there are so many cars parked everywhere this would be a great place to live , it has a village feel to it (like coney hall VILLAGE) you have the local pub round the corner,local shops,train station,& of course THE LOCAL BOWLS CLUB……..pity about ALL THESE CARS…maybe our wonderful Mayor Sadiq Khan WILL BAN ALL CARS COMING TO SHORTLANDS VILLAGE.     Walking into the clubhouse I was meet by QUEENSMEAD Captain ( who also looks the same….Captain Brian…….looking round the walls ….the same wonderful black & white team photos of years gone by…..no recent winning trophies….I repeat this is a typical old fashioned bowls club….this feels like going back in time 1911 when the club was established….LOVE THE CLUB & THE PEOPLE HERE….GREAT ATMOSPHERE ……    While doing the match scorecard with captain Brian…..I was trying to overhere from
QUEENS MEAD bowlers what match tactics they are going to use on US today………….. this is what I heard………B1..what time do we finish,I NEED TO GO TO SPECSAVERS at 5 …B2 ..SORRY CANNOT HEAR YOU I AM DEAF…B3…I CANNOT MEASURE ,CANNOT BEND DOWN….B4 ….CAPTAIN BRIAN ( not me ) IF WE ARE A PLAYER SHORT TODAY I CAN PLAY…Captain Brian ( not me ) YOU ARE IN THE TEAM ALREADY..YOU ARE PLAYING…..WONDERFUL PEOPLE & YOU GAVE US A VERY GOOD CLOSE GAME here are the results.
Rink 1 Mick Burch,G.Lancaster, M.Whitehead  Lost 15 - 16
Rink 2 Ted Martin, SIR Paul Patten, Brian Ede. WON 30 -12  B.W.R.(I repeat AGAIN )
Rink 3 Paul Rispoli, Mike Flaherty,Dave Smith. WON 19 - 12. Everyone had gone home when this game had finished …it was getting dark ….the longest match ever in the LX history.
Rink 4 Martyn Grover,Martin Salter,G. Chapman Lost 13 - 16      Q.M 56 Shots. 4 POINTS.     W.W. 77 shots 6 POINTS.

Thank you Captain Brian & QUEENSMEAD friends THANK YOU for your hospitality see you ALL next season ….HOPE YOU GET LOTS OF NEW MEMBERS who take up the game of bowls. After todays result I think the best we can hope for , will be the runners up spot we will know better when we play our last home game on the 30th against Blackheath
 Thank you everyone.       Brian    PS on our menu for our last home game will be our PRIZE WINNING HOMEMADE CAKES tell your family & friends plenty for EVERYONE …WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT FOR THIS LAST HOME GAME ….PUT IN YOUR DIARY 30th AUGUST 2pm START. WE STOP AT 9 ENDS TO EAT DELICIOUS WONDERFUL ( not from Lidls) BUT I REPEAT PRIZE WINNING HOMEMADE CAKES…..SEE YOU ON THE 30th…


London & Southern Counties Area C Finals


Richard Pickering unfortunately lost in the Area C Final of the London and Southern Counties Gold Badge Competition against Paul Buck of Bellingham B.C.



Also Alex Catherall lost in the Area C final of the Lonsdale Competition to Tony Wood from Old Coulsdon.


Alex beat players from Bromley, Met Police and Sidcup to reach this area final.



Kent Ladies Division 1  Finals


Congratulations to Eileen Pickering, Jeanette Whitehead ( both winning their Kent County badges) and Gail Barnes in winning the triples final yesterday at West Wickham beating Orpington Excelsior in a tense game winning 17-16, see link.  See photos


Unfortunately they lost both semi-finals at Ditton on the 15th July.



LX GAME 15.  CUP FINAL 3   LANGLEY AWAY
Due to Graham Evans funeral on Wednesday I had to bring this game forward to Monday,we only have 3 FINALS LEFT…….we need TO WIN WELL …..& the half dozen clubs just behind us have games in hand ………they need .to start losing. And clubs NOT in the MIX NOT TO GIVE THEIR GAMES AWAY
      so the clubs just behind us pick up 10 easy points
Anyway we travelled the short distance to Langley ( it brought back memories when Emma my daughter went to the school ) HOW ITS CHANGED
This week my FIRST BIG DECISION was nothing to do with tactics…..or the weather…… but standing in the car park…DO I HAVE TO PAY…..ON TOP OF THE PAYING MACHINE  …..NOTICE £100 FINE…I remember LANGLEYS Captain Ray saying to me when I had to
rearrange this match……IGNORE IT ….DONT HAVE TO PAY……....NOT SURE……Anyway coming round the corner WAS RAY ….he confirms DONT PAY…..IF I GET A TICKET I have your number Ray…….& I know WHERE YOU LIVE RAY……………… ……Anyway back to the game……here are the results…..by the way …the weather was good ,sunny ,warm……..no rain…………..HERE ARE THE RESULTS…Did I repeat myself ?
Rink 1 Paul Patten, Mike Flaherty,Dave Smith.     WON 19 - 11.  + 8
Rink 2 Martyn Grover, G.Lancaster,M.Whitehead.  WON 27 - 13. + 14. B.W.R.
Rink 3 Mick Burch,G.Chapman,P. Broomfield.     Lost. 14 - 28. - 14
Rink 4 Ted Martin, Dave Brown, Brian Ede.        WON 15 - 13. + 2

    W.W 75 shots.  8 POINTS.    Langley 65 shots  2 POINTS

SOME THANK YOUs…THANKYOU Paul Patten coming off the bench late in the day, when John Dias informed me he was ill
THANK YOU Captain Ray for your hospitality your green played very well. THANK YOU Langley Lady ( sorry I don’t know your name ) Vicky ( editors note - Malcolm )you made a wonderful cake which went down well,when we stopped for tea after 9 ends
THANK YOU W.W.Bowlers we may not win the League this season but we are giving it a good go in these last 6 CUP FINALS …..The first 3 we have picked up 22 points from a possible 30. THANK YOU BENCH nearly every game this season bowlers have come off & replaced bowlers who had to drop out for various reasons…….the previous 2 seasons never had to use the bench …..WHY???

THANK YOU EVERYONE - Brian


GAME 14 - South Hill Wood


We played our 2nd Cup Final ……4 more to play
On Wednesday we entertained South Hill Wood on our wet green the weather forecast was not good RAIN, RAIN & more RAIN……my first BIG DECISION of the day….Do I call it off….try & rearrange, that won’t be easy…..or do we play only 9 ends….decisions. decisions…it’s a tough one…will get the views of their Captain & make a DECISION just
before kickoff ……still raining ….WE WILL PLAY 9 ENDS
Last season same thing but not rain……BUT A HEATWAVE…….…I could do with some of that NOW.
Here are the scores
Rink 2 John Barnes ,Mike Flaherty,Phil Broomfield.        WON 9 - 6.     + 3
Rink 3 Martin Salter,Martyn Grover, Dave Smith.             WON 10 - 3.   + 7
Rink 4 Paul Rispoli,Paul Patten.Brian Ede.                        WON. 16 - 2.   + 14.  B.W.R
RINK 5 John Urie,Graham Lancaster,Malcolm Whitehead Lost. 4 - 9.   - 5
         W.W 39 SHOTS S.H.W. 20 SHOTS.       W.W 8 POINTS.    S.H.W. 2 POINTS
Have you notice last 2 weeks , BEST WINNING RINK HAVE BEEN THE MANAGERS …..
WHOEVER HE IS????.
Thank you Captain Tony & South Hill Wood Team for playing in the RAIN with us…the most enjoyable part of the afternoon…..going to repeat myself AGAIN …was sitting in our warm clubhouse enjoying OUR PRIZE WINNING TEA,CAKES……...Different menu every home game ,have I said that before ??
THANK YOU EVERYONE………….CUP FINAL 3 on Monday away at Langley


LX GAME 13


Coney Hall Village came up Corkscrew Hill on Wednesday to play the FIRST of 6 LX CUP FINALS ( you may ASK what am I talking about) 6 Cup Finals .
Last weeks LX report could not be put on our website due to technical difficulties,I will
repeat myself ,we have to WIN our last 6 games & WIN WELL to stand any chance of retaining the LX trophy……….6 CUP FINALS……after todays game it’s 5.
I could only send last weeks report to my 12 paid up media subscribers,anyway back to
the Local Derby game . My first BIG DECISION of the day …..Do we stop at 9 ends have
our wonderful tea or play straight through to 18 ……….it took some time ……Paulette I cannot wait for your wonderful homemade cake …….we will stop at 9 ends
Coney Hall coming to us are always noisy,plenty of banter always confident of beating
us on our wonderful green ( most of them play short mat in the winter with me ) so if they win today I won’t hear the last of it …..Back to the game….I had no one pull out at the last moment , so the bench has not been used …..this season that’s a FIRST
    Here are the scores this match was very close….you could say it went to the wire
Rink 1 Dave Figg,Martin Salter, Graham Chapman.      Draw 15 - 15
Rink 2 John Urie,Mike Flaherty,Malcolm Whitehead.    WON 22- 18. +4
Rink 4John Dias,Graham Lancaster,Brian Ede.              WON 22- 8.  + 14
Rink 3 Paul Rispoli,Martyn Grover,Dave Smith.             Lost.  7 - 25.  - 18
  WW SHOTS 66 C.H SHOTS 66.      WW 6POINTS. CH 4 POINTS

Thank you Captain Kelvin & C .H for a enjoyable afternoon & I promise 🤗 I won’t mention in the indoor winter season HOW YOU JUST LOST THIS AFTERNOON GAME
THANK YOU EVERYONE ….NOW TO THE NEXT CUP FINAL
                Brian


 GAME 11 & 12

  Deep breath……..my editor told me ,before I started writing the LX match reports to keep it humorous ,not too serious,light hearted & funny( sometimes) ….…..that is easy when you are winning ……but not when you keep losing, I need time to THINK what to write so here is
the result from Wednesday  We played Orpington away
Rink 1 John Dias,Martyn Grover,Dave Smith.      WON 22- 14. +8
Rink 2 Mark Jackson,Paul Patten,Graham Chapman Lost. 10 - 18. - 8
Rink 3 Paul Rispoli,Graham Lancaster,Brian Ede.   Lost 17 - 23. - 6
Rink 4 Mick Burch,John Barnes,Phil Broomfield.   Lost 9 - 22. - 13
Only 2 POINTS 
The previous week we played Bromley at home .I left you in the capable hands ofDave Smith who was captain for the day THANK YOU DAVE ( if you remember I was away on my vacation making hundreds,hundreds YES HUNDREDS sandcastles on the beach at the seaside( not a easy job because the tide comes in to ruin them 
It was that time of the day when Dave was going to send me the result…..I kept looking
at my phone …….the grandchildren were shouting at me NO BOWLS grandad make ANOTHER sandcastle…………….…the result comes in ANOTHER DEFEAT 3 - 7
It’s a bit like LIVERPOOL last season win 1 game then lose the next 2 or 3 games …there is no consistency. ALSO VERY FRUSTRATING.
.   
We only have 6 more LX League games left to play……if we want to retain the League champions trophy ( which will not be easy ) we will have to treat the 6 games as 6 CUP FINALS
I have heard rumours again the CLUB MANAGEMENT have had meetings with younger
managers for next season ( maybe a German ( Jürgen ) or Spanish (Pep)………,If you want to keep it ENGLISH …………………….YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO ?
 Now Before I select the teams I am getting phone calls from our LX players asking me they want to play in Dave Smiths triple ( He is the only triple winning )
As ERIC MORECAMBE would say I am playing the right players (NOTES) but not necessarily IN THE RIGHT ORDER………….COULD THAT BE RIGHT .?
THANK YOU EVERYONE , REMEMBER 6 CUP FINALS LEFT…..the League table will be
sent to us in the next couple of days CHECK IT OUT & see what we have to do………WE
NEED TO WIN THE 6 CUP FINALS.  As I said before some of the clubs are now playing their TOP PLAYERS so West Wickham don’t WIN the LX AGAIN let’s disappoint them
LETS WIN THOSE LAST 6 GAMES 


 ONE DEFINITE CUP we will win…..will be the best LX CLUBS Tea, coffee & homemade

Cakes biscuits……Different Menu each week………THANK YOU PAULETTE & SANDRA



Kent Men's Division  1  Semi / Finals


Unfortunately, our 3 men went out in the Semi - Finals yesterday - see link



LX LX GAME 10


WOODCROFT Away always a tricky place to go , if you arrive late you won’t get a parking place so you are hot & flushed before you start. They meant business today our changing room today was on the top floor loads & loads …did I say LOADS…. stairs…..GOOD TACTICS WOODCROFT………….When we finally arrived in the dressing room looking at our red faces we should have brought the clubs defibrillator. We are now on the green it’s 2 pm we should have started …..no sign of the home bowlers ….This is another WOODCROFT tactic they are playing MIND GAMES trying to slow the game down……………..They have finally arrived WE HAVE STARTED ………Here are the results………..read & digest…..TALK TO YOU LATER
Rink 2 Ted Martin,John Barnes, Phil Broomfield  Draw 15 - 15
Rink 3 Mick Burch, Graham Chapman,Malcolm W. WON 20-16.  + 4
Rink 4 Paul Rispoli,Martin Salter,Dave SMITH.     WON 21- 13.  + 8
Rink 5 Dave Figg,BOMBER Lancaster,Brian Ede.  Lost.  17- 18.  - 1
  WW 73 SHOTS 7 POINTS.     WOODCROFT 62 SHOTS 3 POINTS

This match was like the weather ( sunny ,showers ) all 4 rinks up & down all throughout the match R2 going into last end 3 down ….we get 3…..we draw.           R3 going into last end 1 down…..we get 5……we WIN.           R4 at tea (9ends) Level ,after tea cruised to a WIN ( only lost 2 ends )           R5 after 16 ends we are 6 down next end we get 6shots….to go into last end
all level but unfortunately we drop a shot to Lose. Thank you Captain Alan & WOODCROFT bowlers for your hospitality nice coming to your club,nice bar ,nice people ,nice to sit out on the balcony with a beer afterwards. We stopped at 9 ends to have tea & biscuits we were only winning on 1 rink & also no bonus points insight……..I now play my tactic of the game keep this a secret don’t tell anyone ( could be banned for life ) I drop a few sleeping tablet into the tea of the WOODCROFT Lead……….I don’t think I was seen………………..…He is yawning People always say THE GAME ALWAYS CHANGES AFTER TEA on Wednesday IT DID…..at tea on my rink we were 8 shots down …..at the end we came right back to lose by only 1 shot & all our rinks picked up AFTER TEA . After the match the opposition Lead went straight home for a sleep……YAWNING has he went……….  TACTICS. THANK YOU EVERYONE A VERY GOOD WIN …..Off now to pack my bucket & spade off to the seaside ….Dave Smith in charge Bromley at home ,after 7 away games on the trot.        THANK YOU Brian -


LX UPDATE ( 29th June)

Hello………is it me you looking for (who sang that ) ………....Lets start again….GOOD MORNING, My readers or my media followers (sounds spooky) My editor Malcolm will tell you how many LX followers I have. Sorry you did not get your weekly LX fix last week……but been busy, 3 league games in 5 days plus a Ron Ault cup game….I heard rumours I don’t do reports when we lose……NOT TRUE. Let’s start by calling it JUST A BLIP….LETS NOT PANIC….We are half way through the  season let’s assess the LX season so far,…..9 games played 6 of those games were away…4 Losses…54 points from a possible 90 points…but we are in 3rd place at the moment.I can see half dozen clubs coming close trying to take the League title from us
this season.We played away to Sidcup on Wednesday 2 of their best bowlers Mark Garrard,Clive Baugh ARE NOW REGULARS in the LX. I have also notice other clubs doing the same ……THEY DONT WANT W. W. TO WIN AGAIN. The problems we are having & it’s not going to get any better the regular LX bowlers have not been available for various reasons & with holidays coming , it’s going to get worse PS MR. BILL MEWIS……WE ARE MISSING YOU GET BETTER SOON…..I PRAY FOR YOUR RETURN.
Here are the scores that you have missed
Away Met, Police shots 59.  4 POINTS  W. W shots 82.   6 POINTS
Away New Beck. shots 62.  6 POINTS. W.W. shots 62.   4 POINTS
Away Sidcup.    shots 67  8 POINTS. W.W shots. 58.   2 POINTS
WE also played a Ron Ault cup game , Home to New Beck which we lost by 2 shots.   Thank you everyone who played in the above games I know you are doing your BEST    you don’t want me to get the SACK……Do you.   Let get back to winning
Got to go now & see who is on the treatment table for next week.    THANK YOU ALL     Worried Brian……………...starting to go grey. Ps I am not deserting a sinking ship but I will be going on my holiday in a weeks time I will miss the Bromley Home ( yes at HOME on 12th July……..WILL YOU WIN WITHOUT ME.    ANSWER Lionel Richie


KENT MEN    Latest Division 1 Finals update - see link


LX  GAME 6.   BROMLEY TOWN AWAY


BACK TO WINNING WAYS……..Just….only just…..very close…all 4 rinks closeYou could say it went to the WIRE ….or the last wood of the day…..I think the management was happy.Not seen my job (carers ) advertised yet. We travelled the short distance to Bromley Town, counting 33 potholes on the waythe sun was out 29 degrees it will get hotter , I will explain later
Here are the scores the match report will follow

Rink 2 Les Benwell, Paul Patten, Brian Ede.     Lost 19 - 22. - 3

Rink 5 David Figg,John Barnes,Ted Martin.     Lost 15 - 16. - 1

Rink 3 Paul Rolfe,Mike Flaherty,Phil Broomfield. WON 22 - 16 + 6

Rink 4 Paul Rispoli,Graham Lancaster,Malcolm Whitehead. WON 20- 19 + 1      WW SHOTS 76 POINTS 6.    Bromley Town SHOTS 73 POINTS  4after finishing on my rink I had to endure watching the last ends on the 3 rinks.2 of our rinks are all square going into the 18th end (nail biting stuff) the supportersdo get their monies worth in the LX……….unfortunately on Teds rink we lose by 1 shot. My job is not safe……….WELL DONE Phils rink WE WIN……now it’s down to Malcolm’s rink ….all square going into the last end….I need a drink THANK YOU Norman ( B.T my opp skip …I have trouble pouring my beer into my glass……..before I continue I mentioned earlier WHY DID IT GET HOTTER …….every time you play at BT they use this tactic ,young ladies walking round the green going to the gym in shorts & pink leotards …....this is why the game took along time………..we had to stop….. it nearly worked for them ………..SORRY where was I……..Last end on Rink 4 we need to win this to get the BONUS POINTS not looking good we are down until……………… .do you remember those brave LANCASTER pilot bombers in the war,nerves of steel,accurate,precision brave under pressure…..WE HAVE A LANCASTER in our team & he was just about to bowl .The B.T Lead had planted his wood right on the Jack,Malcolm our skip was looking worried….Graham LANCASTER with his 2nd wood draws the shotto win the gameCaptain Carlo & all the BT players thank you for your hospitality & the cold beers afterwards nice to meet up with friends. Now we play 3 away games in 5 days THANK YOU EVERYONE  BrianCarlo & all the BT players thank you for your hospitality & the cold beers afterwards nice to m

eet up with friends
Now we play 3 away games in 5 days THANK YOU EVERYONE.
LX  GAME 5. FOREST HILL……ANOTHER LOST


No need to panic….NOT YET….now 2 Losses last 2 games…..on the trot…one after another. Since I have been looking after our LX team ( 3 seasons time goes quick when you are having fun ) this has never happened (2 losses on the trot,if I was the Chelsea manager I would be sacked. After this latest loss the WW management have given me the dreaded VOTE OF CONFIDENCE
On the day my phone rings 9 am ….It’s Richard Slater he has to pull out for todays match at Forest Hill , this is where I earn my money. The most important part of my job is to have my phone switched on DAY & NIGHT 24 HOURS .I have 5 hours before kick off to find a replacement will not be easy I only had 1 member on the bench because of all the other competitions being played, my 1 team member on the bench IS NOT AVAILABLE…..LET ME THINK….can you hear my brain ticking…..tick….tick …I remember reading on our website …Les Benwell winning £20 in the aggregates last month,can I afford him…..I will ring him…YES he will play & he does not want any money …he will make his debut in the LX …. THANK YOU LES.    Here are the scores
Rink 1 LES BENWELL,John Barnes,Graham Chapman.     Draw 21-21
Rink 2 Brian Ede,Martin Salter,Phil Broomfield.           Lost. 13 - 19.  -6
Rink 3 Paul Rolfe,Dave Brown,Mike Flaherty              WON 19 - 14.  + 5
Rink 4 John Dias,Graham Lancaster,Malcolm Whitehead.  Lost. 15 - 18.  - 3
    WW 68 shots.  3 POINTS.    FH. 72 shots. 7 POINTS

Looking at the scorecards Thank you & WELL DONE Grahams triple after 6 ends 1 - 15. down DREW the match 21 - 21 also WELL DONE Mikes triple the only winning rink. Thank you Captain Peter & Forest Hill for a enjoyable competitive match ,it always is when playing on your green THANK YOU for your hospitality & beating us again on your green…I should not say thank you for beating us………AGAIN. THANK YOU AGAIN LES for playing at short notice & helping your triple for a remarkable comeback …..1- 15 …..remarkable
Next week AWAY AGAIN at nearby Bromley Town , we need to get back to winning again.    Thank you everyone   Brian………….these last 2 weeks my hair has gone greyer


LX GAME 4  BELLINGHAM


Not much to report this week, can I hear the applause owing to me not at Bellingham but Malcolm was Captain for the day & after talking to him & looking at the scorecards WE LOST 4-6.     Will keep this match report short
Here are the scorecards
Rink 8 Paul Patten,Dave Brown, Mike Flaherty.   WON 22-9.  + 13
Rink 9. Mick Burch, John Barnes,Phil Broomfield. Lost. 6 - 26.  - 20
Rink 10 John Dias Graham Chapman, Ted Martin WON 20- 14.  +6
Rink 11. Mark Jackson,Graham Lancaster,Malcolm Whitehead Lost 11- 21.   - 10
         W W 59 SHOTS.  POINTS 4     BELLINGHAM 70 SHOTS. POINTS 6

Thank you Bellingham for your hospitality without being rude the green was not easy you could say challenging yes that’s the word challenging. Next week we go to Forest Hill without a number of our squad who are still in the KENTS…..Best of Luck to everyone.        Thank you Everyone


Car Park:  We will reinstate the requirement to open and then close the car park gate  when used for 1 week until 31st May. There is currently a large movements of caravans in the area.


May Aggregates results

 

1st      Les Benwell        £20

2nd     Malcolm Whitehead £15

3rd     Nadine Johannesssen      £10

 

Please collect winnings from John Urie, Mick Burch, Mark Jackson or Chris Slack when you are next at the aggregates.



BAR UPDATE:


1. Members should check when the bar is open - when it’s not an honesty bar will operate.

2. Members playing at home in Nationals and County competitions are particularly advised to check bar openings and be prepared to use the small fridge operating on an honesty bar basis.

3. The club really needs more members to volunteer for bar duty - please consider getting involved with the bar or the service will suffer significantly

4. Reminding members that bar income is critical to keeping membership subs affordable for all and having funds to reinvest in the clubs facilities.


Car park


Hopefully the threat of travellers in the area has receeded so we can now go back to using our section of the Trust Car park as normal. Sparrows Den car park, where the original notice came from Bromley Council, is also now back to it's normal operations.




URGENT MESSAGE: FRIDAY 4th MAY


Martyn Grover and the Trust have pointed that there is a Car Park closure at

Sparrows Den until further notice, presumably re possible travellers in the area.


For the time being we would like all our members entering and leaving

 the bowls club car park  to shut and lock the gate.


We will try and manage the club matches over this weekend against Lancing (Friday afternoon ) to avoid too much inconvenience for ourselves and the opposition. However the football club may well have matches on Saturday and Sunday and they do have key access as well.  Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.


Message Update:


The problem alerted on Tuesday is now fixed.  You can now book rinks using Bowlr.


As at 21.00 on 25 April it is still not possible to book rinks via Bowlr, using the standard option, due to an error which has been reported.  If you have a county game to book contact either David F, Mike F or Malcolm and they will be able to complete the booking.


Good to see many at the Opening roll up and Opening Supper  on Saturday 22nd April. Also an excellent turn out of potential new bowlers on Sunday all introduced by existing members. Hopefully many will join the club.


Aggregates for 2023


Just a reminder that this summers Aggregates will be played on a Tuesday and Friday with the first session beginning on the Tuesday 25th April at 2pm. Once the autumn cup starts in late summer we will switch Fridays aggregates session back to a Thursday. Will let all know when a date has been agreed for Autumn cup to begin.


Please can those wishing to play in the aggregates be at the club by 1.45pm prior to start of sessions, this will then give those organising the days play enough time to prepare and pick teams for each rink.


Ladies Kent Indoor singles final


Our Ladies Captain, Gail Barnes, has reached the final of the Kent indoor bowls competition. She is due to play in the final on Saturday 15th April at Maidstone Mote Park, her game starting at 10.00am. Please come and support her, everybody welcome!


Unfortunately Gail lost the game by 21 - 19.  According to a spectator it was two ends that made the difference.   Whatever, the result the club is extremely proud of Gail.


April 2023 Bar Rota


The new bar rota is now available on the Members Page of the website.


Wednesday 24th May


LX GAME 3   Petts Wood - Played 3 Won 3 dropped only 1 point ………..SO FAR
The W.W MANAGEMENT have told me winning the League is not enough this season they want the DOUBLE ….just like Chelsea although not this season, 1 trophy is not enough to keep the manager in a job before he is sacked.Let me explain to any SPURS
fans out there,how the DOUBLE WORKS It means you have to win the League & k/out cup final in 1 season  seriously you were the first English club to do the DOUBLE in the 20th CENTURY….QUIZ QUESTION…..What year did Spurs do the double ,do not Google it……..ANSWER will be at the bottom of the page.  SORRY Back to BOWLS, on Wednesday we entertained Petts Wood and again the SUN came out & again we stopped at 9 ends for our WONDERFUL….DELICIOUS TEA REFRESHMENTS not my words but the Petts Wood players & our many supporters.(word is getting around the League clubs about our 5 STARS A LA CARTE MENU.
HERE ARE THE SCORES
Rink 1 Paul Rispoli,John Barnes,Malcolm Whitehead  WON 27-15. + 12
Rink2 Brian Ede, Mike Flaherty,Ted Martin.           WON 37 - 4. + 33
Rink 3 Paul Rolfe,Martin Salter, Richard Slater.        WON 21- 19. + 2
Rink 4 Dave Smith, Graham Chapman, Phil Broomfield WON 29- 10 + 19
   W.W 114 SHOTS. 10 POINTS.    P.W 48 SHOTS. 0 POINTS

Thank you Captain Mike & the Petts Wood players for a nice friendly game of bowls. I am sure the match will be different next season when we come to you on your green. Now to say that nice word ROTATE…..Next weeks game at Bellingham it’s now time to ROTATE the squad. Thank you everyone who played this week a good start to the season,let’s hope I say that after our next 6 away games?
Off to the kitchen now to work on some recipes for the A LA CARTE MENU  our next LX Home game is not until 12th July

Quiz Answer Spurs did the double 1960 / 61……before you ping me back Preston were the first English club but they did it in 1889 but Spurs were first in the 20th CENTURY. There were no Multi Billionairies owners in the old days. Thank you Happy Bowling. Brian


Saturday 20th May 2023


 LX  GAME 2 ELTHAM HOME - ROTATION ( I don’t mean rotating my crops down the allotment )…..ROTATE nice word ROTATE, with Kent competitions starting soon & all the other competitions in progress it’s Busy Busy…going to say that nice word again ROTATE….have you seen Dave Smith's match spreadsheet for his matches PHEW it’s mind blowing he has no time to eat
We have 30 players in the squad , If Pep & Jürgen can rotate every game & still win our squad is strong enough to do that & WIN
On Wednesday SOMETHING HAPPENED which was a shock to everyone…..THE SUN CAME OUT & it was warm, we stopped at 9 ends & did the English thing we had tea, coffee biscuits on the patio.It was nice to feel the warmth after a long cold wet few months ( Thank you Carol ) Thank you Paulette ,Sandra for serving the refreshments  to the old men
Here are the results
Rink 1 John Dias,Paul Rolfe, Malcolm Whitehead   Drew 17 - 17
Rink 2 Paul Rispoli,Martin Salter,Phil Broomfield.   WON 25 -10.   + 15
Rink 3 Ted Martin,John Barnes, Dave Smith.       WON 24 - 9.   + 15
Rink 4 Brian Ede, Paul Patten, Bill Mewis.          WON 18 - 15.   + 3
        WW 84 SHOTS  9. POINTS.   ELTHAM 51 SHOTS 1 POINT
Looking at the 4 scorecards Malcolm’s rink was close all throughout but unfortunately dropped a 6 on 15th end so going into the last end requiring a 1 to draw 2 to win….we got 1 to draw. Phil's rink ,I noticed on scorecard when Eltham won the end he has put LUCKY SHOT next to the score ( so competitive Phil ). On Dave's rink he had quick flash Ted as Lead before Dave could speak to him Ted had bowled it …you got to be quick Dave. On Bill's rink the only thing of note when Paul & I was walking down the rink towards Bill
he was pointing & looking at my shoe my Nora Batty brown stocking had slipped down my leg on to my shoe. Thank you Eltham players & capt Doug for a nice game of friendly bowls I understand you have lots of members but most don’t want to play matches. For various reasons they play a few ends go for a drink & a chat as you said like a social club , not a bowls club. Doug you will have to find a happy balance to please everyone ,not easy.    Thank you everyone.


On Saturday Eltham came back to W W to play us in LX Ron Ault knockout 2 rinks of triples & again we WON overall by 19 shots ….again Thank you everyone. In both games the bench came into play. Thank you John Diaz who replaced Richard Slater on Wednesday & Bill did not pass his fitness test early Saturday morning ( very early ) Thank you Phil for playing after cutting the green
  AGAIN THANK YOU EVERYONE . YOU ALL MAKE MY JOB EASY.  HAPPY BOWLING. ALL THE BEST TO EVERYONE PLAYING IN THE KENT'S NEXT WEEK                Brian


Wednesday 10th May 2023


Welcome back W.W. Bowlers to the new LX season. On Wednesday we played our first game of the season in the LX and we started where we left off from last season ….WITH A WIN against last seasons runners up Duke of Kent , many of our team were saying it’s a REVENGE MATCH.Last season on their green we lost 0-10 in the rain ,I treated it as another match not revenge.This time WE WON 10-0 ( only a bit of rain this time). Glad to see the bench is working Thank you Paul Rolfe he came off the bench when Graham Lancaster pulled out late in the day. The Last 2 seasons for incentives , wooden spoon for most individual losses,season before Bottle of champagne for most individual wins….this season ….we don’t need one. The team don’t need incentives to motivate to win ( plus it won’t cost me any money). Thank you D.O.K.C Captain Colin & your team for taking the result in good spirit it’s only a game of bowls(I think I have said that before ). Here are the results
Rink 1 John DIAS, Martin SALTER,Phil BROOMFIELD  WON 26-6. +20
Rink2 Ted MARTIN,Mike FLAHERTY,Richard SLATER WON 21-15. +6
Rink 4 Paul RISPOLI, Paul PATTEN, Dave SMITH.     WON 30-4. +26
Rink 5. Martyn GROVER,Paul ROLFE,Malcolm WHITEHEAD WON 29-14 +15                        W.W 106.  D.O.K.C. 39. 
Thank you everyone good start to a long season. P.S. This season nobody (both teams ) pays the huge amount of 50pence per person for refreshments but the club has decided for only home games WW bowlers will pay £1 each bowler  to cover the cost when Paulette or myself buy the food at M&S sorry Lidl’s. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DO THE BEST REFRESHMENTS IN THE LEAGUE working on a different menu every home game.         Thank you Happy Bowling                 Brian


Monday 24th April 2023


A good turn out on Saturday for the Opening Drive followed by the Opening Supper. It was also fantastic to see so many potentially new bowlers attending on Sunday, all through contacts of existing members. Hopefully many will join.



Saturday 4th March 2023 - Croydon IBC v West Wickham BC match report


The third and final indoor winter fixture took place at Croydon IBC on Saturday 4th March and resulted in an 89 – 40 loss for the Club. Despite the heavy defeat, on a very fast green which our players found challenging, we did enjoy a very pleasant afternoon with our hosts. Well done to Mick Burch, Mark Jackson and Ted Martin who came back well to only lose by one shot. A big thank you to all the player who made themselves available for the three indoor matches this season.”   Many thanks.   Paul 


Lewisham Crystal Palace IBC v West Wickham BC match report - Saturday 21st January 2023

 

The second of our two indoor bowls matches against Lewisham Crystal Palace IBC took place on Saturday 21st January and resulted in a hard fought 74 – 66 win for the Club, which was revenge for the 94 – 62 defeat that we suffered in November. With a much changed team from the first match a win didn’t look likely at the tea break as we were only winning on one of the five rinks but a strong second half saw West Wickham come through to win on four rinks with just the Captain’s triple losing heavily. We had joint best winning triples made up as follows: David Eagling, Mark Jackson & Paul Rispoli and John Santhanam, Krystyna Martin & David Smith who both won by the same score 20 – 10. 

 

A big thank you to Peter Shaw who agreed to play instead of going to the Crystal Palace v Newcastle match. With the score being 0-0 he probably made the right decision to play bowls! A very enjoyable afternoon was had by all who turned out.

 

Our final mixed triples match is against Croydon IBC on Saturday 4th March 2023 so if you would like to be considered for selection, please e-mail Paul Patten: pdpatten@outlook.com”   Many thanks.


Indoor Fixture v Lewisham/Crystal Palace I.B.C.


“Lewisham Crystal Palace IBC v West Wickham BC match report

 

The first of two indoor bowls matches against Lewisham Crystal Palace IBC took place on Sunday 27th November and resulted in a 94 – 62 defeat for the Club. However, I am pleased to report that we did have two winning triples: David Figg, David Brown and Richard Slater won 19 – 14 and David Eagling, Martin Salter and David Smith won 11 – 10. Despite the overall defeat everyone seemed to enjoy the afternoon.

 

Our second mixed triples match against LCPIBC takes place on Saturday 21st January 2023 so if you would like to play, please e-mail Paul Patten: pdpatten@outlook.com”     Many thanks.


Click here to view the Summary of games and results in the Indoor / Outdoor league for the first half of the season.


Social Events


Another successful Sunday lunch cooked by our Caterer Sam on Sunday 12th February to be followed by Mandy who will once again be singing for us on Saturday 25th March. Afraid the list is now full.


Club person of the Year


Congratulations to Dave Brown, winning the trophy and being presented at the Xmas lunch.  Well done


2023 Renewals


The renewal letters for the 2023 season have been posted out for all Life Members and Full Playing Members.  If you have not received your renewal letter by Saturday 6th December please email Mike Flaherty,  mike@flaherty.com.

The renewal letters for all other members will follow shortly.


Social Events


The 'winter season' finished with another enjoyable evening with the entertainer Mandy Reynolds. The next Social Function is the Opening Supper on Saturday 22nd April after the afternoon roll up.


Please note the bar will still be open on Friday evenings and Sunday lunch times, please support.


2022-2023  Indoor Fixtures


We have 3 indoor fixtures arranged two next year and one this year on the 27th November 2022 against Lewisham/Crystal Palace I.B.C.  Paul Patten has again agreed to organise and select teams for these games.


Jubilee League


Well done to our ladies in winning this league in a very tense finish. They had to beat Orpington by 6 points in the last game of the season which they duly did, well done to all !!!


Indoor / Outdoor League at Lewisham / Crystal Palace - December 2022 Summary


Click here to view the Summary of the first half of the league season


End of season notice


DON'T FORGET THE CLUB IS OPEN FRIDAY NIGHTS AND SUNDAY LUNCHTIMES


NOW INTO THE CLOSE SEASON SO NOT TOO MUCH TO REPORT ON.

WE HAVE 3 INDOOR FIXTURES AGAINST OTHER CLUBS.

 2 AGAINST LEWISHAM/CRYSTAL PALACE I.B.C. (one this year) AND ONE AGAINST CROYDON I.B.C.

PAUL PATTEN HAS AGAIN AGREED TO MANAGE THESE GAMES AND WILL BE CONTACTING ALL LOOKING FOR PLAYERS.


Aggregates 2022


This seasons final results. Winner Nadine Johannessen. Runner up  Chris Slack


B&BDBA and Hospitals Finals


Congratulations to Alex Catherall who won the final of the BBDBA Singles final played at HSBC last Sunday beating David Wood of Beckenham & Stanhope.


Congratulations to Richard Slater and David Smith who won the final of the Hospitals Amenities Fund Men's Pairs final which was played at Francis Drake on Sunday 11th September.  They won 20 - 18 over the 21 ends. Please support our members at the finals.


Leamington 2022


Kent win Amy and White Rose titles, the Walker Cup and the Men's Champion of Champions, Harry Goodwin of Appleyard B.C.  - see County News page (click here)



LX MANAGER'S REVIEW


WE HAVE DONE IT AGAIN…..WE HAVE WON THE LX LEAGUE AGAIN.


3 Seasons in a row 2022,2021,2019  2020 ( did not play Covid) But RETAINED IT. Going into our last match on Wednesday Home to Bethlem we knew we had already won the League no pressure so we could relax a little, just a little………..WE WIN 9-1
nothing else to say here are the scores.
Rink 3 Martin Salter,Paul Patten,Richard Slater.   WON 25-12.  + 13
Rink 4 David Figg,Martyn Grover,Ted Martin.     Drew 19- 19
Rink 5 John Dias,John Urie,Brian Ede.           WON 22-11.  + 11
Rink 6 Arun Tanna,Mike Flaherty,Bill Mewis.      WON 24-16. +8                              WW 90 SHOTS Bethlem 58 SHOTS.   SOME THANK YOU’S.


 Thank you WW bowlers who played in the LX this season you made my Job look easy.   Thank you for showing RESPECT & SPORTMANSHIP when playing against your opponents & to your fellow WW team mates.    Thank you GREENKEEPERS I know we say this every season HOW WONDERFUL our green is but honestly this season has been the BEST it has ever been. I WILL SAY IT AGAIN ……THE BEST even the crows & magpie’s LOVE IT they cannot keep off the green they cannot get enough of it they have to take bits of it home.   Thank you PAULETTE & SANDRA for doing the teas MUCH APPRECIATED.   Thank you READERS I have had some nice comments from yourselves, Hope you have ALL enjoyed my LIGHT HEARTED, HUMOROUS,SOMETIMES FUNNY match reports .During a long season with so many competitive matches played it’s nice to get a light hearted view of the game of bowls or LIFE in general
Looking back to our 2nd game into the season I still have nightmares away to Duke of Kent where it rained & rained the scorecards are still damp at home …….WE LOST 0 - 10. I said to our MANAGEMENT you cannot sack a manager after just 2 games ….ASK BOURNEMOUTH & CHELSEA.     THANK YOU EVERYONE Brian.      LONG LIVE THE KING. P.S.  I have just polished the wooden spoon ready for Friday's presentation


LX v B & G - 31st August


What can I say?…..WHAT CAN I SAY..I was not there on Wednesday at BLACKHEATH & GREENWICH I was away on holiday or I should have been( but that’s another story) I heard the rumours amongst the W.W team now it’s the managers turn to get away from the dreaded W/SPOON. THANK YOU Dave Smith for being Captain for the day and I will use your comments from the day,looking at the match scorecards we now have 2 WW bowlers with 5 losses sorry cannot mention the names to save the embarrassment to their friends & families I will call them bowler 1 & bowler 2. Some of you have asked me what happens if there are more than 1 winner , SORRY LOSER…..I have looked up the RULES which I put together before the season started
1 YOU CAN ONLY HAVE 1 winner SORRY LOSER ( the wooden spoon is expensive to buy + the engraving).
2 THE BEST & FAIREST RESULT if we have a tie …. IF BOWLER 1 has played fewer games than BOWLER 2 …..THEN BOWLER 1 is the LOSER. That to me is the fairest result. The more games you play it will save you from the W/Spoon
We have 1 more game to play & looking at the other candidates we could have 4 or 5 with the same amount of losses…ITS GOING TO THE WIRE ( where have I heard that ).  Sorry back to the match at BLACKHEATH….I was waiting for Dave Smith text………..
I am sitting in my chair at home, with a cup of tea….come on Dave ……..WE WON 8 - 2. We cannot celebrate yet? You don’t need me to explain to you what we require to retain ( NICE WORD RETAIN ) the LX LEAGUE TITLE going to say it again…….RETAIN
Here are the scores
rink 2 Paul RISPOLI SIR PAUL PATTEN CAPTAIN Dave SMITH.  WON 23 - 9.  + 14
rink3 Martin SALTER Graham LANCASTER John BARNES.      WON 21 - 15.  + 6
rink 4 Richard SLATER Ted MARTIN Graham CHAPMAN.       LOST 9 - 14.  - 5
rink 5 David FIGG Mike FLAHERTY Bill MEWIS.                WON 23 - 11.  + 12

Captain Dave would like to say THANK YOU to BLACKHEATH & Captain Alan Watts for a friendly reception and pleasant afternoon of competitive game of bowls….NICE WORDS DAVE. We now wait until the 14th of this month to play the last game of the season HOME to BETHLEM. THANK YOU W W BOWLERS AGAIN & CAPTAIN DAVE SMITH for looking after the team, not easy with as many different opinions.    PS. DONT CELEBRATE YET…………….Brian


LX v QUEENS MEAD - 17th August


It was the night before the big match the Met office ( & Carol Kirkwood )have both forecast Heavy thunderstorms all day tomorrow coming down from the North & coming up from the south, even storms coming sideways to us…..me thinking we have no chance of playing this game I repeat NO CHANCE. We are on the green with QUEENSMEAD it’s a bit cloudy but no rain I can hear Thunder nearby probably in Croydon , Addington or Shirley it’s getting closer to us. as we know QUEENSMEAD struggle to get teams out & most of their members are over a certain age the youngest was on our rink the 74 year old skip, who must have saved about 15 shots ? They are all nice people & only play the game to have exercise keep fit , stay healthy body & MIND & meet people. They never win anything always end up near the bottom of the League or bottom,they don’t care they enjoy the game of bowls which is the main thing in life ENJOYMENT make a note everyone. Special thank you to ARUN TANNIA who was making his LX debut coming in from ourAcademy ( new bowlers)we also brought in JOHN DIAS from Academy earlier in the season & is now a regular in the team. I have been told by the Academy Manager MR.FIGG next season there will be more coming through, …….sorry coming back to you
ARUN I was told by R/S & MF on your rink you had a excellent match ,WELL DONE ARUN. HERE ARE THE SCORES ( you will notice it was close on our rink we were trying to make a game of it) on the first end we even allowed them the shot even though it was a tight measure with our wood, they took out their wood before our JOHN could say anything it was very sporting of us to allow them the point or shot

Rink 2 Brian EDE John URIE Graham LANCASTER.    WON 16 - 13. + 3
Rink 3 Arun TANNA Mike FLAHERTY Richard SLATER. WON 30 - 12. + 18
Rink 4 Paul RISPOLI David FIGG Dave SMITH.         WON 30 - 6  + 24
Rink 5 John DIAS Ted MARTIN Bill MEWIS.            WON 26 - 12. + 14
MAN OF THE MATCH ARUN TANNA …..ON HIS DEBUT look out everyone
Before you ask we did get rain 5 minutes we got into our wets expecting the thunderstorms & then took them off again ….. I was told it was localised nice word LOCALISED. THANK YOU QUEENSMEAD & Captain Brian for a enjoyable afternoon ( even though you won’t read this) Hope to see you all next season for your exercise on the green. THANK YOU TEAM ….the STATS MAN has informed me since we lost to BROMLEY 5 games ago WE HAVE PICKED UP 44 POINTS out of a possible 50. WELL DONE ALL & THANK YOU……….nearly forgot THANK YOU SANDRA for the cake it went down well with the beer……..CHEERS Brian


PRESIDENTS CUP - 14th August


 A convincing win against H.S.B.C. in the President's Cup (P.C.L. Cup) and we are now away to Woolwich & Plumstead.


LX v LANGLEY - 10th August


What happens when a team who is TOP of the LEAGUE plays a team who is BOTTOM of the LEAGUE……answer you get a VERY,VERY CLOSE game. On Wednesday it was LANGLEYS turn to travel the short distance to WEST WICKHAM. In the old days before you start a match both captains would look at the dark clouds in the sky & say Carol Kirkwood has forecast heavy RAIN shall we play less ends
Now we say,shall we play less ends or cancel the match because of the extreme HEAT with temperatures between 35 to over 40 degrees only MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN go out in the MIDDAY SUN( who use to say that ? ). Anyway back to the game when we stopped at 9ends for a drinks break & a piece of cake it was close we were up on 2 rinks & down on 2 rinks ITS CLOSE or VERY TIGHT
The only W W rink who had a convincing WIN was on JOHN BARNES rink on BILL MEWIS rink we were down 12-14 after 12ends…..but the last 6 ends produced 19 shots from somewhere our 3rd winning rink was even closer DAVE SMITHS triple went into the last end 12-12. I am still getting nervous typing this ….back to the last end ……WE WIN BY 2 SHOTS. Our losing rink NO NAMES see below for details
Rink 2 John Urie Ted Martin John Barnes.     WON 29-8. +21
Rink 3 Brian Ede Mike Flaherty Bill Mewis.     WON 31- 14 + 17
Rink 4 David Figg Graham Chapman Phil Broomfield LOST 13-22. -9. WE HAVE MORE   CANDIDATES FOR THE DREADED WORDS
Rink 5 Martyn Grover Graham Lancaster Dave Smith WON 14-12 +2

SOME THANK YOU’s to the girls PAULETTE & SANDRA for serving the teas to the old geezers. THANK YOU to Graham Lancaster to the late call up due to Paul Rolfe withdrawal THANK YOU TEAM ( inc RINK 4 ) for your skill & efforts to getting a 8 - 2 WIN. MESSAGE TO MALCOLM now you can SEE better your team place still awaits, maybe the last game of the LX season BETHLEM HOME 14th SEPT or the DELEGATES DAY 23rd SEPT ( I have been told you can now see the Jack).    Cheers everyone & again THANK YOU            Brian


LX v SOUTH HILL WODD - 3rd AUGUST


PANIC…….It’s 10.am Wednesday day of our LX match my phone rings ….I can sense it’s a problem ring….it’s Martin Salter now I know it’s a real problem ….he has failed his fitness test, bad back THIS IS WHERE THE MANAGER EARNS HIS MONEY we have a large squad but so many have taken short notice holidays ( where has SIR Paul PATTEN GONE , last seen in CHINA & RUSSIA) just to get away from the dreaded WSpoon. I have now banned everyone of mentioning W Spoon until last game of the season ITS BANNED ….OK BANNED. SPECIAL THANKS to JOHN BARNES he has got rid of his rubbish at the dump & he’s going to play THANK YOU JOHN not a bad replacement for Martin (don’t tell Martin that).  We arrived at SOUTH HILL WOOD in 7 minutes another local game ( 7 minutes earlier I was still drinking my tea in my Lounge , did I say that last week?.? We were cruising on all 4rinks me THINKING 10 Points again…Then on RINK 2 on the very last end ,I cannot say our WW bowlers names to you …LOOK BELOW FOR RINK 2 Sorry to remind you RINK 2 you drop a 6 on the 16th end & a 5 on the last end WE WIN 8-2 another good WIN on a away green HERE ARE THE SCORES ….LOOK OUT FOR RINK 2
RINK 2 DAVID FIGG MIKE FLAHERTY BILL MEWIS LOST 19-21 SORRY THE VOTING HAS NOW FINISHED FOR THE W/SPOON that’s a pity 1or2 candidates on that rink
RINK 3 Ted MARTIN John BARNES Phil BROOMFIELD WON 21- 11. +10
RINK 4 John DIAS Graham LANCASTER Brian EDE.   WON 29- 4. + 25
RINK 5 Paul ROLFE Dave SMITH Richard SLATER.     WON 30 -14 +16
       WW 99 shots 8 POINTS.    S.H.W 50 shots 2 POINTS
Before I forget ANOTHER THANK YOU to JOHN DIAS who stepped in on Monday when John Urie could not play. Thank you Captain ANDREW & S.H.W for your Hospitality nice people ,nice tea after 9 ends & the extra teas for our many supporters (5 or 6 ) who came & watch in the heatwave YOUR SUPPORT IS MOST WELCOME. I have been told by management starting next WED ( it’s now very serious) before we start the match WE HAVE TO DO A RAIN DANCE & PRAY FOR RAIN. THANK YOU TEAM for all your efforts inc Rink 2 we now only have 4 important games left. I had a text from Paul Rispoli on holiday in ITALY before I gave him the result I allowed him to put his vote in WSpoon ( only because of the poor turn out ) MORE MONEY FOR THE CHARITY but Paul no Italian money lira or euros ? Answers on a post card please.     Thank you Brian.         sorry this weeks report is short …I could have mentioned bit more about RINK 2 ……. sorry I am going THANK YOU TEAM


MEN'S COX CUP - 1st AUGUST


We beat B & G in the Divisional semi final and now meet Bromley at Duke of Kent Court on the 8th August. All support welcome.


ADIES TOP CLUB AND MEN'S KENT FOURS - 31st JULY


Our Ladies Top Club side having good away wins at Bromley and Borough Green went out to Chatham in the Kent Area final 3-1 at Horton Kirby and our Kent Men's Fours won their Quarter Final against Marden at Halls but lost in the Semi-Final to Sandwich.


LX v CONEY HALL - WEDNESDAY 28TH JULY


Morning ALL. On Wednesday we travelled the short distance to the village of Coney hall (how do you become a village,?what do you need to become a village? ANSWERS ON A POSTCARD PLEASE ) Sorry going off one one again……we went down Corkscrew Hill ,across the road into Laynhams Road….we have arrived,…..2 minutes earlier I was still in my lounge drinking my tea I thought we would start slowly getting use to their green but I was wrong… again. aafter6 ends all 4 rinks we were up,then on our rink on the 7th end something happened ….we got 9 WW woods round the Jack ( including mine ) we were very sporting very English,we didn’t shout it out.ITS A HOTSHOT YES A HOTSHOT if you didnot hear me I repeat ITS A HOTSHOT…It’s now more work for me to send off the paperwork to Bowls England..I am sure Mr. BILL MEWIS does not want a piece of paper & a hotshot badge to put on his bowls jacket. After 12 ends we were still winning on all rinks when CONEY HALL played their trump card they sent on Coney Halls mascot THE GIANT CAT he walked up & down the rinks giving us a scary look & for a while sat on Phil Broomfield rink before giving up &
disappearing,it worked for a while Phils rink lost the next 4 ends after 16 ends we were trailing 11 - 13 SEE BELOW HOW WE ENDED.

RINK 2 Richard SLATER Martyn GROVER Dave SMITH.      WON 28 - 9. + 19
RINK 3 Brian EDE John BARNES Bill MEWIS.      HOTSHOT WON 29- 9. +20
RINK 4 David FIGG Graham CHAPMAN Phil BROOMFIELD.   WON 16-15. + 1
RINK 5 John DIAS Graham LANCASTER Ted MARTIN.        WON 16 - 15
      WW SHOTS 89. POINTS 10.  CONEY HALL 48 SHOTS POINTS 0

Thank you CONEY HALL & Captain KELVIN for making us Welcome & Your Hospitality with your wide range of cold beers from the fridge & sitting outside round your new tables in the sun This is your first season in LX let’s hope you move up the League And lastly I must not forget YOU W W TEAM we could have come unstuck we all know it’s not that easy on C H green so to get a 10 - 0 is a very good result.   THANK YOU.  Brian


COX CUP - MONDAY 25th JULY


The Men again progressed in the Cox Cup beating Sidcup comfortably and now meet B & G at Duke of Kent Court in the Division 1 semi-final on the 1st August. The other semi-final is W & P v Bromley at the same venue and date


LX REVIEW - 22nd JULY


Polling Station CLOSED ON WEDNESDAY AT MIDNIGHT
It did not take long to count the votes it was a very poor turnout after checking the votes through the night ( double checked again & again) we have a landslide winner
many of the LX Team decided not to vote against your fellow team member, I can understand that, & RESPECT your decision BUT IT WAS ONLY A BIT OF FUN in this AWFUL WORLD WE ARE LIVING IN AT THE MOMENT. The LX members who did VOTE & if you get the W.S winner right you will receive from me A BOTTLE OF VINTAGE WINE colour of your choice……..it’s being made has we speak (is that the right word MADE)  After last weeks disappointing result at Bromley we had to Bounce Back….ORPINGTON came to play on our green , speaking to some of there bowlers before the match they were looking forward to playing on it (LIKE ALL OTHER CLUBS) We should make a charge. HERE ARE THE SCORES they make good reading ( except on my rink) Don’t say again

Rink 2 John URIE Graham Lancaster Brian EDE   Lost 15 - 16. -1
Rink 3 John DIAS Mike FLAHERTY Bill MEWIS.   WON 30 -9. + 21
Rink 4 Richard SLATER Martin SALTER Phil BROOMFIELD. WON 28 - 8 + 20
Rink 5 David FIGG Paul RISPOLI Dave SMITH.    WON 28 - 12 + 16
       WW SHOTS 101  POINTS 8.    ORP. SHOTS 45. POINTS 2
We have 6 games left in the League next week we go down Corkscrew Hill to play Coney Hill ( which is a VILLAGE ) This will be a difficult game on there green & again we are missing bowlers who are taking holidays,going on picnics or going out with the family …..just so they keep away from the DREADED WOODEN SPOON at the end of season. THANK YOU EVERYONE the latest League Table is on the Clubs notice board


MONDAY 18th JULY


Congratulations to Gail Barnes in winning the Bowls England Ladies Over 55's Singles Area Final against Janice Munday from Empire 21-11. She is now in the All England Round of 32 on the 5th August against Hampshire or the Isle of Wight.


The Men progressed in the Cox Cup beating Kings fairly comfortably at home and only losing by 1 away.


SUNDAY 18th JULY - LADIES TOP CLUB v BOROUGH GREEN


A fantastic win for our ladies away at Borough Green 3-1 having put out Bromley in the last round, also away. They now meet Chatham by the 31st July on a neutral green in the Area Final.


WEDNESDAY 13th JULY LX v BROMLEY


First of all, I MUST APOLOGISE ( that’s twice I have said that or typed it won’t be the last) to you ALL…..MY devoted readers for not getting out match reports on our last 2 matches (2 in 3 days) REASON…….I Blame it on the very high temperatures we are getting it’s called a heatwave.I had a very nasty phone call from my editor explaining to
me SOCIAL MEDIA is a important part of my managers job
THIS COULD BE A FIRST ….. A LX match could be cancelled or Ends reduced next WED. Not because of the Bad weather RAIN, STORMS,SNOW….wait for it ..GLORIOUS SUN ITS A HEATWAVE …. You will have to ask 1 of our older statesman PETER JEFFRIES or PAUL PATTEN if this has happened before ?? I KNOW THE REASON…this is because I don’t use Carol Kirkwood anymore she kept getting it wrong ( she would say sunny day & we would get RAIN) ….I now use OWAIN WYN EVANS ( nice 3 piece suits,how does he fit in them) he also does a bit of drumming. On WED we travelled the short distance to BROMLEY (another green I don’t normally win on) Remember last seasons RON AULT FINAL we Lost. They were 2nd from bottom in the League , we are top at the moment but I knew this would be a tough match , they now play some of Bromley’s stronger players……….WE LOST 3 - 7.    Here are the scores
CHECK OUT our 2 heavy losses THIS WILL HELP YOU WHEN YOU VOTE

Rink 1 John Urie Graham Lancaster Brian Ede. Drew 14 - 14
Rink 2 PAUL RISPOLI MIKE FLAHERTY BILL MEWIS LOST 9 - 24  - 15 + dropped a 8
Rink 3 MARTIN SALTER GRAHAM CHAPMAN JOHN BARNES LOST 7 - 26.  - 19
Rink 4 David Figg Paul Patten Dave Smith. Won 15 - 7 + 8.  WELL DONE DAVE’s RINK

ANOTHER FIRST My opposite skip CHRIS said to me after 12 ends what are you drinking when we finish? He wanted to beat the rush to the bar good thinking Chris. When I came off the green the cold pint lager was waiting for me on our table ,it was not on the table for long …..only the empty glass THANKS Chris. Thank you captain DAVID INGRAM & BROMLEY for your hospitality you will move up the League LETS HOPE WE DONT MOVE DOWN? ITS NOW COUNTDOWN FOR YOUR VOTE …..Our CHARITY NEEDS LOADS & LOADS
of your money to save any bickering,squabbling,amongst the LX squad ( WHY DID YOU VOTE FOR ME) you must email me the name ,I will not disclose your vote to anyone it’s our secret. I don’t mind if you vote for the manager I won’t be offended( BUT PLEASE
DONT WASTE YOUR VOTE ) YOU WILL GET MORE REMINDERS TO VOTE BEFORE THE CUT OFF WED 20th 6pm.     Thank you everyone that includes RINKS 2 + 3.         Brian  PS JUST GOING TO VOTE NEED TO EMAIL MYSELF AFTER OUR DEFEAT TO BROMLEY I NOW HAVE 6 TO CHOOSE FROM??????


FRIDAY 1st JULY -KENT DIVISION 1 FINALS


Our Men's Four of Paul Rolfe, Richard Pickering, Ian Way and Geoff Bailey beat New Beckenham  in the Kent Division 1 Final and now progress to the Quarter Finals meeting the other 3 Kent Divisions - see link.


LATEST LX UPDATE

MATCH SCORES 2 GAMES IN 3 DAYS
Monday 27th June Home New Beckenham
Rink 1 John Dias Paul Rispoli Brian Ede.    12 - 20 LOST - 8    Rink2 Paul Rolfe John Barnes P.Broomfield. 11 - 7. WON + 4
Rink 3 John Urie G.Lancaster M.Whitehead. 24 - 12 WON + 12   Rink 4 Ted Martin Dave Smith Bill Mewis.   27 - 6. WON + 21
 W W 74 SHOTS 8 POINTS. New Beckenham 45 SHOTS 2  POINTS
Wednesday 29th June Home Sidcup
Rink 1 Brian Ede Martin Salter Bill Mewis.    18 - 12 WON + 6    Rink 2 David Figg G.Lancaster M.Whitehead. 13 - 20 LOST - 7
Rink 3 Dave Brown Mike Flaherty P. Broomfield 25-15 WON +10   Rink 4 M. Grover Paul Rispoli Ted Martin 21 - 25 LOST - 4
  WW 77 SHOTS. 6. POINTS. Sidcup 72 SHOTS. 4 POINTS.  Thank you team nect game AWAY BROMLEY WED 13th July

BOWLS ENGLAND & KENT COUNTY NEWS


A great win for our Ladies in the Bowls England Top Club away to Bromley winning 3-1. They now meet Borough Green.


Our Men's Four of Paul Rolfe, Richard Pickering, Ian Way and Geoff Bailey beat Sidcup in the Kent Division 1 Semi-Final and now meet New Beckenham at Bromley B.C. on the 1st July in the Final.


In the men's Pairs John Dias and Ian Remedios lost in the Pairs to 2 Middleton Cup players from Bromley. Well done in getting so far and giving them a good game in the semi-final. SEE LINK TO FINAL ROUNDS


FRIDAY 24th JUNE LX v METROPOLITAN POLICE & RON AULT TROPHY v ORPINGTON


EVENING ALL, remember Saturday nights Jack Warner of Dixon of Dock Green would salute to the camera & say EVENING ALL , don’t know why the colour was not good in those happy days always BLACK & WHITE……sorry back to Friday MET POLICE I looked round the green it looked like we were playing another W W team I counted 2 ex W W members for reasons unknown they supply their trade at the Warren now + 3 who are currently members of both clubs. Going to keep this report short I have another one to do tomorrow (Monday) & another on Wednesday. Last  week I said it was 3 games in 5 days, but it’s not, MALCOLM you should have picked up on it………..you normally do on my mistakes.          ITS 6 DAYS …I counted on my fingers. Here are the results rink1

Rink 1 John Dias Paul Rispoli John Barnes. WON 23 - 14. + 9

Rink 2  Ian Cuthbert Graham Chapman Richard Slater. LOST 10 - 16. - 6
Rink 3 John Urie Martin Salter.  M. Whitehead.         WON 25 - 14. + 11
Rink 4 David Figg Mike Flaherty Bill Mewis.           WON 18 - 15. + 3
          WW 75 SHOTS.  8 POINTS. MP & 5 ex WW 59 SHOTS. 2 POINTS
THANK YOU to Ian Cuthbert ( who left the club bar late in the day to play) & again to MALCOLM did not have time for a beer, when the game finished he played again at Orpington in the RON AULT see report below.     Thank you TEAM I keep being asked which individual ( LOSER ) has the dreaded WOODEN SPOON at the moment we still have a long way to go ……but I can tell you….
………. WE HAVE ( I had to count the number on 2 hands ) ……..YES YOU HAVE GOT IT   …….. WE HAVE 10 LOSERS with the same of Losses fighting for the WOODEN SPOON with his photo put on our clubs website ,management have told me I must not disclose the POOR INDIVIDUAL.


We travelled to Orpington in the evening to play in the RON AULT KNOCKOUT CUP. 2 TRIPLES, This was a very close game when both triples started the last end W W were winning by 2 shots overall but unfortunately both W W rinks dropped 3 to Lose by 4 shots, For me personally it was a week of near misses ( that’s another story )
Dave Smith Ian Remedios Brian Ede       LOST 14 - 21
Ted Martin G, Lancaster M.Whitehead.  WON. 21 - 18
Before the season started I told management we would DO THE DOUBLE that’s gone out the window I don’t know if my job is safe look at Chelsea managers they win 1or2 trophies & still get the sack it might be different now THE RUSSIAN HAS GONE
coming back in the car Malcolm looked so fresh I think he could have played a 3rd game instead he went to our club bar for a well earned DRINK           THANK YOU EVERYONE     Brian


BOWLS ENGLAND


A great 3-1 win for our Ladies in the Bowls England Top  Club away to Bromley. They now meet Borough Green

or Orpington Excelsior.


KENT DIVISION 1 SEMI FINALS & FINALS


Our Men's Four of Paul Rolfe, Richard Pickering, Ian Way and Geoff Bailey beat Sidcup in the Kent Division 1 Semi-Final and now meet New Beckenham in the Final. Plus in the Pairs John Dias and Ian Remedios got through to the Semi-Final against Bromley next Tuesday  at West Wickham.  All support welcome, good luck to all.


WEDNESDAY 15th JUNE - LX v BROMLEY TOWN - NAIL BITING STUFF


The weather was beautiful , the green was its usual self ( beautiful ) & the game was played in the right sporting spirit of the game. THANK YOU BROMLEY TOWN who came to us on Wednesday & gave us a very good game who came back strongly at the end , both teams fighting for the EXTRA BONUS 2 POINTS which can be so crucial at the end of the season specially if we have to GO TO THE WIRE AGAIN.  We all know POINTS make prizes ( remind me who use to say that ? ). Let’s get back to the MATCH …………WHAT DRAMA to get the extra 2 points. Our 3 winning rinks had finished & were watching with deep breath MALCOLM'S triple they were just about to play the last end .THE OVERALL SHOTS W W 62. BT 62. The large number of supporters watching did not know the score , we had taken the scoreboards in but luckily the best player left on the green in this situation was MALCOLM he had done the arithmetic before I could collect our scorecards from the skips…….BACK TO BOWLS & to MALCOLM who was just about to bowl, we are down
2 shots MALCOLM your club needs you ….again SORRY MALCOLM going to keep this short I only get paid on a certain number of words…………….But you moved the Jack ( I should say you trailed the Jack to get shot & despite BT skip Carlos efforts ……..WE HAVE GOT THE EXTRA BONUS 2 POINTS.   WW 63. BT. 62. WHAT DRAMA.    The last end should be on YOU TUBE. & the drama before that with  our supporters shouting WHAT IS THE OVERALL SCORE…………..ask Malcolm he knows
    Here are the scores
Rink 1 Richard Slater John Barnes Bill Mewis.     WON 18 - 14.  + 4
Rink 2 Ted Martin Mike Flaherty Phil Broomfield.  WON 17 - 16.  + 1
Rink 3 Ian Remedios G.Lancaster M. Whitehead   Lost. 10 - 25.  - 15 ( Kind words Manager but as I said that they were the only 2 good woods I played all afternoon, fortunately I did not need to bowl my last wood !!!!! )
Rink 4 John Dias Paul Rispoli Brian Ede.          WON 18 - 7.   + 11
        W W 8 POINTS.   Bromley Town 2 POINTS
Thank you everyone (TEAM ) & to Bromley Town bowlers for a sporting & enjoyable afternoon in the SUN ( don’t normally say that THE SUN BIT ). We now play 3 home games in 5 days .   THANK YOU TEAM & M……Sorry cannot type his name I have done my 1000
  words …….don’t get paid for extra ……..sorry M      Brian


WEDNESDAY 8th JUNE - LX v FOREST HILL


SORRY devoted readers but this weeks BOWLS REPORT will be a lot shorter REASON ……I was not there HOME to Forest Hill. If you remember they gave us a nail biting fight to the League title which we only WON on the last game of the season. As I said many times IT WENT TO THE WIRE ( I don’t like repeating myself ) I don’t know what my caretaker manager MALCOLM said to his troops (bowlers ) but whatever he said it certainly worked.  WE THUMPED last seasons runners up 10 - 0 ……..  …………….. OR MY INCENTIVE OF THE DREADED WOODEN SPOON. Here are the scores :-
Rink 2 Dave Brown John Barnes Phil Broomfield.   WON 19 - 14.  + 5
Rink 4 Martyn Grover Mike Flaherty Bill Mewis.     WON 21 - 13.  + 8
Rink 5 John Dias Paul Rispoli Ted Martin.          WON 26- 12.  + 14
Rink 6 John Urie G. Lancaster M. Whitehead.       WON 18 - 17.  + 1                                           W W SHOTS. 84.  FH 56
Looking at the scorecards Bills rink at 16 ends score was 13 - 13 then got a 7. Malcolm’s rink going into last end was 17 - 17 then got a 1 . The other 2 rinks , Teds rink on the last 2 ends got 7 shots to get a convincing WIN on Phils rink was only 2 shots up after 15 ends The match was very close not like a 10- 0 win in football. SPECIAL THANK YOU to Martyn for playing at the last moment ( phone call on the day ). THANK YOU Malcolm for stepping into the managers shoes ( NICE SHOES ) not an easy job with so many stars in the team ( there is another word for them ) Thank you TEAM for grinding out a WIN result. AGAIN SORRY for the short match report ….I will make up for it next week.         Thank you Brian


TUESDAY 7TH JUNE - AGGREGATES


Hi all,

 

Below are the winners for May’s aggregates :-

 

1st      Arun Tanna     £20

2nd     Peter Shaw     £15

3rd     Mick Burch      £10

 

Please collect winnings from Mark Jackson when next at the aggregates


WEDNESDAY 1st JUNE - LX v BELLINGHAM


After all the heavy rain showers this week and the experts weather forecasters all predicting more heavy showers during our match on Wednesday…………. It was a pleasant surprise we didnot get any wet stuff. WHEN DO THEY GET IT RIGHT ? It was perfect Bowls weather NO WIND, NOT COLD, SUN OUT about 20 degrees & NO RAIN it was perfect , EXCEPT for our match result ……. Bellingham who were 1 place behind us in the League beat us 7 - 3 at one time it did not look like we would get 3 points. I can see Bellingham challenging us for the League title this season.      We stopped at 9 ends ( first time this season ) and sat outside for our tea , coffee,
& our Jubilee cake in the sunshine ,thank you Paulette & Sandra for serving it to the old men. While sipping my tea & eating the homemade cake I had one eye in the sky did I see any dark clouds……NO JUST BLUE also noticing the beautifully decorated Flags
Buntings surrounding the green & inside the clubhouse WELL DONE THE LADIES all ready for THE QUEENS PLATINUM CELEBRATIONS.   Here are the scores
Rink 1 Martyn Grover Paul Patten Richard Slater  Lost 13 - 14  - 1
Rink 2 Mike Taylor Martin Salter Ted Martin.      Lost. 11 - 20.  - 9
Rink 3 John Dias Paul Rispoli Brian Ede.         WON 16 - 14 + 2 LOOK MR MEWIS
Rink 4 John Urie G.Lancaster M.Whitehead.     DREW 15 - 15
                                  W W SHOTS.   55 - 63
Special mention to John Dias WELL DONE making your debut in the tough LX League you had a very good game & helped to get the only W W rink WIN. Just to say to BILL MEWIS it was on the managers winning rink WILL WAIT FOR YOUR COMMENTS BILL ????
Must go now GOING TO DRINK THE QUEENS HEALTH       GOD BLESS THE QUEEN  THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR EFFORTS.           Brian


WEDNESDAY 25th MAY - LX v PETTS WOOD


IT’S WORKING My INCENTIVE is working ,our last 2 games no WW individual bowler has lost a match .   At the end of the season nobody wants to have their photo taken by our clubs photographer with the losers wooden spoon and the photo put on the clubs website. On Wednesday we travelled the short distance to Petts Wood over the past seasons it has not been a good place to get a result but they were missing some key bowlers also struggling to get 12 bowlers out for the day , they managed it when the member who was making the refreshments was told to find his woods.When we stopped for tea at 9ends all of our 4 rinks were winning but I must quickly say the managers rink was 24-0 up……this brought a constructive comment from our BILL MEWIS thanks Bill it’s always nice to get feedback……...anybody else , I would welcome feedback send to Christine anything to do with BOWLS she bins it before I can get to it that includes my dinner if I am late coming in AFTER PLAYING BOWLS. Thank you Petts Wood for your hospitality & wish you luck for the season when we got back out after tea we won 10-0……Here are the scores
Paul Rispoli Martin Salter Phil Broomfield.  WON 23- 10
Ted Martin Graham Chapman Bill Mewis.   WON 28- 7
Ian Cuthbert Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead WON 21- 18
David Figg Dave Smith Brian Ede.         WON 36- 6
           WW SHOTS 108.   PW SHOTS 41
 The next 6 league games are all at home but next week the Kent’s start so we will be losing some of the team best of luck who are taking part also some of you have decided to play in another competition . Next week we play Bellingham ( who are 3rd in
the League ) we are 2nd should be interesting. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS. PS Carol Kirkwood got it wrong again she forecast NO RAIN TODAY what did we get at precisely 4 pm we had a very heavy downpour which lasted ,Carol 30 to 40 minutes I think you have been distracted by that engagement ROCK on your finger.      Happy Bowling & THANK YOU EVERYONE.              Brian


WEDNESDAY 18th MAY - LX v ELTHAM


 BACK TO NORMALITY whatever that means? Back to winning ways, the sun came out so did the West Wickham LX bowlers
after that very disappointing result in the rain last week. We went to sunny ELTHAM by the sea ….sorry no SEA & WON 10 - 0 another great result we managed to get our car in the Eltham car park ( that is a first for me ). We did leave early before the sun came up, great result never done that before. My Editor has told me to keep this weeks match report shorter, last weeks I was told
some of you dozed off before you finished reading it. Not only am I getting pressure from the management for bad League results now I am getting it from the clubs website EDITOR, so here are the results
Rink 3 David Figg Dave Smith Brian Ede.    WON 20 - 18
Rink 4 Paul Rispoli Martin Salter Phil Broomfield. WON 23 - 7
Rink 5 Ted Martin John Barnes Bill Mewis.   WON 25 - 9
Rink 6 Martyn Grover Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead WON 21- 14
 WW 89 SHOTS. ELTHAM 48 SHOTS  THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR EFFORTS    Happy bowling in the SUN        Cheers        Brian


THURSDAY MAY 12th - N.W.K.L. DIVISION 8


“Our new Division 8 team travelled to Erith on Thursday 12th May to play St Michael’s Residents Bowls Club. The reason for entering a third team in the North West Kent League is to give some of our newer bowlers and those established members who have in the post wanted to play in the league but who hadn’t been selected to play in recent seasons. These players are now being given the opportunity to gain experience of playing in the league with the support and encouragement of some of our more experienced players. The following players were selected for the first match. 

 

1 David LeRay

2 John Dias

3 Paul Patten (Captain)

 

1 Ray Young

2 John Urie

3 Martyn Grover

 

On a heavy green in windy conditions the overall score ended in a 30 – 25 defeat with Martyn’s triple winning by 4 shots and Paul’s triple losing by 9 shots resulting in 4 points to St Michael’s Residents and 2 points to West Wickham.

 

An encouraging start but as my school reports used to say must do better! Paul Patten” 


WEDNESDAY MAY 11th  - LX v DUKE of KENT COURT


I did not want to write this match report there is very little to say, WHAT CAN I SAY. The score cards are so soggy I cannot read the scores ,have to wait for them to dry out. Will leave it until tomorrow maybe they will dry out………………………………………………Hello - back again I can just about read the score cards I cannot believe my eyes ARE THE SCORES RIGHT? Before I tell you the result & scores ( I know who played on Wed know the result BUT KEEP IT QUIET ) Don’t spoil it for everyone before I give you the result &
scores….LET ME SAY THANK YOU DUKE OF KENT for your hospitality it’s always nice to come to you,BIG CAR PARK ,lots of trees surrounding the green & a nice hot mug of tea after the game . After the 3 hours NON STOP RAIN it was a relief to come in for that
hot mug tea I HAVE NOW STARTED SNEEZING. Someone in the warm clubhouse ( who was not playing ) said to me we did need the heavy rain for the gardens, allotments, reservoirs,& bowls greens…..hold me back I nearly . . . him. Before I give you the result let me say to the 12 W W players why do you want a WOODEN SPOON ? It was a INCENTIVE for the squad not to have the EMBARRASSMENT of being the most losing INDIVIDUAL during the long season. It’s now time to give you the result & scores ….. but before I do I am going to check them ARE THEY RIGHT? let’s put my glasses on ………………….. if you see any mistakes. let me know , last season against Duke of Kent on our beautiful green WE WON 10-0. I might take out the players names not to cause any embarrassment to them just show the scores & result………..let me think?……………SORRY MUST SHOW PLAYERS NAMES
rink1 David Figg Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead LOST 14-24
rink 2 Paul Patten Graham Chapman Phil Broomfield.   LOST 19-20
rink 3 Ian Cuthbert Martin Salter Bill Mewis.           LOST. 15-22
rink4 Dave Smith Paul Rispoli Brian Ede.              LOST. 12-21
   I will leave it to you who has the most points I now have to take all score cards to the clubhouse for the WW management to check them MORE EMBARRASSMENT see you at ELTHAM next week (OR SOME OF YOU) Just come in from my allotment & garden things do look better after WED HEAVY DOWNPOUR.     Happy bowling         Brian


 MAY 6th 2022 - MESSAGE FROM LANCING B.C. AFTER OUR RECENT FRIENDLY


 I just wanted to let you know that our members all thoroughly enjoyed the whole day, not only the game, the weather, your ground but also the food and most of all your friendly players.  We look forward to welcoming you to Lancing in September. I can’t guarantee the weather I’m afraid but I can guarantee a warm welcome.  Many thanks again.  Pat Wadey  Secretary, Lancing Bowling Club


FIRST LX REPORT  2022 - Thank you team we win 8 - 2 home to WOODCROFT the only rink that lost was the managers,this season I think I will give the award to the rink who loses the most ,they will not get the champagne at the end of the season but a wooden spoon.   Below are the match details
Rink 1 Paul Rispoli Dave Smith Brian Ede.     Lost. 15 - 30.  WOODEN SPOON
Rink 2 Ian Cuthbert John Barnes Bill Mewis.   WON 15 - 12
Rink 4 David Figg Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead WON 19 - 12
Rink 5 Martyn Grover Paul Rolfe Phil Broomfield WON 30 - 7
                         

TOTAL SHOTS.  79.    to.   61

This season I think I have about 35 bowlers in the squad who want to play in the L X which is far too many. llet me say now ,sorry to disappoint a lot of you who wont get a game or not many games this season but at WEST WICKHAM there is lots of other competitions & lots of bowling for you during the season so again SORRY. I have been told by the management if we don’t do the DOUBLE ( League & Ron Ault Cup) I WILL GET THE SACK so I have to pick what I think is the strongest team of 12
 PS I won’t mention the weather but it was - - - - - COLD. Again THANK YOU TEAM we only have another 18 matches.  Cheers Brian


INDOOR SEASON


We have two of our members who have done brilliantly at the Lewisham indoor finals this year.  Congratulations to Dave Smith who became the Crystal Palace singles champion winning his singles final, against David Singer, 20 - 21 after being  20 - 8 down.  Congratulations also to Ian Remedios who became the Lewisham singles champion  winning by 21 shots to 2 beating Alan Sayers.


Well done to both Dave and Ian, this adds to the West Wickham successes throughout the winter season.


Week ending 17th April


Friday 1st April - The final games of the Lewisham indoor leagues were played this evening.  Our West Wickham teams did exceptionally well on both Wednesday and Friday, winning both leagues.  Thanks to Dave Smith and Paul Patten for all their efforts in managing the teams.  They have provided an excellent summary of the leagues, click here to read the summary.


Week ending 3rd April


Saturday 12th March - Bingo night coming, the list is currently full.


Week ending 13th March

Saturday 5th March - West Wickham played our last indoor match of the season against Croydon Indoors.  The match was a 5 rink mixed game.  Unfortunately we lost Fatima Tanna at the last minute to Covid and this left Muriel Goringe as our only lady player, thank you Muriel!  However, we lost the game by 106 shots to 80 shots.  There were two highlights for the day with two winning rinks Richard Slater, John Urie and Glynne Goringe and Paul Rispoli, John Martin and David Figg.


Big thanks to Croydon for a warm welcome and to Sam their (and our) caterer for a lovely two course meal.

Friday 4th March - The Club ran two First Aid sessions, one in the morning the second in the afternoon.  The primary purpose of the sessions was to refresh member's skills surrounding the use of the defibrillator.  The sessions increased in size to include other items requested by members.  These included treating scolds and burns, choking and fitting.  The lady running the course did an excellent job and kept everybody engaged throughout the session.  


There is now a new list of members capable of using the defibrillator on the wall in the clubhouse next to the defibrillator.  We just hope we never have to use the machine!

Week ending 6th March

2022

Many thanks to all ther members who supported the Race Night on Friday 1st October. The evening was a great success and hopefully enjoyed by all who attended. A total sum of £456 was raised for club funds.


The Quiz Night on Friday 12th November  is now full and we look forward to another great night. If you have your name down for the Quiz unless you give at least 3 days notice you will be charged as the fish and chips will have to be paid for.


The date for the Xmas Lunchtime get together is Sunday 19th December from 1-00p.m., turn up, bring a few nibbles , Xmas jumpers optional.


Don't forget the club is now open Friday night's from 8-30p.m. and Sunday Lunchtimes from 1-00p.m.


THE SEASON HAS NOW FINISHED SO THERE WILL BE ONLY LIMITED UPDATES HERE


Week endin g 19th September


LX REPORT   Winners 2019.    Winners COVID 2020 ( did not bowl a wood ) Winners 2021
               
BEFORE WE CELEBRATE..Let’s go back to Tuesday Forest Hill last game ,they had just beaten Bromley 7 - 3 to move top of the table with 122 Points we have 119 Points. We have to go to BETHLEM for our last game ( not a easy green ) driving to Bethlem I was thinking 2 weeks ago the match with BLACKHEATH ( we got 6 points ) we nearly lost on 3 rinks we would only have got 2 points, which would have been more NAIL BITING STUFF & more pressure today…….The managers rink loses badly,but the other 3 rinks
WIN ( they are all trying to WIN the CHAMPAGNE ( good incentive of mine ) WE WIN 8-2  WE HAVE WON the LEAGUE by 5 POINTS
Let me give you some pleasing STATS, Malcolm loves STATS.


During the season we played 17 games WON 15 & Lost 2 we had 100% Home WIN record. WON 10-0 (4times)WON 9-1 (once) WON 8-2 ( 7 times ) WON 6-4 (3 times) lost 2 away games NICE STATS Malcolm ( I forgot 355 shot difference).


THE WINNER of the CHAMPAGNE will be announced next Friday at the LX Delagates game ( its in my fridge keeping cold )
Special THANKS to CAROL KIRKWOOD who gave us some decent weather
Special THANKS to our GREENKEEPERS every club loves playing on our green
Special THANKS to PAULETTE & SANDRA for serving the refreshments & Martins homemade cakes
Special THANKS to MALCOLM before my report gets on the website he has to check any spelling mistakes…Bad grammar…check the truth of my report nothing made up & anything Controversial ( did I spell that right )
Special THANKS to my grandchildren MEADOW & SUMMER for letting me out on a Wednesday they sit at the front door & SHOUTING NO BOWLS Grandad NO BOWLS.       OVER & OUT          THANK YOU             Brian


EDITORS NOTE -  Well done Brian and all the squad in Brian's first year as Manager. Plus nearly did the double !!


Week ending 11th September


The new members who joined the Club this season had their own competition on Saturday 11th September, 12 of them were available to play.  They had a singles knock out competition and a rink game.


All 12 members played in the singles competition with the first round losers going forward into the rink game.  The final of the singles competition was between Mark Power and John Dias with John running out the winner by 13 shots to 5.  Most of the singles games were close with one needing an extra end and two others being won on the last end.  The first round runners up then played in a rink match.  The winning team of Ann Hill, David Cordell, Arun Tanna and Muriel Goringe won by 11 shots to 4.


The players provided a very tasty lunch, which was shared by everybody.  Friends and families came to provide support.


Special thanks go to Paul Patten, Dave Smith, Ian Remedios and Ann Saunders who marked the singles games and Ian Cuthbert who ran the bar and also marked a game.  Huge thanks to Sandra Figg who was the official time keeper and galley slave!!


John and Lesley's grandson decided during the day that the club needs a basement.  He is drawing up plans for the job and has agreed to a price!


The most important thing for the day was that everybody had fun!!


Week ending 5th September


West Wickham played Bellingham at Bromley yesterday in the Ron Ault Final unfortunately we lost by 6 shots


Rink2 Richard Slater Dave Smith Malcolm Whitehead Lost 17 - 21


Rink 4 Ted Martin Graham Lancaster. Brian Ede.     Lost 19 - 21


                                      TOTAL SHOTS 36- 42


Many Thanks to Ted Martin who came in late to replace Bill Mewis who was not available & Many Thanks to the W W members for your SUPPORT who came to Bromley & THANK YOU TEAM FOR YOUR EFFORTS


CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR LADIES WINNING THE GLADYS TYLER FINAL AGAINST CONEY HALL

 IN GRAND STYLE. THE FULL SQUAD OVER THE TOURNAMENT


 Gail Barnes, Eileen Evans, Margaret Hewitt,Jenny Mewis, Eileen Pickering, Ann Saunders,

Anne Simmonds, Pat Walkinshaw and Jeanette Whitehead



LX REPORT - GOING TO THE WIRE         FOREST HILL WIN AGAIN 8 - 2
Blackheath came to West Wickham on Wednesday to play our last LX HOME game this season and we kept our 100% home WIN record BUT ONLY JUST. Blackheath gave us a very good game it looked at one time we would lose on 3 rinks which would have dented our chances of retaining the League again.
 

Rink1 D.FIGG.T.MARTIN.B.EDE. WON 25-7  BWR.   we had a good start before tea but after 14 ends were only 11-6 up but on
 the last ends managed to get 13 shots.


Rink2 J.Urie.G.Lancaster.M.Whitehead 15-15 after 16ends we were down 10-14 but again managed 5 shots but on last end                        dropped a shot to DRAW.


Rink3 I.Cuthbert.P.Patten.D.Smith Lost 16-21 well done for keeping the score down only lost by 5shots should help to get the
 Extra 2 points.


Rink4 P.Rispoli.M.Salter.B.Mewis.  Draw 18-18 going into the last end we were 13-18 down but AGAIN managed 5 shots to Draw
 

 W W SHOTS 74 W W POINTS 6.   Blackheath 61 SHOTS 4 POINTS


Thank you Blackheath the match was played in the right spirit of the gameThank you GIRLS Paulette & Sandra for serving the refreshments its always nice to be served with a SMILE WE NOW HAVE A BREAK NEXT WEEK.         SEE YOU ALL AT BETHLEM ( last game )       AGAIN THANK YOU ALL             Brian


Week ending 22nd August


NORTH WEST KENT LEAGUE


Congratulations to our Division 4 side in winning the Division. After a bad start losing away 1-5 to Bexley Park (who eventually got relegated) and lots of long distance travelling we ended up winning comfortably by 10 points winning all our 7 home games. Well done Dave Brown and all his squad !!  Plus a special thanks to the new members of the squad, Graham Lancaster, Ted Martin, Paul Rispoli and David Smith.



LX REPORT - On Wednesday we travelled to QUEENSMEAD in Shortlands I have not played there for about 10 years nothing has changed , it’s in a nice setting next to the park with lots of trees overlooking the club. They won’t mind me saying this , it is a Typical Old Fashioned English Bowling Club founded in 1911 like a lot of clubs they are struggling for members at the last count they only have 32 men & woman members. I don’t know how they survive they don’t attract the younger or experience bowler from other clubs. THIS MUST BE A FIRST FOR A HIGH QUALITY BOWLS MATCH….LET ME EXPLAIN. Q/ MEAD Captain BRIAN ( nice name ) HE SAID we have a problem our Lead is 92 years of age & cannot bowl 18 ends can I put to you Brian Will you allow us to bowl with
2 Leads on 1 rink. Both Leads have Health problems LEAD 1 would bowl 9 ends up the green LEAD 2 would bowl 9 ends down the green….I HAVE NOW GOT A EXECUTIVE MANAGERS DECISION to MAKE…Before I make my Decision what about if I give you our Paul Patten on rink 4 & I will take your 2 Leads .HE SAID quickly NO THANKS… I was thinking out Loud is this in LX Rules ….THIS TIME FORGET THE RULES. RULES CAN BE BROKEN.   Let’s start & Play. This week we stopped at 9 ends for refreshments I think it was to give a rest for the 2 Leads & Paul Patten , in the clubhouse on my table was Dennis the 92 year old he said no one gives me a lift, I have to get 2 buses to get here I wish I had started bowls when I was younger I SAID don’t worry you still have plenty years left to bowl ….I think he heard me he had his eyes closed he was having a quick nap before restarting ( or he was just BORED talking to me )
THE MATCH RESUMED & WE WON 10 - 0. Thank you QUEENSMEAD Thank you for your Hospitality I hope your Club survives in
the years ahead THIS SPORT is not always about winning trophies YOUR CLUB is about helping the COMMUNITY your members to get EXERCISE meeting up to have a drink & a chat at the club , to help your MENTAL WELL-BEING LIKE MY FRIEND DENNIS WHAT
WOULD HE DO IF HE COULD NOT MEET UP WITH FRIENDS AT THE BOWLS CLUB.    Thank you team. Brian.  PS  THE LAST 2 REPORTS WILL BE SHORTER


The Club received a letter from our charity thanking us for a recent donation of £468.60, the letter is attached.  Click here to read.  This money was raised by a number of activities by the Ladies section, including marmalade making by Anne Simmonds and raffles, thank you ladies!


Week ending 15th August


On Friday in the Ron Ault Cup we beat Orpington away in the semi-final. The final to be played at Bromley B.C. against Bellingham.


Last Saturday we were away at Woolwich & Plumstead in the President's Cup ( P.C.L. Cup) and won in the end comfortably mainly thanks to our pair of Richard Pickering and Alex Catherall . We meet Woodcroft at home this coming Saturday the21st August.


In the N.W.K.L . our Men's Division 4 side gained promotion and beacame champions beating their rivals Bethlem Royal Hospital but although our Division 1 side beat Petts Wood away  4-2 it may not be enough to avoid the drop into Division 2. The ladies moved into 2nd place but the League table does not show the number of games played and some sides may have games in hand.


In the Jubilee League (Ladies) and Private Clubs League  (Men's) both teams are mid table so it looks like no chance of cash prizes this year in the League programmes.



WEEKLY L.X. REPORT Morning Everyone.  Don’t Look Back ; Forest Hill are still just behind us they WON AGAIN 8-2 6 Points behind us but a extra game to play it’s going to the WIRE. On Wednesday we travelled the short distance to LANGLEY & got a 8 - 2 WIN if it was a football match 8- 2 would be a resounding Victory but in bowls & in this competition it didnot feel like a easy win. LET ME PUT YOU IN THE PICTURE & EXPLAIN. We won on 2 rinks by only a few shots ( very close ) we Lost on 1 rink by 13 shots but on 1 rink Won by 10 shots at the end of the game we were Level 59 - 59 YOU MAY ASK SO HOW DID YOU WIN 8-2 …. On Dave Smiths rink Langley were 1 man short ( The missing bowler must have heard of DS reputation ) In the LX rules if you are 1 man short you have to take off a third off your overall score in this case it was 4 Points , So we won by 4 Points. Before the game the Langley captain said to me we are 1 man short CAN WE PLAY A LADY… I SAID this LX is a mans League , who is the Lady you want to play?? HE SAID Krystyna Ted Martins wife….I SAID….she is a very good bowler SORRY NO. HE SAID WE are trying to contact Dave Brown to play ( he is a social member here ) I SAID… Sorry he plays for us in the LX this is why you need SUBS on the Bench waiting to come on ( sorry Football again ) The Langley green has improved when we came off after the game our Dave Smith & Sir Paul Patten found mistakes on 2 of our skips score cards NO NAMES but he is married to Krystyna & the the other skip is the MANAGER who ever he is 😎. Thank you. Langley for your hospitality I Like the idea the fridge in the changing room for the cold beers it saves walking to the main building.     Thank you Everyone Brian


PS I nearly forgot the SUN was out today a beautiful day thank you Carol Kirkwood    and also I nearly forgot … When you see MALCOLM remind him to bring his Lucky bowling shoes next time


Bowls England Family Pairs - As you may have seen on the Home page David and Chris Smith lost in the Area Final to a team from Worthing. Hopefully one step further next year to get to Leamington.


LX WEEKLY REPORT - On Wednesday we travelled to Orpington , again Carol Kirkwood  gave us a Sunny HOT afternoon so again we stopped at 9 ends for cold drinks & to talk tactics but it didnot help on my rink.     A GAME OF FINE MARGINS. We Lost 2 - 8. & by 3 shots overall but with a bit of Luck it could have easily been a win for us 8 - 2 ?? On Dave Smiths Rink ( he is the more famous brother to Chris Smith ) had a convincing WIN by 17 shots. 2 of our rinks that lost could have gone either way both rinks went into the last ends 1 & 2 shots behind Orpington but sadly didnot get the shots to win the games. Fine Margins. Our other rink ( with the manager in could be EX manager soon ? LOST by 15 shots. We now have a two weeks break from the League , time to regroup before we start & play the Last 4 games of the season.  Here are the SCORES

Rink 2 David Figg Graham Lancaster Dave Smith. WON 27 - 10. BW R plus 17

Rink 3 Ian Cuthbert Richard Slater Ted Martin. LOST 16 - 19. - 3

Rink 4 Martyn Grover Martin Salter Brian Ede LOST 8 - 23. - 15

Rink 5 John Urie Paul Patten Bill Mewis. LOST 14 - 16. - 2

 W W SHOTS 65 ORP SHOTS 68                       POINTS 2 - 8         Well done Orpington thank you for your hospitality & the refreshments. When we resume the League in 2 weeks time we know Orpington & Forest Hill are very close behind us with games in hand to us.                 Thank you Everyone


Week ending 18th July


This week LOTS & LOTS SPECIAL THANKS. SPECIAL THANKS to Paul Rispoli who came into the team late on the day when David Figg failed the fitness test. SPECIAL THANKS to Delia Martin Salter for making the wonderful home made cakes & to my better half Christine who made the Victoria Chocolate sponge & Fairy cakes ( I was going to bake the cakes but Christine said I always get LOST in the Kitchen ). SPECIAL THANKS to Paulette Salter & Sandra Figg who served the refreshments with a smile to the 24 OLD MEN ( not easy ). SPECIAL THANKS to Carol Kirkwood who supplied the Glorious Beautiful Sunny Weather. SPECIAL THANKS to Malcolm & Martin the moment they came off the green HAD the BAR OPEN. SPECIAL THANKS to the Bromley players who made it enjoyable afternoon it's not always about winning its nice to meet up have a bit joke , laugh , banter, reminisce past games , have a beer after the game ( 1 or 2 ) THATS AFTER WE BEAT THEM

Rink 3 Martin Salter Dave Smith Brian Ede. WON 22 - 15. Plus 7

Rink 4 Paul Patten Dave Brown Phil Broomfield. WON 21 - 14. Plus 7

Rink 5 John Urie Graham Evans Malcolm WhiteheadWON 27 - 10 Plus 17. BWR

Rink 6 Paul Rispoli Ted Martin Bill Mewis. WON 20 - 15. Plus 5

W W SHOTS 90 Bromley Shots 54                     W W POINTS 10. Bromley POINTS 0  THANKS EVERYONE. Brian


Week ending 11th July


LX Report -  On Wednesday we entertained Woolwich & Plumstead. T his week I will keep the match report short. WE WON 10 - 0 End of report. Here are the scores

 Rink 2 John Urie Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead WON 22 - 8 plus. 14

 Rink 3 Ian Cuthbert John Barnes Phil Broomfield. WON 29 - 11 plus 18. BWR

Rink 4 Martyn Grover Martin Salter. Brian Ede. WON 22 - 17 plus 5

Rink 5 Paul Patten Dave Smith Bill Mewis. WON 32 - 14 plus 18. BWR

                                                                                                   SHOTS 105 - 50

We had 2 Best Winning Rinks this week it must be the Incentive of the M & S Champagne. I have got to say this , COME ON ENGLAND BRING IT HOME.     Thanks Everyone LETS KEEP GOING @ BRING the L X HOME come on W W     Brian               

Congratulations againto Dave Smith, who along with his brother Chris from Bromley got through in the Area Final of the BE Family Pairs and now have to play Ken Weyland or Emily Ferguson in the ALL ENGLAND ROUND OF 32 . Good luck to you both.


Week ending 4th July


We held the Ladies Division 1 Finals on Sunday. The weather was very changeable but better than forecast and hopefully all the players and spectators had a good day. Thanks to all those behind the scenes who put in a tremendous amount of work ensuring everything was ready and running snoothly. See link for the results.


KENT SEMIS/FINALS Unfortunately Tony Bartholomew lost in the Singles Semi-final and our triple ( Tony Bartholomew, Ian Way & Geoff Bailey ) lost in the triples final to Bromley on the extra end !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See this link for the later stages of the various disciplines.


 WEEKLY LX REPORT -   This was the 3rd Game in 5 Days. We went to SIDCUP on Wednesday. There have been Casualties Phil Broomfield pulled out RBS game due to Exhaustion, Bill Mewis pulled out on the day with SIDCUP

  due to Bad Back ( did not pass the late fitness test ) Manager Brian Ede due to Mental Fatigue I had 13 players ( not 12 ) at SIDCUP was it a Computer error or a Human Error, sorry Ian you will definitely be in  the next game.  Here are the scores

                 Rink3 Paul Rispoli Ian Remedios Ted Martin. Lost 12 - 17 -5

                 Rink4 Martin Salter Dave Smith Brian Ede. WON 25- 10 plus 15

                 Rink 5 John Barnes Dave Brown Phil BroomfieldWON 22- 11 plus 11

                 Rink 6 John Urie Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead WON 34 - 6 plus28       BWR

                                                  W W SHOTS 93 SIDCUP SHOTS 44            WW POINTS. 8. SIDCUP POINTS 2

                  SPECIAL THANKS to Ian Remedios did not get the call until early (8am ) phone call on the day. Also Special Thanks to YOU the TEAM in the 3 Games in 5 Days.  We have WON all 3 Picking up 24 POINTS out of a possible 30


Game 2 of 3 games in 5 days. Glad we all did the preseason road running & gym work it's keeping us going. Malcolm and I arrived early for the RBS game we could not drive into the club had to park in Copers Cope Rd & were met by a security guard at the clubs gate. When we walked down the new clubs drive we both went WOW I repeat WOW I have never seen Malcolm so EXCITED in front of us were loads & loads of new Football pitches THIS IS THE NEW CRYSTAL PALACE ACADEMY for Boys & Girls for all age groups. Very lmpressive, Malcolm said let's have a Look round I think he was hoping to see a pitch for a VETS team. We went into the indoor Arena above us was the C P Eagle Logo looking down on us thinking what are they doing here ? This pitch was waiting for the 4 G Artificial to be put down. We were stopped going any further by the security guards they were not Happy how did you get in the training ground they made sure we made our way to the Bowls Club. I said to RBS Captain Dave Jones , Carol Kirkwood said we will get heavy showers this afternoon shall we play the minimum 9 ends & not the 18 ? After a Long debate ( of 20 seconds ) we decided to play 18 ends let's hope Carol is wrong. Captain Dave said we will not stop for tea THE BUILDERS had CUT through the Electricity Cable. You may ask what about the Bowls Match ? We WON and only got a little shower for about 10 minutes SORRY Carol you got it wrong this time

Here are the results

Rink 1 Paul Rispoli Eugene Flaherty John Barnes. Lost 12 - 25. -13

Rink 2 Martyn Grover Martin Salter. Brian Ede. WON 19 -10. Plus 9. BWR

Rink 3 Ian Cuthbert Graham Evans Dave Smith. WON 15 - 14 Plus 1

Rink 5 Mark Jackson Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead WON 16 -11 Plus 5.   W W SHOTS 62. RBS 60

 WW POINTS. 8. RBS 2. SPECIAL THANKS To Malcolm Whitehead playing 2 Games in 1 Day. To Mark Jackson & Eugene Flaherty for making their Debuts in L X both coming through our ACADEMY the AGGREGATES you both did your bit to win the game. Thank you Dave Jones & RBS bowlers nice afternoon nice green & the beer after the game ( the tea was not missed ). Thank you TEAM.                Brian  PS the SIDCUP Report will be shorter


Week ending 27th June


LX MATCH 8 -           Ist of 3 games in 5 Days. Let's start with the weather ( why are we the English ) so obsessed with the weather It was ideal Bowls weather NO WIND, NO RAIN, NOT HOT 22c NOT COLD we could not complain or could we ?? It was a very good Win on their green I expect Met Police to be challenging us for the League

this season they still have some useful players at there club. The Green also played well The Best Winning Rink was Bill Mewis who had 2 EX former Met Police players in Richard Slater & Mike Flaherty showing them what they have Lost ?? The score 31 - 7 The other 3 Rinks were very close & could have gone either way , but we only Lost on 1 Rink ( that was my rink AGAIN ) I thought if I picked myself to play with CHAMPAGNE Graham we would get BWR but NOHere are the scores on the doors WHO USE TO SAY THAT ??

Rink 3 Ian Cuthbert Graham Evans Dave Smith. WON 15 - 11. Plus 4

Rink 4 Paul Rispoli Ted Martin. Phil Broomfield. WON 24 - 20 Plus 4

Rink 5 John Urie Graham Lancaster Brian Ede. LOST 14 - 18. - 4

Rink 6 Richard Slater Mike Flaherty Bill Mewis. WON 31 - 7. Plus 24. B W R 

SHOTS. 84 - 56                  POINTS. 8- 2                       A VERY GOOD WIN         Thank YOU EVERYONE


Week ending 20th June


With the Kent Competitions moving towards their Divisional conclusions we have the following still travelling


MEN


Two Wood - John Barnes

Singles - Brian Ede, Dave Smith,Tony Bartholomew and Ian Way

Unbadged - Graham Chapman and Ian Remedios

Triples - Geoff Bailey's triple with Tony Bartholomew and Ian Way.


LADIES


Senior Fours - A.Saunders rink with Gail Barnes, Jeanette Whitehead and Eileen Pickering. 


In the Bowls England competitions our Men play Blackheath & Greenwich in the Top Club, the Ladies play Orpington Excelsior in their Top Club and the mixed team play away at Petts Wood this Monday in the Tony Allcock Trophy. Good luck to all. Also David Smith (partnering his brother Chris Smith) are playing in the Area semi-final of the Family Pairs and could meet Gail & John Barnes in the Area final if they both win.


 Brian Ede's LX update


 Back to winning ways THANK YOU. On Wednesday we travelled the short distance to Bromley Town , the weather was very hot not a cloud in the sky ( I did not say that in the month of May ) 3 of the 4 games were very close and could have gone either way a special mention should be given to Phil Broomfield rink after 7 ends they were 2 - 12 down , after 14 ends 10 - 16 down but came back to WIN 18 - 16 WELL DONE what did you put in your opponents tea at the break


The BEST WINNING RINK was Malcolm Whitehead's

Rink 2 John Muddle John Barnes Phil Broomfield WON 18 - 16. plus 2

Rink 3 Paul Rispoli Richard Slater Ted Martin. LOST. 12 - 14 - 2

Rink 4 David Figg Paul Patten. Bill Mewis. WON. 17 - 13 plus 4

Rink 5 Martin Salter Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead. WON. 22 - 10 plus 12. BWR

                                                            W W SHOTS 69. B T SHOTS 53

                                                            W W POINTS. 8. BT POINTS. 2

At the moment Graham Lancaster is Leading the best individual of the Best Winning Rinks with 4 . Early days for the CHAMPAGNE Graham still along way to go


In the Ron Ault Cup we won a very close encounter with Woodcroft and now meet Petts Wood at home.


Week ending 13th June


A BAD DAY at the Office. If Malcolm Whiteheads rink had not got a 5 on the Last end it would have been a WHITEWASH. Sorry to remind everyone who played here are the scores


Rink 1 David Figg Martin Salter Bill Mewis. LOST 9 - 23. -14

Rink 2 Ian Cuthbert John Barnes Phil Broomfield LOST 12 - 21 - 9

Rink 3 Martyn Grover Paul Rispoli Richard Slater LOST. 13 - 14 - 1

Rink 4 John Urie Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead WON 18 - 15 plus 3 BWR

                             W W SHOTS 52. FOREST HILL SHOTS. 73

                                       POINTS. 2. POINTS. 8

Let's Forget this Result and Move on. As I explained to John Urie ( who was on the winning rink ) you have not been dropped for the next game I have to ROTATE the squad like CITY & LIVERPOOL we have so many Leads to choose from at the club. Well Done Forest Hill you are now Top AT THE MOMENT. Tomorrow ( next WED ) WILL BE A BETTER DAY.       Thanks Everyone


Week ending 6th June


On Wednesday we travelled to sunny Bellingham which was the warmest day of the year , the sun tan lotion & the sun glasses went on we are now in flaming June so it could get hotter ? We won't discuss the green even their bowlers appeared to struggle on it. Enough said about that. It was our closest game so far only winning by 5 shots overall we won on 2 rinks & Lost on 2 rinks. BEST WINNING RINK by 7 shots were Ian Cuthbert ,Paul Rispoli , Graham Lancaster

Rink 7 Ian Cuthbert. Paul Rispoli. Graham Lancaster. WON 20 - 13. plus 7

Rink 8 Martyn Grover Paul Patten. Brian Ede. LOST. 12 - 15 - 2

Rink 9 David Figg. Dave Brown. Martin Salter. WON 20 - 16 plus 4

Rink 10 John Urie. Graham Evans Malcolm Whitehead LOST 12 - 15 - 2

                                                                                               SHOTS 64 - 59

               West Wickham 6 Points. Bellingham 4 Points

Thank you Bellingham for your hospitality again nice bowls people we again stopped at 9 ends for refreshment thank you Bellingham Lady ( did not know her name ) it was nice to get in the shade from the strong sun makes a nice change & not from the rain & cold. I would like to thank JOHN URIE & Martyn Grover they were playing their first LX League games this season WELL DONE you did your bit on that difficult green. If you have seen the League Table at the moment we are top & 5 Points behind us are the team we are playing Wednesday FOREST HILL. Keep thinking of the CHAMPAGNE ?? 😀 🍾   Thank you Everyone


Week ending 31st May


Petts Wood came to West Wickham for game 4 in the L X League. To everyone's surprise the rain stopped & the winds went away THE SUN CAME OUT it was warm. For the first time this season we stopped at 9 ends sat on the patio had home made Victoria Chocolate sponge, fairy cakes washed down with tea & coffee served by the waitresses

Paulette & Sandra thank you girls. SORRY where was I , yes we were playing Bowls It was nice cake. Petts Wood are a decent club & nice people they had in there team 2 bowlers who played in the KENT over 55's who beat the strong Bromley team a few days before coming to us.


Rink 1 David Figg. Martin Salter. Bill Mewis. Lost 13 - 15

Rink2 Ian Cuthbert Ted Martin Phil Broomfield Won 21 - 11

Rink3 Richard Slater Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead Won 21 - 12

Rinks4 Paul Rispoli Brian Ede Dave Smith Won 22 - 7. BWR

If my maths is right West Wickham WON by 77 shots to 45 shots

We WON by 8 points to 2 points. We now have 6 away games we don't play at home until July 7th.    Thanks everyone


Week ending 23rd May


LX  -  GAME 3.  Eltham came to West Wickham on Wednesday except for TALK TALK ( Mr A.Farnham )

We thought Eltham was quiet , Talk Talk was on Elthams green thinking he was playing us there. HE ARRIVED 25 minutes late. The weather girl Carol Kirkwood on BBC said we would get 1 or 2 scattered showers in the afternoon but luckily we only got a slight drizzle at the end of the game This was our toughest game so far ( there will be more ) West Wickham started well on all 4 rinks but Eltham came back at us but we just held on to win by 7 shots we won on 2 rinks and the first time this season Lost on 2 rinks. WEST WICKHAM 6 POINTS. ELTHAM 4 POINTS. The game was played in the right spirit of the game specially in the Clubhouse Bar for the first time since ??? cannot remember WE SHOULD KEEP the WAITER SERVICEor WAITRESS any offers Ladies ??


Rink 1 Paul Patten Dave Smith Phil Broomfield. WON 19 - 13. plus 6. B W R

Rink 2 John Barnes Graham Lancaster Brian Ede LOST 12 - 15. - 3

Rink 3 Ian Cuthbert Ted Martin Malcolm Whitehead WON 16 - 11 plus 5

Rink 4 David Figg Martin Salter Bill Mewis. LOST 15 - 16. - 1


 Thank you Everyone                   Brian Ede


Week ending 16th May


On Wednesday 12th May we entertained DUKE of KENT our first Home League match for over 20 months , something got in the way ? The sun came out and so did West Wickham we had a convincing win by 109 shots to 43 shots and 10 Points to 0 Points.

No disrespect to Duke Kent ( they are a friendly club ) they are not one of the strongest clubs in the League at the moment, they are not attracting the stronger bowlers to the club. THE GREEN. What can you say ? It's all been said before THANK YOU GREENKEEPERS


We almost had 4 Best winning rinks

 Rink 1 Paul Patten Dave Smith Brian Ede.  WON 26 - 10. Plus 16

 Rink 2 David Figg Martin Salter Bill Mewis.   WON 25 - 9. Plus 16

 Rink 3 Paul Rispoli Graham Lancaster Malcolm Whitehead.   WON 32- 15. Plus 17

 Rink. 4 Richard Slater Ted Martin Phil Broomfield. WON 26 - 9. Plus. 17


The incentive is working ( champagne ) we had 2 Best winning rinks.  Early days but looking good only another 15 games to go

               

Thank you everyone  Brian Ede


Week ending 2nd May


Well a great start to the season for the new manager of the LX side Brian Ede winning away at Woodcroft 9 - 1 hopefully a report to follow.


On Wednesday we went to Woodcroft to play our first LX game since 11th Sept 2019. It was a very cold day, cloudy and bit of drizzle fortunately not enough for the gardeners. The Bowls result warmed us up WEST WICKHAM beating WOODCROFT 9 Points to 1 Point 72 shots to 56 shots. Against them on there green we don't normally get such a resounding win.


Being greedy it should have been a Whitewash 10 - 0 On our rink we were 15 - 4 up after 12 ends but going into the last end we were 15 - 16 down we were lucky to draw. THE GREEN I was told they have had lots problems with moss and had a lot of work to do during the Winter / Spring, but you cannot complain after a resounding victory


John Barnes Dave Brown Malcolm Whitehead WON 19 - 14

Paul Rispoli Graham Evans Brian Ede. DREW 16 - 16

Ian Cuthbert Paul Patten. Dave Smith. WON 20- 12

David Figg. Martin Salter Bill Mewis. WON 17 - 14


           GREAT START TO THE SEASON only another 16 games to go                     EARLY DAYS


2021 - APRIL


Well we have started the 2021 season with a mixture of Club games ( Leagues and Friendlies) plus some 'Covid Style' style sessions from last season. We will see how things progress over the next month or so and particulalry with the Government and then Bowls England announcements expected on or around the 17th May and the 21st June.




OCTOBER / NOVEMBER  2020


Well as you have seen from the Home page a strange season has finished, at least we got some bowling in. 


In the "close season" we normally open the club and bar on Friday nights and Sunday lunchtime but with the London Borough's moving into Tier 2 recently that is now not practical for us to operate. However we will keep under review as the weeks and months progress.


STAY SAFE ALL IN THESE VERY DIFFICULT TIMES  


Week ending 26th July


July 20th the Club starts to play games of 90 mins.  A plan is in place to run some internal competitions.


Week ending 28th June

 

After a lot of effort from the Green Team, primarily Phil Broomfield and Geoff Bailey, and efforts from many members the green opened for play on Wednesday 24th June.  After 3 days for a trial the rest of the members were welcome to start playing.


MARCH 2020 - (The 2020 season)


THE CLUB IS NOW CLOSED RE THE CURRENT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.


PLEASE SEE OUR HOME PAGE FOR THE LINK TO THE OFFICIAL CLUB STATEMENT


BEST WISHES TO YOU ALL AND STAY SAFE


Week ending 29th September


Friday -  At the LX League AGM it was confirmed that West Wickham have won the LX league for only the fourth time in the league's history.  Well done to everybody involved in the win.  The league table is available on the website, click here to view .


Wednesday -  It was definitely the last mid-week game of the season at Beckenham & Stanhope .  Well done to the team led by Ian Cuthbert as we won by 2 rinks to 1, however, we did lose overall.  But who is counting!! 


Week ending 22nd September


Saturday 21st -   The last PCL game of the season was away against Bellingham.  It was a beautiful late Summer day with the temperature at 24 degrees.  West Wickham had a final win by 6 1/2 points to 1/2 points.  The top rink was Phil Broomfield, Ben Rolfe, David Figg and David LeRay.


Friday 20th - A great evening at the club as the final round of the Autumn Cup was played out.  Although the Elephants had already won the competition there was heavy competition for the second and third places with very large monetary prizes at stake!!  After a chilly 15 ends the Gorillas hung on to second place with the Impalas securing third place.  There was food and drink after the games and £130 was raised for St Christopher's. 


The club received notification that we had won the LX League for the 2019 season .  Well done to everybody involved throughout the season.


Wednesday 18th - The mid week team had a successful trip to Orpington winning by 63 shots to 56. There was a very good rink win by Gordon Loomes, Ian Cuthbert and Ken Musham . Thank you to Mike Taylor as captain of the day.


Week ending 15th September

 

Sunday 15th - In the second to last PCL game of the season we beat Eltham convincingly 6-1 ( 111 shots - 60 shots ). 

Top rink was  David LeRay, Nick Pickering, Paul Patten  and  Bill Mewis


Congratulations to the West Wickham BC players who won their games in the B.B. & D.B.A. Finals at H.S.B.C. today, Sunday 15th September, the Pairs Keith McQuitty and  Brian Ede and in the Triples by Tom Bartholomew, 

Paul Rolfe  and  Richard Slater. 


Congratulations to  Ray Young in winning the Aggregates Cup, runner up  Ken Musham.


Congratulations to Irene McColloch and Graham Belwood ( Langley B.C. ) in winning the Bowlers 

Hospital Amenities Fund Mixed Pairs at Francis Drake B.C. last Saturday.


Wednesday 11th- The LX team had another good win by 7 points to 3 this time against Bethlem.  Well done to Malcolm Whitehead, Mike Flaherty and John Muddle for a 31 shot win and to Richard Slater, Graham Lancaster and Paul Rolfe for coming back at the death to win a valuable point again this week.  At the moment it is unofficial but we think we may have won the league.


Coming on Sunday- The BB&DBA Finals Day will be held at HSBC on Sunday 15th September. 


 West Wickham BC will be represented in the Pairs by Keith McQuitty  and  Brian Ede and in the Triples by Tom Bartholomew, Paul Rolfe  and  Richard Slater.  


Our Triples League squad reached the semi- finals but unfortunately lost to Orpington.


Supporters are very welcome, come and support our Boys.


Week ending 8th September


Prize Draw winners for August - see Club Prize Draw page.


Aggregate Winners for August


1st Chris Slack   2nd Eugene Flaherty   3rd  Eileen Evans .  Well done to all.


Thursday 5th  For information Orpington Excelsior 1 beat Sevenoaks in the Fred Tyler final by 1 shot and Bromley Town 1 beat B&G by 10 shots in the Gladys Tyler final both played at Blackheath and Greenwich.


Wednesday 4th T wo midweek matches were played on the same day.  The first was played at home against South Hill Wood, a friendly.  West Wickham won on three rinks and lost on one.  The overall score also in favour of West Wickham 72 shots to 65.  Well done to everybody that played especially to David Smith, Ron Bates, Peter Halligan and John Urie who had the winning rink.  Thank you to Mike Taylor for being Captain of the Day.


The second game was the away LX league game vs Blackheath & Greenwich.  The team had a very successful afternoon winning by 8 points to 2 and 89 shots to 53.  Well done to everybody involved.  Bill Mewis's and Malcolm Whitehead's team had great wins. Special mention goes to Richard Slater, Mike Flaherty and Martin Salter who won their game on the very last shot of the match.


Week ending 1st September


Back from a successful tour of Suffolk, not sure if there is a Tour report or is it " what happens on tour stays on tour " like our younger days of rugby, football and netball tours" !!!!


No there is a report!


The tour started on Monday 26th August with the weather very hot and sunny.  36 members and friends set off from West Wickham to drive to Sudbury in Suffolk.  With a stop off near Braintree in Essex for a leg stretch and a spot of lunch the coach, driven by Kevin, arrived at the Mill Hotel in Sudbury, our base for the week.  Once people had checked in they had the rest of the day to relax before dinner.  At dinner the only wrong bias certificate of the tour was awarded to Mick Burch by Ian Way for his efforts at the PCL game on the previous Sunday.  See photos in the Suffolk Tour collection of Mick's reaction to this on Presidents Day.


Tuesday was Bury St Edmunds day.  The coach took most of the party about 20 miles north to Bury St Edmunds. Today we were playing at Risbygate Bowls Club but first there was free time to explore the city.  There was the beautiful Abbey Gardens to explore, the cathedral, pedestrianised shopping streets and Weatherspoons.  The green at Risbygate was said to be one of the best in Suffolk.  However, something had happened to the green and unfortunately it was nearly unplayable, more like playing indoors!  As usual the members were lovely and welcoming.  We lost by 101 shots to 144. We did have a top rink and no surprise it was Ian Way, Ann Saunders, Eileen Evans and Ben Rolfe.   The weather was extreme.  It was even hotter than Monday and probably too hot to play bowls.  It was planned that an entertainer would perform for us after dinner, however, the lady singer had an accident in reception and was taken to hospital.  So we had to entertain ourselves!


Wednesday we were staying in Sudbury to play the local bowls club.  Before bowls a few of the tourists took the coach into Lavenham which is a beautiful Suffolk village and had been one of the 20 richest towns in England in the 15th century.  After a walk the majority finished up in a very nice tea shop for cakes and tea.  After picking up the rest of today's players the coach took the team to Sudbury Bowls Club .  It was another beautiful day  and our welcome was equally warm.  The green was a vast improvement on the previous day and most players enjoyed the experience.  West Wickham won the day by 114 shots to 102 with Dave Brown, Barbara Way, Mick Burch and Jo Reynolds as our top rink.  The hotel had organised a replacement entertainer for this evening.  It was Dave Cass known as the Human Jukebox.  He was a guitarist and singer.  He got everybody singing along including C POTY (alias David LeRay ).


On Thursday we were remaining close to Sudbury in the village of Cornard .  According to the members of Cornard they are the most friendly and sociable bowlers in the area.  Before Cornard the coach took a small group of members to Long Melford another pretty local village.  No surprise, after a walk along the main road, the group ended up in another tea shop eating cake and drinking tea.  The quality of the bowlers at Cornard seemed to be higher than Sudbury as a number of the players had just returned from Leamington having played in the Nationals. The green was more difficult and the result reflected this as we lost by 110 shots to 134. Our top rink was Phil Broomfield, Martin Salter, Mike Saunders and Jocelyn Rodin.


After breakfast on Friday the club left in the coach heading for Colchester.  Kevin, our driver, knew exactly where to drop us off for some sightseeing.  We were able to walk around the castle, the park and gardens.  Some of us ended up in a cafe eating more food and drinking more tea and coffee, what a surprise!!  With full stomachs the tourists and supporters returned to the coach for a short trip to the West End Colchester Bowls Club .  An outstanding welcome awaited us.  The game was played in very good spirit and there was a good victory for West Wickham by 130 shots to 106 with our top rink being Mike Saunders, Graham Evans, Anne Simmonds and Ben Rolfe .  After the game they served a lovely tea with cakes.  Their captain had done his homework and knew a lot about West Wickham.  Yet again we were invited to return again at some point in the future.  Will we have another tour to the area or maybe a day trip?


Each of the top rink players received a Suffolk tour towel.  On the coach during the return to the club two prizes were awarded.  The man with the top average for the week was Ben Rolfe and the top lady was Ann Saunders . 


The return to the club ended a very enjoyable tour.  Delicious food, enjoyable bowls, nice people met and lovely people to tour with, play with and have fun with. 


There are already some pictures from the tour on the website, more will appear over the coming days.  To view them click here .


Week ending 25th August

 

The week continued in this successful vein on Tuesday when a West Wickham triple of Bill Mewis, Phil Broomfield and David Figg attended an invitational triples competition at Blackheath & Greenwich and won.  Our triple beat the young B & G bucks led by Taylor Monk in the semi final to prove that bowls is a drawing game having survived 6 firing shots in the deciding end.  We beat Sidcup in the final.


The week started very well with a rain interrupted win against the Banks Bowling Association on Monday .  The annual mixed match ended with a win by 151 shots to 89, congratulations to the 24 members who turned up. Thanks also to Martin and Paulette who turned up to run the bar despite the fact that Martin had not been picked to play !!


Week ending 19th August


A good win in the PCL against Sidcup winning 5-2. Won't help our league position much but has put a possible dent in Sidcup's chances of winning the league !!



Week ending 11th August


Sunday  Unfortunately our ladies triple went out but only by 11-12 which, on the face of it, sounds a great game. 

Congratulations to Pauline Palser, Anne Bailey and Linda Brown in getting to Leamington !!!!


Thursday   In the NWKL the Division 1 side beat B.I.B.C.O.S. to retain the title for a 4th consecutive year with a game to spare. Congratulations to the Manager John Muddle and all the squad. The Division 4 side had every chance of promotion after several good recent results but slipped up badly at home to Empire only picking up 2 points. However they are still in with a chance but need to beat South Hill Wood 6-0 and hope the other results go their way.



Wednesday    We are back with the LX this week against local rivals Langley.  The weather tried very hard to spoil an enjoyable afternoon but following some very heavy rain just around 2.00 pm we managed to get through the game without any further precipitation until we were enjoying a pint after the game.  We engineered a good win by 8 points to 2 and 85 shots to 53 which will help the shot difference.  A big thank you to Malcolm's  team of Graham Lancaster and John Muddle  and  Bill Mewis's  team of  David Figg  and   Brian Ede   for very good wins.  Thanks also to Phil Broomfield's   team of  Martin Salter  and   Paul Patten   who can back from 14 - 6 down to win by 1 shot.  Richard Slater,  Mike Flaherty   and  Paul Rolfe   were very unlucky as they were holding a winning position on the last end but could not quite get the result across the line.  Next week Queens Mead!


Week ending 3rd August


Aggregates    This competition has always been an important one for the club and where all "novice" bowlers start their career. It has become increasingly more popular and important over the last few years due to the influx of new members through the Open Days and friends. Many of the newer members have and are moving through to the Friendly weekend and midweek (see below ) games and some are in our League and Cup sides. Also coaching has been introduced on certain Tuesday and Thursday afternoons which hopefully is giving those attending a better incite into the overall aspects of the game. Too many names to mention in the help and assistance given to the newcomers but obviously a special mention to Graham & Eileen Evans in giving up their time twice a week to run the competition.


May   winners  1st Gordon Loomes  2nd  Sandra Figg       3rd  Ron Bates

June winners  1st Wally Filby              2nd David Smith        3rd  Gloria Glockling

July winners    1st Ray Young             2nd Mark Jackson   3rd  John Urie



Wednesday  The midweek team had an enjoyable friendly game this afternoon against South Hill Wood.  West Wickham won by 1 shot overall.  This was in large part to 3 of the rinks winning well on the last end.  David Smith, Paul Rispoli, Ron Bates and John Urie gained 5 shots.  Graham Lancaster, Martyn Grover, Graham Melville and Ken Musham gained 2 shots.  Mick Burch, Ray Young, Tim Pearce and John Martin gained 4 shots.  It is also worth mentioning it was the first game for the Club for Ron Bates and Tim Pearce.


Monday The ladies had a good win against Bethlem Royal Hospital in the Gladys Tyler Knock Out and now 

meet B & G.


Week ending 28th July


Sunday   An excellent afternoon against Metropolitan Police for the annual Dave Bartholomew Trophy match. Played in good spirit the Police won overall and take the trophy back to the Warren. All seemed to have a great time and the bar only closed just before 10-00 p.m. Besides Tony and Tom Bartholomew playing it was also nice to see Barbara and Angela in attendance. A great raffle, with many people donating prizes, raised over £200 for St Christopher's Hospice.


In the 5th round of the BE 2 Fours we had a very close encounter with Marden losing by one shot. In front overall for the majority of the game Geoff Bailey's rink dropped a 3 on the last end but won by 2. Ian Way's rink were holding 2

 on their last end ( making their rink all square ) but the Marden skipper to his credit drew the shot. They now face Sandwich for a place at Leamington.


On Wednesday afternoon the mid week team played at Coney Hall in the extreme heat.  There was some sweating during the afternoon but after a friendly game West Wickham lost by 3 shots overall.


Week ending 21st July


Sunday  Our ladies triple ( Pauline Palser, Anne Bailey & Linda Brown ) qualified for Leamington winning the third place play off ( see link ) against Horton Kirby 18-15. Also congratulations to Jackie Stead of Bromley ( our Social member and a member of the Prize Draw) in also going to Leamington in the Senior 4's and getting her Kent badge.

Plus another social member Carol Watt-Sullivan is at Leamington in the Singles. Well done to all.


Thursday In the NWKL our ladies had a relegation battle away at Westerham but came away 6-0 winners. Unfortunately the men lost again overall by a single shot, only getting 2 points, this time to R.B.S. Think we will still remain top but the pack are closing !!!


Wednesday   After a couple of disappointing results at Woolwich & Plumstead and Bromley the LX team bounced back with a maximum score result against Orpington.  It was obviously something we put in the teas!!  Well done to everybody who played.


Tuesday   A glorious day weather wise and a good crowd for the Kent Quarter/Semi finals of the Singles. Great work by many people in getting the green and surrounds prepared and generally organising the day. Far too many to mention individually but special mention to Paul Patten in assisting the caterers throughout the day for the format of an event they had not encountered before in Surrey.   See results link .  In the evening the men went to Eltham and again another close encounter ending in defeat. One rink winning by 3 the other losing by 4.



Monday Our men lost a close encounter with Metropolitan Police in the Cox Cup. The away side won by 1 , the home side lost by 1. The extra end went to a very close measure but in Met Police's favour.  Our ladies beat Woodcroft in the Gladys Tyler. Don't forget our ladies triple have their play off for third place at Sheerness St Georges this coming Sunday morning.


Week ending 14th July


Saturday The ladies lost to V.C.D. in the Belle Trophy but the men had a handsome win 49-17 against Metropolitan Police in the Ron Ault Trophy ( LX League Cup )


Wednesday  Another 6-0 win for the Ladies in the Jubilee League sees them moving up the table. They beat R.B.S.

6-0 on Saturday and beat Petts Wood by the same margin today. The Men had a thrilling encounter in the 

BE 2 Fours at Chatham. Leading for a long way both rinks dropped fours late on but 2 ends later one rink picked up a 5 closely followed by the other picking up a 3. With one rink finished we were 5 ahead and held on for a great win and are now at home to Marden on Wednesday 24th July at 6 p.m. who beat Sandwich 46-37.


Tuesday   In the Mollie Cleggett ( ladies equivalent of the Cox Cup ) our home side started very slowly and although caught up late on could never catch Bromley. The away side always held a narrow lead over Bromley for a long time but also eventually lost.


Monday   In the Men's Cox Cup one side got through comfortably against South Hill Wood and now face Metropolitan Police. The other side had a narrow defeat against Woolwich & Plumstead.


Week ending 7th July


We are hosting the Kent men's singles quarter/semi finals on Tuesday 16th July, all support very welcome to watch some superb bowling I am sure. See link for the overall draw.


Sunday  Alex Catherall  progressed to the 5th round of the BE Champion of Champions beating David Singer of Bromley. He is now home to Clive Burnham or Roger Kendrick. Sadly our ladies triple lost to Victoria Park but now go to Sheerness St Georges for the 3rd place play off. Thanks to all who went and supported them. See link for finals results although some still to play because of International duties.


Friday   Best of luck to Pauline Palser , Anne Bailey and Linda Brown  in the overall Kent ladies semi-final of the Triples at Maidstone on Sunday. See link for the day's programme.


Congratulations to all the Kent Men's Division 1 winners ( see link ) and good luck in the overall finals to come.


Thursday  it was good to see so many of our new bowlers at the Skills/Training afternoon. Thanks to all the expereinced men and lady bowlers who gave up the time to inform, help and encourage.


Wednesday   Alex Catherall   is through to the 4th round of the BE Champion of Champions and plays David Singer of Bromley this coming Sunday. In the London & Southern Counties Shield we again progressed thanks to the away side winning by 12 and winning the extra end. The home side lost by 12.


Tuesday The Ladies had a close game with Orpington Excelsior in the Mollie Cleggett winning on both the home and 

away games and now meet Bromley next Tuesday. In the Fred Tyler it was a Division 1 clash with the Metropolitan Police and despite being 15 shots down after the 8th ends we eventually won by 8 shots over the 2 triples.


Week ending 30th June


Sunday We hosted the Kent Ladies Division 1 Finals and many thanks to all those members from the green, catering and bar teams who contributed in making it a very successful day. So much so they are looking for us to hold the same event in 2020. Well done all - far too many to thank individually !!!


Saturday We played Bromley in the PCL and although both sides were not at full strength due to several players from both sides playing in the Home Counties League for Kent we ran out winners 76-68 to gain 5 points.


Friday -Unfortunately  Geoff Bailey's  rink lost 17-21 to Sidcup in one of the Kent Divisional 4's final.


Tuesday -  A superb win for our Men in the BE 2 Fours against B & G. They were not helped by traffic problems which made it a late start and they had to change their line up and bring in a reserve. However they still fielded 5 current or past England Internationals. We won on both rinks the overall score being 46-30 and we now face Chatham.


Prize draw -Firstly a huge thank you to all those who have supported the draw and particularly for those that have joined for this "draw year". We have increased the monthly prizes from £175 to £200 and besides having the usual £200 prizes at the Opening and Closing Suppers we have introduced a £100 draw in December.

It is always nice to know where your money has gone and I can confirm that after the recent storms the flat roof above the gents and disabled toilets finally succumbed to the weather and last years Prize Draw takings have gone towards its repair/replacement. Thank you all again. See link to winners   ( it includes two new members !! )


Week ending 23rd June


Saturday   In the Ladies BE Top Club we lost 1-3 to Bromley but the score does not reflect a very tight game overall. Our winner was Eileen Pickering in the Singles. Bromley laid on a spread after the game which was much appreciated by our Ladies.


NOTE THE LADIES KENT DIVISIONAL FINALS ARE AT OUR CLUB NEXT SUNDAY THE 30th JUNE AND WE ARE REPRESENTED IN THE TRIPLES. ALL SUPPORT WELCOME. 


Our Kent Ladies triple of Pauline Palser, Anne Bailey and Linda Brown comfortable won their semi-final away at Bellingham to qualify for the Divisional Final. Unfortunately Jeanette Whitehead and Eileen Pickering lost their pairs semi-final to Bromley.


In the Men's Kent's congratulations to Richard Pickering and Ian Way in reaching the Singles semi-finals. 

Also Mike Flaherty's triple ( Graham Chapman Esq, Richard Slater Esq and Mr P.Rolfe ) lost in the semi-final to a Bromley triple but Geoff Bailey's rink ( Richard Pickering, Mike Flaherty, Ian Way and Geoff Bailey ) comfortably won their semi-final. Best of luck to all.   See link to the finals.


Friday - An unusual day for a LX game but today it was against Met Police on our green.  We managed to win by 6 points to 4.  The old saying it all changes after tea did apply this afternoon, we should have stopped at tea!  Well done to Richard Slater, David Brown and Paul Rolfe and Bill Mewis, Graham Lancaster and Martin Salter giving the two winning rinks .


Wednesday - A friendly against Beckenham and Stanhope instead of a LX league game.  A very sociable club and an enjoyable game.  We won on 2 rinks but lost overall by 2 shots.  Well done to Keith, Ken Musham and Ian Cuthbert for a very good win against David Wood's team.


Week ending 16th June


Weekend  


On Saturday we played Bromley in the BE Top Club going down 1-4 but on Sunday we played them again in the

BE 2 Fours and had a convincing win. It was their so called second team but they had put out their other side in the last round. We now play B & G


Wednesday  For the third week in a row the LX team recorded an outstanding result beating Bromley Town by 10 points to zero.  Well done to everybody in the team.  It was another very poor day for weather, the game was called off at 9 ends.  Let's hope that the Summer will soon return.


Monday The Club organised a skills day as part of the on-going coaching plan.  It turned into a significantly different day than originally planned as it rained heavily all day on Monday.  At 9.00 it looked as if the day would have to be cancelled but by 9.45 a revised plan was in place and agreed thanks to Ian Way who agreed to allow Cyphers to be used for the day.  Our members and the Kent coaches transferred to Beckenham where after a little rearrangement the day carried on successfully.  The feedback has been good so thanks especially to Anne Bailey  and  Ann Saunders for their help and support and to Sandra for the cake!! 


Week ending 9th June


 Saturday  A close game with Met Police in the PCL and although we beat them by 2 rinks to 1 with one drawn they got 4 1/2 points to our 2 1/2 points courtesy of a marginally better shot difference, the game ending 71-70 to them. 

In the L & SC Triples  John Muddle, Mike Flaherty and Malcolm Whitehead ( sub for  Richard Slater ) beat Sidcup to progress to the next round, home to Metropolitan Police. In the L SC Lonsdale Trophy  Richard Pickering beat 

Eddie Hughes of Bromley to progress to the next round.



Wednesday - A superb performance by the away team (John Muddle, Phil Broomfield, Ian Way & Geoff Bailey )

at Sutton saw us through in the next round of the L & SC Shield. They won 27-7. The home team struggled going down by 10.


The LX team followed up last weeks good win with the second win in a row.  We beat Forest Hill by 8 points to 2.  Special thanks go to Bill Mewis and Malcolm Whiteheadwho played in the LX game as well as then playing in a L&SC Shield match in the evening. We are on the same number of points as this time last season.  We have an incentive against Bromley Town next week as they took all 10 points from us last season.


Week ending 2nd June


Our LX team reversed a poor result last week with a great win against Bellingham .  We won on 3 rinks and drew on the 4th to gain 9 points to one.  Well done to all team members.


Our other side in the L & SC Shield lost to Bromley's main side. Also our only entry in the BE Tony Allcock Trophy got well beaten away at Petts Wood. However on a more encouraging note in the BE 2 Fours we narrowly beat Cobham and now face ( as usual ) one of the Bromley sides who play each other this weekend. The Kent's start this week so the very best of luck to all our entries. 


Week ending 26th May


Wednesday 22nd  An excellent victory over Wallington in the London & Southern Counties Shield this side now faces Sutton. The other side having been given a walk over by Sidcup now face a Bromley side this coming weekend.


Week ending 19th May


Sunday 19th  A very close game in the BE 2 Fours against Woolwich & Plumstead. All square with one rink finished and one with an end to play. We came out on top but all credit to W & P for a fine performance. We are now home to Cobham.


Wednesday 15th -   Today we played Eltham in the LX League on their green.  Throughout the afternoon it seemed that we were heading for a very poor result.  However, by the last couple of ends the result became closer and closer.  We won on two rinks and only lost overall by 3 shots, a good recovery!  Our leading rink was led by Gordon Loomes and supported by Tim Jordan and Ian Cuthbert.  Our other winning rink was led by Phil Broomfield and supported by Martin Salter and Paul Rispoli.


Monday 13th  -The midweek team made a visit to Spring Park for our early season friendly.  This has been a difficult match over the last couple of seasons due to their difficult green and the fact that we are still getting going for the season.  This year the green was in better condition and we started very well on all three rinks.  Something happened at 13 ends when all rinks started to go backwards.  It was only Martyn Grover's team, with John Cranstoun, Tim Jordan and Wally, that managed to keep going and ended with a win.  It was a sunny and warm afternoon so everybody had an enjoyable game against pleasant company.


Week ending 12th May


Saturday


Well what a turn out for the Open Day. After the success of the last 2 years I did not expect such a response. 

Anne Bailey I think has now 15+ signed up and awaiting approval on the notice board. A tremendous effort from many club members on the day in meeting and greeting, coaching, food donations, catering etc


A great result from one of our BE Top Club sides beating a near full strength Bromley Town side 3-2. They now face our other team in a few weeks, hopefully a decent crowd will support the game.


Week ending 5th May


Saturday A convincing 7-0 win in our first PCL game against H.S.B.C. - 114 shots to 50 shots



Wednesday 1st   - Well done to everybody who played against Coney Hall on Wednesday. It was a friendly game where the scores fluctuated throughout the afternoon. With about four ends to go we were in the lead when a couple of our teams decided to get very friendly and gave Coney Hall too many shots. This friendliness resulted in Coney Hall winning by 69 shots to 64. No matter everybody enjoyed the game and shared a drink with their opposite numbers after the match. This is the best result for a friendly game of bowls!


April


Sunday 28th - On a breezy Sunday afternoon West Wickham played a three rink mixed triple against New Addington.  According to Graham Evans it was "a good result today winning on all three rinks. Overall result 67-29. Well done to all!"


Wednesday 24th - West Wickham played their first competitive match in the LX League.  The game was against Woodcroft who are always a strong club.  At tea West Wickham were trailing.  However, it is true that "everything changes after tea" and it did for West Wickham.  The final score was 70 shots to 61 is our favour, with 6 points to 4.  Well done to everybody who played.  It was great to see Ken Hughes, Peter Jeffries and Peter Wakeford who came to support the team.


Tuesday 23rd - the Aggregates had a good attendance for the first roll up before the competition starts in May.  There were 34 players on 6 rinks and the 7th rink was being used for practice.


Saturday 20th - Great to see all the returning bowlers and the new members, welcome to the Club. We had around 35 for the opening drive which considering it was over the Easter weekend was a great turn out. The weather was wonderful with clear skies and 25 degrees.


March 2019

Monday 11th Our defibrillator is now fully operational in a cabinet inside the club house. There have been two training courses for about 20 members who were trained to give CPR in conjunction with the use of the defibrillator.  The course was more physical than expected but great fun and rewarding.

January 2019

A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

November

With the lack of administrators generally in bowls at Club and Association level we are pleased to announce that  Jeanette Whitehead  has taken over the running of the Ladies Jubilee League and  Ken Hughes  has taken over running of the Men's LX League. We wish them all the very best.

October

The LX final table came through this week. We finished 6th but congratulations to Duke of Kent Court in winning the league. 

Sad news that James Frid ( the LX organiser ) has died. He took over running the league from Bill Nash and ran it successfully for many years. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.
THE 2018 SEASON HAS NOW FINISHED. HAVE A GOOD INDOOR SEASON FOR ALL THOSE INVOLVED.

Week ending 23rd September

A good win for the men in the last PCL game against Bellingham 7-0. Nice to see Bellingham giving the opportunity to some of their younger members to skip as nothing was at stake for either side.
The Ladies triumph again this week winning the Belle Trophy for the first time in the competition's 39th year
( runners up in 1983 ) at Bellingham on Friday against BIBCOS by 100 shots to 34. The team was Jenny Mewis, Pauline Palser, Linda Brown, Pat Walkinshaw, Margaret Hewitt, Sandra Figg, Barbara Way, Eileen Pickering, Irene McColloch, Jeanette Whitehead and Anne Simmonds.
In the ladies quest for the Jubilee League title they had a convincing win against Bethlem Royal Hospital on Wednesday winning 6-0 including a Hot Shot from Irene McColloch, Barbara Way, Jeanette Whitehead and 
Linda Brown. They now need a minimum of 4 points from their last game away at Orpington.
Friday saw the conclusion of the Autumn Cup competition which has been running each Friday evening since the end of July.  The result of the competition was in question right up to the last game.  In the end the Bears were victorious.  The Bears team was lead by Eileen Evans with Ben Rolfe, Ian Remedios, Sandra Figg, Ray Young and Paul Patten.  Well done to The Bears!  See the final table by clicking here!
Week ending 9th September

Saturday Our roving reporter from the B.H.A. F. Finals at West Beckenham B.C.

Printed with kind permission of “Hello Tea Towel” magazine.

It had been a decent season thus far; Divisional Cox Cup Final, L&SC Triples area final, Kent 4s semi final and Champions of NWKL (Div 1) - but this was the big one, a blue ribbon event of note, the Tea Towel Triple Final (aka Hospital’s). A hazy sun was set in a grey stratocumulus sky, ushering in autumn. The clearly visible flash lights from the paparazzi cameras added to the nervousness of the players. There was a low hum of expectation from the throng of spectators who had queued for hours for entry into West Beckenham BC.

The West Wickham skip, Richard Slater, had successfully secured the TT Singles title in the morning. Winning 21-6 - capping a great year on his return to West Wickham.  

Joining Richard in the triples, both recent transfers to WW from the same local rivals, Paul Rolfe and Mike Flaherty.

The game was of the highest quality, toucher after toucher; you could throw a Tea Towel over most of the heads. After 18 gruelling, competitive ends, the West Wickham triple clinched a win 22-15.

The day would culminate in our singles winner opening the TT gala ball, taking to the dance floor with the ladies singles champion - Strictly Tea Towel was off and running.

The WW Triple took the opportunity to thank all at West Wickham for their warm welcome to the club and to acknowledge a most enjoyable season.

Tea towels were dedicated to the WW green and flower bed keepers, bar workers, cake makers and officers.
Friday  The ladies still have an outside chance of winning the Jubilee League. Although they were 15 points behind the current leaders Eltham we have 3 games to play and Eltham have finished. A comprehensive 6-0 defeat of 
Bromley Town closed the gap and we now need 10 points out of 12 to be champions. On Thursday night the ladies took on Sidcup in the final of the Gladys Tyler final at West Wickham B.C. but lost handing the trophy to Sidcup. 
In the Fred Tyler Coney Hall 2 beat Eltham 2.

Week ending 1st September

Good wins for our Ladies. Beating Bromley 4-2 in the Jubilee League and then beating Danson Park in the Glady's Tyler. They now meet Sidcup at West Wickham B.C. in the final. Unfortunately  Geoff Bailey  lost in the final of the London & Southern Counties Lonsdale Trophy at Bounds Green 21-13.

Week ending 26th August

Saturday  A mixed day for the Club. The men lost the Presidents Cup semi-final at Bellingham in an extremely close encounter. The Singles and Fours losing by 1 and the triples drawing. This left it in the hands of the pairs who were 2 up going into the last end. Both skips bowling excellent last woods but unfortunately we lost but it was a very eventful game on all 4 rinks. The Ladies however went one better and beat Bromley at H.S.B.C. in the Belle Trophy and now play in the final against B.I.B.C.O.S. at Bellingham on the 14th September.

On Saturday afternoon we played a LX game bought forward from Wednesday 29th against Blackheath & Greenwich.  In a rain impacted game West Wickham came from behind to win on three rinks and gained an 8 point to 2 victory.  This puts us back into a position to possibly win the league if other results go our way with only one game against Bethlem left to play.

Special thanks go to Malcolm,  Bill  &  Phil  who agreed to play in this game despite having played in the Presidents Cup earlier in the day. 

Week ending 19th August

Aggregates - The monthly cash prizes for June and July were won by the following: 

June                                                           July

1st. John Urie                                                 Gloria Glockling
2nd. Mark Jackson                                       Sandra Figg
3rd. Mick Burch                                              Ken Musham


Well done to all who took part.  If you have not put your name down yet for the Fish n Chip supper on the
13th September the notice is on the board.

 Wednesday  Today we visited Queens Mead for our latest LX game.  Queens Mead have haunted Ken Hughes for a couple of years after they beat us 10 - 0 and we lost the league title.  Well Ken revenge is sweet!  Today the curse has been lifted we won 10 points to 0 and 100 shots to 49, this feels much better!!  Well done to everybody.  There must have been something in the tea as before we sat down the scores were level, then we exploded into a riot of shots.  It was great to watch.  Only two LX games left!

Week ending 12th August

Sunday We lost in the Divisional Cox Cup final to B & G, all the best to them at Deal at the end of September in the semi/final !!!!!  Again we lost to B & G in the afternoon 6-1 in the PCL. The day only brightened with the e mail from the excellent James Tillman advising us that BIBCOS lost on Thursday so making us Champions of NWKL Division 1 again. Can we win the Fred Tyler and do the double for the second year in succession ??  Wednesday The midweek team returns to LX duties.  Our game was against Langley on their very testing green.  We managed a 6 to 4 point win but we could have taken 8 points had the skipper vs Malcolm not drawn shot while Malcolm held 5 shots.  Well done to everybody for playing hard on this difficult afternoon.  Tuesday   A good win against Woodcroft ( PCL League leaders ) in the Presidents Cup.  Geoff Bailey won the singles 21-6 to give us a great start but the other three rinks were very close and unbelievably all three ended in draws ( the Fours did not play the last end )
On  Monday  evening our Ron Ault (the LX knock out cup competition) team took on Met Police at the Warren in the competition's semi finals.  We started very slowly and by 5 ends we were many shots down.  Over the next 12 ends we fought back to a point where we had won on one rink by 1 shot and were 1 shot down on the other rink.  This meant it was a one end shoot out, which unfortunately we lost.  Well done to the team for a great comeback, next year we will be ready to take it a stage further.

Week ending 5th August

Congratulations to  Geoff Bailey in getting to the final of the London & Southern Counties Lonsdale Trophy final by winning on Sunday 21-11 against North Sheen at Old Coulsdon. He will now play in the final at Bounds Green B.C. on the 1st September. On the same day the ladies had a comfortable win against Petts Wood in the Belle Trophy.

On Thursday both men's teams lost although the Division1 side should still win the League again. The Division 5 side made their task of winning the league even harder although they have a game in hand on Coney Hall.

 The ladies won their Glady's Tyler cup game away at Bethlem and progress to the next round. The men's Cox Cup team beat Eltham in the Divisional semi-final and now meet Blackheath & Greenwich in the Divisional final at Bellingham on August 12 at 10-00am. In the Fred Tyler cup the men beat Metropolitan Police in a close encounter at the Warren and now play Sevenoaks away for a place in the semi-final.

On Wednesday the mid-week team played against South Hill Wood in a club friendly.  In LX terms we won by 6 points to 4.  Well done to Keith McQuitty and Paul Patten and their teams for winning on their rinks.  Both Mike Truan and
Bill Mewis came so close to winning in their last ends it could have been a clean sweep.  Well done to everybody who was playing and especially Paul Rispoli for playing his first game for the Club.  


Week ending 29th July

A mixed week. In the Cox Cup the men won their quarter final against Petts Wood winning convincingly at home. They now meet Eltham in the semi-final on Monday at Bellingham. The ladies went down to Bethlem Royal Hospital in the Mollie Cleggett, only losing by one away but going down by 8 shots at home. In the NWKL the men again won 6-0 beating Langley and are now 14 points clear in Division 1 with 3 games to go. The Division 5 side lost to their nearest rivals Coney Hall 2 but they have a game in hand. There was no LX game this week and unfortunately Coney Hall failed to raise a friendly team. The ladies NWKL teams lost 2-4 to Bromley and won 4-2 against Forest Hill.

Week ending 22nd July

Friday  Unfortunately our 4, Richard Pickering  ,  Mike Flaherty ,   Ian Way and  Geoff Bailey  lost in the Kent Four's Quarter Final to Chatham on the last end.

Wednesday A magnificent win by our LX team away to Orpington by 8 points to two.  It was a roller coaster of a game on what was agreed to be a tricky green.  With a few ends to go it looked as if we would lose by 8 - 2.  But then Phil, Martin and Peter scored a 6 to go into the lead for the first time and Bill, supported by Peter and Graham, turned one down to two up with his last bowl to score a win.  Malcolm, John M and John U were ahead for the majority of the game and were our top rink.  Keith, supported by Paul and Ray, held a winning position until the Orpington skip blasted away two of our woods to hold on to their very slender lead.  Well done to all involved!

Tuesday    A great win in the Mollie Cleggett for our ladies beating B.I.B.C.O.S. The away team keeping it tight but the home team romping away to a clear overall win. In The Fred Tyler our Division 1 team comfortably beat Kings but the Division 5 side lost away to Knockholt.

Week ending 15th July

Saturday  The World Cup or Wimbledon must be winning as both Woolwich & Plumstead (men) and Sidcup (ladies) cannor field teams this weekend. Friday  Unfortunately our London & Southern Counties triple lost at Old Coulsdon on what seemed to be a very difficult green for both sides. We were 12-12 on the 16th end but dropped a four from which we could not get back. Well done to John Muddle,  Mike Flaherty and  Richard Slater for getting so far.
Thursday Both ladies NWKL teams picked up 4 points away from home against Westerham and B & G. The men's Division 1 side beat Metropolitan Police 4-2 while the Division 5 side had a week off due to one team withdrawing at the beginning of the season.Wednesday  Unfortunately 2 defeats the ladies losing to Petts Wood 2-4 in the Jubilee League and the men going down (although only by 4 shots) 3-7 to Bromley in the LX League.
Tuesday
A great win against Westerham for our ladies in the Mollie Cleggett, the home team winning by a huge margin and the away team only going down narrowly. The men also won convincingly in the Ron Ault Cup ( LX League Cup ) 52-20 against Woodcroft and are now in the semi-final. Great to see our " LX Manager "  David Figg in attendance after his recent health scare. Great to see so many at the Aggregates and many of the new members from the Open Day playing and improving weekly. Keep up the good work Graham and Eileen Evans.

Monday A very strange day. The Ladies went to B & G for the Glady's Tyler to find no opposition despite B & G requesting the date change. At least they are through to the next round. In the men's Cox Cup the West Wickham 1 went to H.S.B.C. to find only 3 players for the H.S.B.C. rink hence the game was claimed. The H.S.B.C. away team had
a roll up at West Wickham. West Wickham 2 team lost by 1 shot to Bromley Town. 

Week ending 8th July

First things first. Great to hear that our Men's Secretary  David Figg is now back at home. Sounds as though he is in good spirits although weak from his operation on one of his arteries. He is being reassessed in 6 weeks. We all wish him the very best for a full and speedy recovery.

A belated congratulation to our Kent 4 of   Richard Pickering,  Mike Flaherty,  Ian Way and  Geoff Bailey in beating Chris Smith's 4 from Bromley. They now go forward to the Kent Quarter/Semi Finals.

In the London and Southern Counties  Geoff Bailey is through to the Area Final of the Lonsdale and 
John Muddle,  Mike Flaherty and  Richard Slater   are through to the Area Final of the Triples. Well done to all.

Surprisingly we are in second place in the Men's LX League after some poor performances early on but we again had a great result in the week beating Woolwich & Plumstead 10-0.

We are also still top in both Division's of the NWKL despite the Division 1 side losing awa y at B.I.B.C.O.S. 
A shame we got no points as we only lost by 4 shots.

The Ladies start their Glady's Tyler challenge on Monday away to B & G and then the Mollie Cleggett on Tuesday. They had a resounding Jubilee League win over R.B.S. today.

Week ending 1st July

Monday 25th June - The LX matches are coming thick and fast in this part of the season and today we played away at RBS. The weather played its part today with the temperature reaching 29 degrees which maybe too hot for a game of bowls! Following a good win at Met Police on Friday we followed this up by a better score against RBS. We won on three rinks and overall to win by 8 points to 2. We won by 78 shots to 59. Our winning rink today was Phil Broomfield, David Figg and Peter Jeffries, well done guys! It was a great effort by everybody playing this afternoon.

Next in line Sidcup on Wednesday.

Week ending 24th June

Friday 22nd Last night both Men's NWKL took 6 points from their games to stay top of their Divisions. See League tables. Unfortunately our Ladies Triple lost in the Kent's as did our Men's triple. However congratulations to our Men's 4 of
Richard Pickering,  Mike Flaherty,  Ian Way and Geoff Bailey in reaching the final of the Kent Division 1 4's and they now meet Bromley next Friday at B & G.

Unusually on a beautiful and warm Friday afternoon we were playing an LX game. The game was at Met Police. The afternoon became even better after an excellent 7 point to 3 victory. We won on two rinks, drew on a third and won overall by 73 shots to 66. Well done to this afternoons' team.

Wednesday 20th- Today we had a delightful friendly game against our friends from Beckenham & Stanhope. The weather was just right and the green was bowling very well.  

We played a game of three triples. We won on two of the rinks but lost on the third, this caused us to lose overall. On the basis of LX scoring this would be four points each.

Thank you to everybody for playing the game in a very friendly way. Thank you to Sandra for the teas and to Bill Bennett for serving on the bar.

Tuesday 19th- A great win against a Bromley triple on Tuesday in the London & Southern Counties competition.John Muddle, Mike Flaherty and Richard Slater won 24-3 and now face Metropolitan Police for a place in the Area Final.


Week ending 17th June

Bowls England   The Men played Bromley again in the 2 Fours on Sunday and were well outplayed on the day. The Ladies started their Top Club challenge away to Orpington Excelsior also on Sunday but lost 3-1. Best of luck to both oppositions in the next round.

In  the Kent's congratulations to the Ladies Triple of Pauline Palser, Anne Bailey and Joyce Barnes who beat a Bromley triple away on Thursday and now face another Bromley triple at home ( June King ) for a place in the Divisional Final on the 1st July. Additionally Pauline Palser's Four beat one of our own four but now face a tricky semi-final game away to B.I.B.C.O.S. Well done to Pauline Palser, Joyce Barnes, Anne Bailey and Ann Saunders.

The Men's triple of Alex Catherall, Tom Bartholomew and Ben Rolfe ( sub Tony Bartholomew ) have reached the semi-final at H.S.B.C. on Thursday 21st June against a triple from Bellingham. The Four of Richard Pickering, Mike Flaherty, Ian Way and
 Geoff Bailey got through against Bellingham and now play in the semi-final on Friday 22nd June at B & G.

This week's LX game: The only thing to say about Wednesday's result is "we lost 10 - 0" and by 16 shots overall. Looking at the cards the result does not tell the full story. Three rinks were well behind at tea and fought back in the second half to get very close to a win. The outstanding effort came from Malcolm's triple of Graham Evans, Nick Pickering and Malcolm Whitehead. They had been 14 to 3 down before tea and fought back to 19 - 19 on the 17th end unfortunately losing by 1 shot on the 18th end, fantastic effort! The plan is to put this result behind us, the only way is up!!

Week ending 10th June

I have been quiet for awhile but a brief update.

In the Bowls England competitions the Men lost on Sunday in the Top Club but face Bromley again in the 2 Fours . The Ladies have not started their Top Club challenge but play Orpington Excelsior.

The Kent's are obviously well underway and we will give an update on progress as hopefully some of our players reach the final stages.

In the PCL League we made a promising start winning both games but lost to Woodcroft, not helped by several players having to play twice having competed in the BE 2 Fours against Sidcup in the morning. However on Saturday we beat the Metropolitan Police convincingly 6-1.

In the LX League we have 27 points from 5 games and lie in 5th place.  Our LX game this week was against Forest Hill on their green. The very good news is that we won the game by 73 shots to 64 shots and 7 points to 3. However, these statistics hide one of the most amazing games I have played in. For the first 7 to 8 ends three rinks struggled to get started with the exception of Richard Slater's team. At this point we were 39 to 14 down. By tea Malcolm's team had pulled back to 11 each but two teams were still struggling and were still 23 to 7 down. As they say "it all changes after tea" and indeed it did! Bill's team gained 14 shots to only 1 for Forest Hill and Phil's team gained 13 shots to only 4 for Forest Hill. With the 18th end starting it was very possible for us to get all 10 points, but having come such a long way our 7 points were great!

So very well done to everybody who played today. Next week we are away again this time at Bromley Town.

For those of you new to the LX league the Ron Ault Cup is the knock out competition for all teams in the LX League. We received a bye in the preliminary round. On Monday evening West Wickham played R.B.S. in the first round of the competition.

Our team was Paul Rolfe, Malcolm Whitehead, Richard Slater, Ted Turpin, Phil Broomfield and Bill Mewis. We beat RBS on both rinks and had a superb win by 22 shots overall. Well done to the team!

Our next round game is against either Bromley or Woodcroft and has to be played by 15th July, this time we will be at home. 

In the Aggregates it is nice to see so many new bowlers playing and having coaching. Several have come through the Open Day and others through existing members promoting the club. Hopefully they will enjoy their time at Wickham.

Aggregates May 2018 results

The winners of the monthly bowling competition cash prizes are as follows:

1st   Mike Burch  £15
2nd Eileen Evans £10
3rd   Ray Young £5

The competition for the Aggregates Cup commenced on 5th June and will run until 30th August. As a reminder, you will be required to play at least 12 games during this time in order to qualify and the best average score will be the winner.

Enjoy the season.   Graham & Eileen

Week ending 27th May

LX game vs Petts Wood - Well done to today's team, this is our best result of the season so far. We won on three rinks and only lost by one shot on the fourth, this gave us the points for the overall score as well. 8 points to 2 is the type of result we want to get more of for the rest of the season.

Congratulations to Martin Salter, Graham Evans and John Muddle who won by 13 shots.

Congratulations to Phil Broomfield, David Figg and Peter Jeffries who won by 9 shots.

Congratulations to Richard Slater, Dave Brown and Paul Rolfe who won by 11 shots 

Fabulous effort by Malcolm Whitehead, Keith McQuitty and Ted Turpin who scored 3 on the last end with a measure for the fourth to come up one shot short.

Now on to Bellingham away for our next game. 

Week ending 20th May

Report of weekday friendly vs Spring Park on Monday 14th - Well what do I say? We took 3 rinks to Spring Park to play a midweek friendly. It was not very friendly! I was told by their captain that the green had been cut the previous day so it should be faster. If the green was faster we were very glad we didn't play on Sunday. It was the heaviest green I have had to play on, even heavier than Langley a couple of Sundays ago! We lost on all three rinks, it was a bit of a mauling!! However, the members of Spring Park are a sociable bunch and we did win more on the raffle than they did so we did get something from the afternoon. We have promised them a tough game when they come to West Wickham later in the season.

I do hope that the members of the team got something from the game. It was character building and an experience that may help in future games. 

Report of LX game vs Eltham on Wednesday 16th - A much improved result for today's match, well done to everybody. We shared the points with Eltham getting 5 points each, this takes our total to 9 points. Martin Salter and Phil Broomfield led two teams to a win. Malcolm led John Urie and Nick Pickering to an excellent draw pulling back from 8 to 16 down after the 13 end and Week ending 13th May

Most of you will already know that the game against Duke of Kent Court did not go as planned. We had a strong team, 4 very good triples but the game is not played on paper! We did score 2 valuable points, however, Duke of Kent Court scored 8 the same score as the first game. Our victorious triple this week was Malcolm Whitehead, Keith McQuitty and John Urie by the score of 18 shots to 8, well done especially toJohn Urie in his first LX game. There seems to be only one way and that is up!!

So to our next game on Wednesday 16th May against Eltham at West Wickham starting at 2.00 pm.
getting the 2 required on the last end. We only lost overall by 5 shots. For the next game against Petts Wood we have more players available so we are hoping for an even better result. Watch this space!!

Week ending 6th May

Firstly welcome back to the new members who joined from last year's Open Day. Hopefully we will have a few more from next week's event. Nice to see a fit and well John Barnes playing in the first PCL game along with Ian Cuthbert who is now a full member and was on the top rink in his first PCL game. We beat H.S.B.C. 7-0

Also a first for John Urie playing against Langley in the Sunday friendly and also on the top West Wickham rink.

In the BE 2 Four's competition one side had a close win over a stronger than usual R.B.S. side and the other team went down narrowly away to Bromley.

In David Figg's first match in charge of the LX team we went down to Woodcroft  8-2. Things can only get better.