The Bowls Club meets each Thursday at the Village Hall at 7-30 until 9-30. We have about 33 members and each week between 16 and 24 attend. The club was started in the late 80’s and has always had a keen membership.
See pictures from Christmas 2012
Carpet bowls probably originated as a substitute for outside bowls when it was not possible to play the traditional game, and it remains, fundamentally, a winter game. We close down between mid May and September.
It is similar to Green bowls but as the mat (on which we play) is only the length of the Hall, a central barrier is positioned to force players to use the bias on the bowls to avoid it. Fundamentally, the aim of the game is to get as close to the “jack” (a smaller white ball) as possible.

The delight of bowls, I find, is that it sits happily between a sport, a game and a social gathering. Of course, we do our best, but mostly, we enjoy the fun of the fluke, or the banter of who is closest. Normally we play in teams of four, against another four, and as we have three mats, 24 people can be playing at the same time. This means that there is not a lot of hanging around, but on the other hand there is time for chats between turns. This format also mixes people up, so we find ourselves with different groups throughout the evening.
We normally have one game, which lasts about 45 minutes, then tea and biscuits followed by another game. At one stage, we had club jumpers, and there were several matches against other clubs, but we don’t now have a uniform, and we only play the occasional match. Each club has its own style, and some take the game more seriously than we do.
Our members are all young (at heart) and are a random cross section of the village and beyond. There are roughly the same number of men as ladies. We are welcoming to new members, who find it easy to be integrated into the club and participation in the games is immediate and without stress.
So, why not give it a try? Just come along and join in. The cost is £1-00 per evening, (including tea and biscuits). You may get hooked.