June was a great month of bowls!

Berks vs Glos Ladies County Friendly

During our Bowls Big Weekend event, we were delighted to welcome newcomers to give bowls a try and introduce them to the club. Bowling with a biased bowl, factoring in the speed and the length of delivery needed to get close to the jack are challenges all levels of players face. And then there are the weather and green conditions that need to be taken into consideration. Suffice to say, lawn bowls is an easy sport to learn but can take time to master.

Jubilee weekend was wonderful as we held a club match followed by a delicious Tea Party surrounded by lots of bunting and Coronation memorabilia. The ‘Who am I?’ photo competition proved to be a hit with lots of whispers, conjectures, and laughs. We have great volunteers who make these events special, so a tremendous thank you to everyone who helped to organise, prepare the premises, and feed us.

We were thrilled to host the Berkshire and Gloucestershire ladies county teams to play their friendly match. Surrounded by Jubilee bunting and with both county flags flying from the clubhouse mast, the green looked wonderful and bowled really well. And with the sunny weather, lots of spectators spent the warm afternoon watching the action.

The next couple of months look to be extremely busy, as we have started playing our club competitions and continue to play midweek triples, weekend friendlies, ladies and men’s league, county competitions and more. Our fixtures schedule means that players regularly travel around the area to play at local clubs, like Clevedon Promenade, Tewkesbury, and the Forest of Dean. Playing lawn bowls offers great benefits like meeting new people and visiting new places to play on different greens. One of the key greens we aspire to play at again is Leamington Spa, the venue for the National Finals. And this year, it’s the venue for the Commonwealth Games lawn bowls competitions. It's a fantastic location and well worth a visit!

Our Monday after-school short mat programme at St Mary’s continues, with the children learning the basics of bowls and working on their coordination for delivery. We’re really pleased to see a few of those participants joining in our Sunday morning junior outdoor coaching sessions. Our members often comment that seeing a new generation of bowlers take to the green, enjoying their newfound ability, and boosting their confidence is positive and heart-warming. If you’d like more information about membership, our events, fixtures, league results, as well as the junior section, visit www.tetburybowlsclub.co.uk. Susanne Knaus Tetbury Bowls Club