We’ve had a fantastic season this year!

It’s not just the fabulous results of the ladies and men’s leagues reported on last month, but the high quality of play demonstrated by our players during the club competitions. From May to mid-September, our players pitted themselves against others and sometimes the vagaries of this summer’s weather! There were some great cliff-hanger semis and finals, with a few games finishing well after sunset which added to the challenge. Congratulations to all who made it through to the finals and won, and commiserations to the runners up. If you’d like to see the outcome of this season’s competitions, visit our website at www.tetburybowlsclub.co.uk/comp-winners. We’re looking forward to our annual presentation night in November to recognise and celebrate the achievement of all our finalists.

As usual, our closing gala in late September signalled the end of outdoor play. We took our end-of season team photo, then played a game of Spider and a match. We ended the day rehashing the highs and lows of the season with a wonderful buffet spread courtesy of the Men’s Captain, Ladies Captain, Club Captain, and the Chair together with a drink or two from the bar.

One of the season’s highlights has been how well the green has played; something lots of our visiting players have regularly commented on. Many often underestimate the skill, time and effort invested by our greenkeepers in making sure Tetbury Bowls Club offers a quality playing surface. And that’s perhaps because we don’t really know what’s involved, so here’s a quick overview:

• Mowing regularly – sometimes four times a week with two people going diagonally -- together with scarifying to remove thatch and promote aeration to firm up the green

• Maintaining an optimal watering schedule to keep the grass alive, so the unexpected high temperatures at the beginning and end of the season meant this was often a balancing act to get it just right

• Fertilising and conditioning as needed so that the grass was robust enough to withstand heavy usage, all the while monitoring for fungi or signs of disease which would set off another set of tasks!

Without the attention given to the green by our team of volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to attract and host teams from around the country. So, a huge heartfelt thank you to Vic, Brian, and Vincent for devoting most of their mornings, summer and winter, and doing their best to give us a wonderful green.

Now that we are into our offseason, an important upcoming date at the end of October is our Annual General Meeting when members will elect volunteers to a new management committee and vote on proposals for the coming year. And over the next few months, our members will be enjoying the various social events held at the club, with regular quizzes, bingo, and other activities. These are a great way for everyone to keep in touch. If you’re interested in joining us as a social member, don’t hesitate to get in touch via email at tetburybowls@gmail.com or by completing the online membership form at www.tetburybowlsclub.co.uk/membership.

Susanne Knaus

Tetbury Bowls Club