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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021

We would like to wish all members a HAPPY NEW YEAR and we hope that everyone can stay safe and healthy.

We would like to thank all members who supported us throughout 2020, You supported the club both financially and by entering our competitions as well as using the green booking system.

We would hope that we will be able to return to bowling normally in the coming year, but rest assured your committee will endeavour to provide bowling in a safe environment for everyone.

We will be in touch regarding the holding of a club AGM and the payment of subscriptions as soon as we have formulated a way to proceed.

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NEWSLETTER AUTUMN WINTER 2020

We hope all our members are well and coping with the unprecedented times we are living in. 

Green Maintenance 

The green has received its autumn/winter makeover by Lancashire Turf and is looking in very good condition we thank Nationwide Produce PLC for their continued support. It has been hollow tined, scarified, re-seeded and the winter feed and top dressing applied. 

Graham continues to keep his eye on the green and the surrounding area and tidies up where he can. I have attached a photograph showing the green.

Before we reopen the green we will need some assistance in the spring for a good tidy up and removal of leaves and ivy etc. 

Green Security  

Unfortunately we’ve had a visit yet again from the local yobs. They gained entry this time by kicking in the fence adjacent to the clubhouse. 

Graham has managed a temporary repair to the fence and hopefully this will keep them out in the short term. We may have to consider the building of a new fence adjacent to the clubhouse and along the car park at the Hesketh Arms. It may be a project that we have to take our on ourselves to save money.  We will be in touch looking for volunteers if we decide to go down that route, when we have had time to discuss the options at a committee meeting.  I would ask you all in the meantime to keep your eye out if you are passing the green and inform us if you see anything happening or that you think we need to know about. 

COMPETITION SURVEY

Many thanks to those members who took the time to respond to the Club’s Competition Survey. In total, 25 completed surveys were received and the findings were as follows :-

RESPONSES

1. Do you think the number of competitions run by the Club is :-

a. Not enough                       1 (4%)                                          

b. The right number          23 (92%)

c. Too many                           1 (4%)

2. Do you think the Club should run one of the singles competitions off scratch ?  i.e. no handicaps

a. Yes                                     14 (56%)

b. No                                      11 (44%)

3. Which format do you prefer for pairs competitions ?

a. Random (drawn on the day)                                                  9 (36%)

b. Non-Random (enter with a partner of your choice)        11 (44%)

c. No preference                                                                           5 (20%)

4. Do you think plate / consolation competitions should be run ?

a. Not at all                                       2 (8%)

b. At some competitions              11 (44%)

c. At all competitions                    10 (40%)

d. No preference                              2 (8%)

5. Are there any other competitions, events or formats which you would like to be considered for inclusion in the Club’s programme of events ?  

Use round robin format, games 11 up, with group winners progressing to knockout stages.

A triples competition.

Open competition, all off scratch.

A four-a-side team competition.

A competition played on the basis of players arranging their own games, with a finals day for semi-finals and final (e.g. Coronation Cup 2020).

Use of Power Plays, where double points are scored at certain ends.

Hold a floodlit / evening competition.

A Champion of Champions competition.

Over 60’s competition.

In addition to the answers give to the above questions, many positive comments were received regarding the Club’s programme of events and we thank members for this. Due to the current pandemic, we have been unable to meet to fully discuss the survey but plan to do so as soon as soon as restrictions are eased. We will look at the findings, suggestions and comments that have been put forward and consider them all when planning our competitions for next season.

Clearly, there is still some uncertainty surrounding the potential impact of Covid-19 but we will be looking to organise and complete a full and varied season of club events in 2021. Dates should be available early in the New Year, so please watch this space.

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Competition survey – November 2020

HESKETH ARMS BOWLING CLUB

Competition survey – November 2020

BACKGROUND

Since the present committee re-started the running of club competitions at the Hesketh in 2007, we have staged 92 internal competitions for club members to take part in. Of these, 56 have been singles and 36 have been doubles. 62 different members have won a Hesketh competition in that time.

We started in 2007 by staging the President’s Cup, won by Jimmy Langley. In 2008, we were able to play for all four existing singles trophies and added a doubles, the Chairman’s Shield. Since then, several extra competitions have been added to the programme :-

2010 – The Spring Pairs

2013 – Vice-Presidents Pairs Trophy

2018 – The Ladies’ Championship and Last Chance Cup

The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 meant that we were unable to bowl at all until the end of May and competitive bowls wasn’t permitted until July. Even then, only six people were allowed within the confines of the green which meant that we were unable to stage one day competitions in the usual way. It was decided to play the Coronation Cup on the basis of players arranging their games between themselves and using the online booking system. The competition ran very smoothly and concluded with a well-attended finals day, as the permitted number at the green had increased to 30 by the beginning of August.

Subject to the limit of 30 players, the rest of the Club’s competitions were held on a weekly basis and were very well supported, with record numbers participating and most being fully subscribed.

At the beginning of October, we even held an extra competition on the final Friday evening of the season. This attracted 18 members and Phil Richards and Brian Sutton were the inaugural winners of the Floodlit Trophy.

As it is some time since we sort formal feedback on the Club’s internal competitions, this seemed an appropriate time to undertake a survey to find out what members like or don’t like about the way our competitions are run and what format people would prefer. Please complete the attached survey and return to an officer of the Club. All views and suggestions will be considered when planning next season’s programme of events.

Please return completed surveys to Mike Milne, either by e-mail ( michaelmilne66@outlook.com ) or

( secretary@hesketharmsbowlingclub.co.uk) or post to 20 Coudray Road, Southport PR9 9NL.

SURVEY ON CLUB COMPETITIONS

1. Do you think the number of competitions run by the Club is :- 

a. Not enough                                            

b. The right number 

c. Too many

2. Do you think the Club should run one of the singles competitions off scratch ?  i.e. no handicaps

a. Yes

b. No

3. Which format do you prefer for pairs competitions ?

a. Random (drawn on the day)

b. Non-Random (enter with a partner of your choice)

4. Do you think plate / consolation competitions should be run ?

a. Not at all

b. At some competitions

c. At all competitions

5. Are there any other competitions, events or formats which you would like to be considered for inclusion in the Club’s programme of events? Please detail below :-

6. Any other comments. Please enter below :-

PLEASE REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AS FOLLOWS

Q1     A or B or C

Q2     A or B

Q3     A or B

Q4     A or B or C

Q5     Your Comments

Q6     Your Comments

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October Newsletter

NEWSLETTER – OCTOBER 2020

THE GREEN IS NOW CLOSED FOR WINTER MAINTENANCE

The committee would like to thank all members for their support during the last 4 months in supporting the club competitions, supporting our efforts to comply with Covid 9 regulations, supporting our request for donations to purchase new equipment and most of all supporting us by renewing your membership.

We will be holding a committee meeting to discuss the last season and if you have any comments or suggestions we would welcome them. I know some members would prefer random pairs and we will take this into consideration. We tried a new floodlights competition on the last Friday evening of the season and we would welcome your comments on this.

The green will require some over winter work and we would hope you can help as and when we get to schedule the required work.

It is still unknown on how the next season will be but we are all hoping we can get back to as near normal as possible. We would hope that league bowlers who did not join this season will choose to join in 2021.

We are considering 2 new teams for 2021, 1 in the Maghull Monday evening league and 1 in the Ormskirk Tuesday evening league. Once we have these confirmed we will be looking for players.

2020 Maghull TEAM CHALLENGE

The Team Challenge concluded on Monday 28th September with the following results:-

Hurricanes 5, Blizzard 0

Thunder 4, Tempest 1

FINAL TABLE

Hurricanes 14 points

Thunder 8 points

Tempest 5 points

Blizzard 3 points

CONSERVATIVE CLUB – B.J.P.O’MALLEY PRESIDENT’S TROPHY

Congratulations to Terry Corfield and Tony Wakefield on winning the Conservative Club’s B.J.P.O’Malley President’s Trophy, defeating Chris Harding and Chris Heron 21-17 in a well-contested final.

MIDWEEK ROUND ROBINS

The popular midweek round robins were able to start at the end of July and members have enjoyed two months of social bowling. The Committee wish to thank Peter and Lynne Smith for all the work they put into running these sessions and to all the members who have supported them. As well as providing our members with the opportunity to meet up with others on a regular basis, the round robins also contribute a source of additional revenue towards club funds. This is especially appreciated during what has been a difficult year.

SPONSOR A SPIKE

Thanks once again to all those members who contributed to the Sponsor a Spike campaign. The final total raised was £604, which covers half the cost of the Sorrell Roller. Graham has been making good use of this new piece of equipment and we believe the benefits to the green can already be seen.

MAGHULL MINI LEAGUE

The Club was pleased to enter four teams into the Maghull Mini League, which was able to start at the beginning of August. The format was for teams of four placed in divisions of seven or eight teams, playing Mondays and Wednesdays over seven weeks. Our teams were the Hurricanes in the 1st Division; Thunder and Blizzard were placed in Division 2 and Tempest competed in Division 3. Many thanks to Mike Milne, Roger Van Beever, Sue Davies and Jason Chapman for taking on the task of captaining these teams.

Congratulations to Tempest, captained by Jason Chapman, on winning the 3rd Division by 10 clear points and losing just one of their fourteen fixtures. There were several impressive individual records in this team, including 9 wins out of twelve for Mark Rowlinson and 10 wins by Terry Corfield but top block was Graham Meadow with an unbeaten record of 11 wins in 11 games. In the 1st Division, the Hurricanes competed well to finish in 3rd position, just 3.5 points behind 2nd placed Brownmoor Brooke ‘A’. The Hurricanes’ top player was Chris Porter, with an outstanding record of 12 wins out of 13 games played. This was also the best record in the division.

Roger Van Beever’s Thunder finished the season in a creditable 4th place, competing against some tough opposition in the 2nd Division. Top block for Thunder was Brian Sutton, with 7 wins.

The highlight of the season for Blizzard was a convincing 4-1 victory over Thunder early in the season. Wins after that proved elusive in what was a competitive division, despite plenty of close games finishing with two winners for each side. The best player for Blizzard was George Hitchmough with five wins.

The full league tables can be seen using the following link: -https://www.cgleague.co.uk/maghull/tables.php

HESKETH “HURRICANE”
HESKETH THUNDER
HESKETH BLIZZARD
HESKETH TEMPEST

In all, 28 members represented the Club in the Maghull Mini League in what was a welcome opportunity to experience some competitive bowling. Some new greens were visited in a well-run and enjoyable competition. Thank you to all those members who supported the venture and to the Maghull League for their excellent organisation.

Floodlights Cup Friday 2nd October

A total of 9 pairs entered our first Floodlight competition.

Because of Covid 9 restrictions we had to finish the games by 10pm so it was decided to run a mini league format of 3 pairs per group, playing to 11 points. The winners of each group and the best runner up would proceed to the semi-finals.

After some very close semi-finals the eventual finalists were Jim Hallsall and Dave Bannister playing Brian Sutton and Phil Richards.

Brian & Phil played well to win the competition, this being Phil’s first competition win.

FLOODLIGHT CUP WINNERS:- BRIAN SUTTON & PHIL RICHARD

It was good to see some new players entering a completion and we will be looking to put this competition into our schedule of competitions for 2021.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Milne for running our competitions and also the competition booking system which worked very well.

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Competitions Update

COMPETITION NEWS
LAST CHANCE CUP
Congratulations to Jason Chapman and Chris Porter on winning the Last Chance Cup on Sunday, defeating Kez Adams and Fergal Wright 21-11 in the final. Jason and Chris had reached the final with wins against Sue White and Sue Wignall (21-10), Wayne Graham and Norma White (21-11) and Terry Corfield and Noel Morgans (21-15). Kez and Fergal had wins against Lynn Burrow (21-18), John McCabe and Mark Rowlinson (21-11) and last week’s Vice-Presidents Pairs winners, Chris Harding and Jon Roberts (21-10). This was Chris’s second competition win of the season, having won the President’s Cup singles and Jason’s third success in club pairs competitions.

Last Chance Cup WINNERS:- CHRIS PORTER JASON CHAPMAN
Last Chance Cup Runners up :- Fergal Wright Kez Adams

A plate competition was run for those defeated in their first game and this was won by Janice Hobson and Derek Wignall with a narrow 11-10 win in the final against Barry and Pat McArthur.

Last Chance plate Winners Janice Hobson Derek Wignall


END OF SEASON PAIRS
The Club will stage an end of season pairs competition this Friday, 2nd October, starting at 6.30 pm prompt. The pairs so far entered are listed below. If you wish to play, please notify Mike Milne (07752352065 / michaelmilne66@outlook.com).
Kez Adams & Dave Bannister ; Jason Chapman & Chris Porter ;Sue Davies & Tony Wakefield ; George Hitchmough & Peter Smith ;Janice Hobson & Derek Wignall ; Graham Meadow & Mark Rowlinson ;Mike Milne & John Unsworth ; Dave & Sue White
TEAM CHALLENGE
Latest results in the Team Challenge were as follows  : – 
Hurricanes 4, Thunder 1Tempest 4, Blizzard 1
TABLEHurricanes 9 pts (+54)Tempest 4 pts (-23)Thunder 4 pts (-26)Blizzard 3 pts (-5)
The final fixtures will take place tonight 27/9/20 , 6.30 pm start : –   Blizzard v. HurricanesTempest v. Thunder
GREEN CLOSURE
The green will close after next weekend to enable the annual maintenance work to take place but will be available for bookings up to and including Sunday 4th October. Many thanks to George for his work in setting up and running the online booking system. The system has worked well and it has been pleasing to see the green so well used by members once we were allowed to re-open at the end of May.

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September News Letter

VICE-PRESIDENTS PAIRS TROPHY

A full entry of 15 pairs took part in the Vice-Presidents Pairs on Saturday and after some close games in the early stages of the competition, which saw some strong pairings eliminated, the semi-finals saw victories for Laurie Townson and Roger Van Beever against John Hughes and John McCabe (21-14) and Chris Harding and Jon Roberts over Mike Milne and Alex Rimmer (21-16).

As mentioned last week, we have witnessed some very close finals this season and this was no exception. The early stages of the final were extremely one-sided however, as Laurie and Roger won eight out of the first eleven ends to surge into a commanding 19-7 lead. The 12th end saw Chris and Jon score four to give them a glimmer of hope and with Jon taking the block and playing a tricky mark across the middle of the green, they chipped away at the lead with ones and twos, eventually running out with a fourteen break to win the game 21-19. Congratulations to Jon on his first Hesketh Arms competition win and to Chris on his first pairs success. Commiserations to Laurie and Roger on just missing out after a fine run to reach the final.

Vice Presidents Pairs WINNERS:- CHRIS HARDING JON ROBERTS
Vice Presidents Pairs Runners Up Roger Vanbeever Laurie Townson

LAST CHANCE CUP – SUNDAY 27th SEPTEMBER (12 PM START)

Entries for the Last Chance Cup are listed below. The competition is full, with a reserve list, so if you are on the list and unable to play, please inform Mike Milne as soon as possible (07752352065 / michaelmilne66@outlook.com) so that a reserve pair can be notified.

Kez Adams & Fergal Wright ; Sue Andersen & George Hitchmough ; Lynn Burrow & Mike Milne ; 

Jason Chapman & Chris Porter ; Terry Corfield & Noel Morgans ; Sue Davies & Tony Wakefield ; 

Wayne Graham & Norma White ; Chris Harding & Jon Roberts ; Janice Hobson & Derek Wignall ;

John Hughes & John McCabe ; Alan & Jill Lloyd ; Barry & Pat McArthur ;

Peter Smith & John Unsworth ; Laurie Townson & Roger Van Beever ; Sue White & Sue Wignall.

TEAM CHALLENGE

The Team Challenge got under way last week and the results from week 1 were as follows :-   

Hurricanes 5, Tempest 0

Thunder 3, Blizzard 2

Fixtures for Thursday 24th September, 6.30 pm start :- 

Hurricanes v. Thunder

Blizzard v. Tempest

FLOODLIGHT PAIRS COMPETITION. Friday 2nd of October 6:30pm start.

Non Random pairs please contact Mike Milne as soon as possible (07752352065 / michaelmilne66@outlook.com) to register your interest.

This is the very last competition of the season, limited to 15 pairs.

If the floodlight competition is successful we will include it in next year’s completions.

Following the latest Government Restrictions coming into force on 22nd of September 2020, The following information has been copied from the HM Gov web site (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions)

The guidance still allows our bowling club to carry on with the green bookings system and competitions.

We must strictly adhere to groups no larger than 6 and a total number in the confines of the green at any one time of 30. This will limit any spectators at the bowling competitions and if we have 30 playing members there will be no room for spectators.

We have to take this matter seriously and we would ask you to support us in following the guidance.

Strict social distancing and personal hygiene guidance should be followed at all times.

(https://www.gov.uk/guidance/blackburn-with-darwen-oldham-pendle-local-restrictions) North West of England: local restrictions

Taken from the above website

“Team sport and physical activity

You can continue to take part in organised sporting or licensed physical activity in groups of more than 6. This can be in any public place – indoors or outdoors – but not in a private outdoor space like a garden or inside a private home. These activities either need to be organised by a national governing body, club, registered instructor/coach, business or charity, and/or involve someone who has received an official licence to use equipment relevant to the activity. In all cases, the organiser must conduct a risk assessment and ensure compliance with COVID-19 secure guidance.”

The green will remain open until 7pm on SUNDAY 4th of October, when the green will close for winter maintenance.

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Competitions Update & News

CHAMPIONSHIP CUP & LADIES’ CHAMPIONSHIP

The Club’s busy programme of competitions continued on Sunday when members played in the final singles handicaps of the season, the Championship Cup and the Ladies’ Championship.

The Ladies’ Championship was won by Pat McArthur, who defended the title she won last year. Pat had a tough route to the final but had good wins against Sue Andersen (21-16) and Sue Davies (21-11). Pat’s opponent in the final was Wendy McLoughlin, who also had excellent wins against Janice Hobson (21-20) and Norma White (21-15). The final was closely fought in the early stages and Wendy led 12-10 after eleven ends but Pat was able to win seven out of the next eight ends to take the title with a 21-13 win. Congratulations to Pat on winning this competition for the second year running and also to Wendy on reaching her first club final.

Ladies Chapionship Winner PAT McARTHUR
Ladies Chapionship Runner Up Wendy McLoughlin

The men’s Championship Cup final was contested between Kez Adams and Fergal Wright, who had enjoyed comfortable semi-final wins against Chris Harding and Dave White respectively. We have seen some close finals at the club this season and this was again a hard fought encounter, with no more than a couple of chalks in it for most of the game but it was Kez who edged home 21-19 to deservedly win his first Hesketh Arms club competition. Well done to both Kez and Fergal for providing a fitting end to the competition.

Mens Chapuonship Winner KEZ ADAMS
Mens Chapionship Runner Up Fergal Wright

Many thanks to Norma White who provided two home baked apple cakes which were delicious and enjoyed by all.

FORTHCOMING COMPETITIONS

The season continues with pairs competitions over the next two weekends. Both are limited to fifteen pairs in order to comply with the Covid-19 restrictions and there is just one place left in each competition. If you are not on the lists below and wish to take the final place in either event, please contact Mike Milne as soon as possible (michaelmilne66@outlook.com / 07752352065)

VICE-PRESIDENT’S PAIRS TROPHY – SATURDAY 19th SEPTEMBER (12.00 PM START)

Kez Adams & Fergal Wright ; Jason Chapman & Chris Porter ; Terry Corfield & Peter Jozwik ;

Wayne Graham & Janice Hobson ; George Hitchmough & Mark Wilde ; Jim Halsall & Tony Wakefield ;

Chris Harding & Jon Roberts ; John Hughes & John McCabe ; Kevin McCormack &  Noel Morgans ;

Barry & Pat McArthur ; Mike Milne & Alex Rimmer ; Peter Smith & John Unsworth ;

Laurie Townson & Roger Van Beever ; Sue White & Sue Wignall

LAST CHANCE CUP – SUNDAY 27th SEPTEMBER (12.00 PM START)

Kez Adams & Fergal Wright ; Lynn Burrow & Mike Milne ; Jason Chapman & Chris Porter ;

Terry Corfield & Noel Morgans ; Sue Davies & Tony Wakefield ; Wayne Graham & Norma White ;

Chris Harding & Jon Roberts ; Janice Hobson & Derek Wignall ; John Hughes & John McCabe ;

Alan & Jill Lloyd ; Barry & Pat McArthur ; Peter Smith & John Unsworth ;

Laurie Townson & Roger Van Beever ; Sue White & Sue Wignall. George Hitchmough & Sue Andersen

TEAM CHALLENGE

The Club’s internal team challenge starts this week with the following fixtures.

Thursday 17th September

Blizzard v Thunder

Friday 18th September

Hurricanes v Tempest

NOTES

1.     Matches to commence at 6.30pm.

2.     Open practice from 6.00pm

3.     Matches to be played using the format of the Maghull Mini-League. 1 point per individual winner and 1 point for the aggregate. If teams are tied on the same number of points in the league table, the number of individual winners would be the deciding criteria. If still tied, the team with the best overall aggregate would be placed higher.

4.     Hurricanes to concede a handicap of ten chalks on the aggregate v. the other three teams, which will all play each other off scratch.

5.     Teams to be made up of players registered in the Maghull Mini-League but if short, any member of the club can be used. They would then be considered  a registered player for that team and cannot then play for one of the other three teams.

6.     If both captains agree, a match can be re-arranged for another night but please inform George or Mike. We need to know for recording green usage and for our locking up rota.

7.     Match results to be sent to Mike Milne (michaelmilne66@outlook.com)

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Covid 19 Guidence Update

Following the latest Government guidance regarding Outdoor meeting of groups and the clarification from Sport England and UK Bowls.

We must adhere to the group of 6 guidance but we will still be allowed to bowl in our club if we follow Covid guidance on cleaning AND SOCIAL DISTANCING.

We should  be able to complete our Competitions and Round Robins and Maghull league mini League bowling.

Bowls England
https://www.bowlsengland.com/covid-19-update-following-government-clarification/

Riverside House
Milverton Hill
Royal Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV32 5HZ

Telephone: 01926 334609
enquiries@bowlsengland.com

COVID-19 UPDATE FOLLOWING GOVERNMENT CLARIFICATION

10th September, 2020 by Matt Wordingham

Further to yesterday’s statement, we are delighted to confirm that our clubs can continue to offer organised bowling activity in a Covid-safe manner.

Sport England has announced, following clarification from Government, that people can continue to take part in organised outdoor sports when restrictions on social gatherings are introduced from Monday 14th September.

With the end of the season fast-approaching for the majority of our clubs, we trust players will continue to enjoy our sport in a socially-distant manner, particularly if wishing to play fours at this time.

We also encourage clubs to take this final opportunity to introduce new people to our sport through our ‘Let’s Roll’ initiative, which has already seen nearly 1,000 individuals sign up for a free trial session at their local club, and the Great British Week of Sport (Saturday 19th September to Sunday 27th September).