Month: May 2025

COMPETITION NEWS

ROSE BOWL

The first club singles competition of the season took place on Saturday and was won by Mike Milne, with a 21-14 win against Andy Draper in the final.

A plate competition was also held and this was won by Mal Green, who overcame Laurie Townson 21-13 in the decider.

BLOWICK CUP – CHAMPIONS OF CHAMPIONS

The next event at the Club will be the Blowick Cup Champions of Champions which will take place this coming Sunday, 1st June, starting at 12 noon.

The Champion of Champions is an annual singles competition held at the Club for winners of club competitions and team merits during the previous season. The players listed below have qualified to play in this year’s event. The trophy presented to the winner is the “BLOWICK CUP” which originated at the old Blowick Hotel Bowling Club, which was situated on Norwood Road, Southport.

KEZ ADAMS                                       Vice-Presidents Trophy

TERRY CORFIELD                              Hawks Merit

ANDY DRAPER                                  Championship Cup ; Coronation Cup ; Owls & Vultures Merits 

PAULINE DUNCAN                           Spring Pairs

DARREN EDGERLEY                         Last Chance Cup

LOUIS FAZAKERLEY                          Vice-Presidents Trophy

JIM HALSALL                                     Spring Pairs ; Ospreys Merit ; Merlins Merit ; Kestrels Merit

CHRIS HARDING                               Floodlit Trophy

ALAN HATTON                                  Sparrowhawks Merit

KEVIN LEDDY                                     Kites Merit

NOREEN LEWIS                                 Buzzards Merit

CHRISTINE McMANUS                     Chairman’s Shield

STEVE McMANUS                             Rose Bowl ; President’s Cup ; Chairman’s Shield

MIKE MILNE                                       Floodlit Trophy ; Eagles Merit

ALEX RIMMER                                   Hobbies Merit

BRIAN SUTTON                                 Blowick Cup

GARETH TAYLOR                               Last Chance Cup

Received from our Green Keeper Andy Bate

Green Update – Coping with the Dry Spring at Hesketh Arms

Dear Members,

I hope you’re all keeping well and enjoying the bowling season so far.

I wanted to share an update on the condition of the green, especially in light of the exceptionally dry spring we’ve been experiencing. Across the UK, greenkeepers have been grappling with one of the driest springs since records began.

According to the Met Office, some regions have recorded their second driest March on record, with rainfall levels well below average. Unsurprisingly, this has had a noticeable effect on grass surfaces nationwide – and our green is no exception.

Without the benefit of an irrigation system, we are relying entirely on natural rainfall to maintain soil moisture. Unfortunately, current soil moisture levels are down to around 3–4%, compared to the optimal range of 10–15% needed for healthy turf.

This is causing visible stress to the surface, including dry patches and thinning in some areas.

To help the green cope with these challenging conditions, we are taking the following steps:

• Raising the Mower Height and Reducing Frequency: Cutting slightly higher and less often than usual to reduce stress and encourage stronger root growth.

• Limiting Wear: Monitoring foot traffic and adjusting maintenance schedules to protect the most vulnerable areas. • Looking Ahead: We’re considering longer-term solutions such as introducing more drought-tolerant grass species, which have been recommended by greenkeeping professionals across the UK in response to increasingly dry conditions.

We are also looking at ways to get more water onto the green in a time efficient manner.

Despite the weather, the green remains in playable condition thanks to careful management and the hard work of the maintenance team.

We appreciate your continued patience and understanding while we do our best to preserve the playing surface through this dry spell. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out

Andy

https://www.bigga.org.uk/news-listing/uk-greenkeepers-on-lack-of-rainfall-this-spring.html

NEWSLETTER – MAY 2025

ROSE BOWL

The next club competition will be the Rose Bowl, which will take place on Saturday 24th May. This is a singles handicap with plate. To enter, please report to the green on the day by 11.45 am, to ensure a prompt start at 12 noon.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Now that the bowling season is well underway, anyone who has yet to do so should pay their 2025 subscriptions as soon as possible. Many thanks to those who have paid so far. Please see below for details and methods of payment.

Standard membership subscription – £30.00

Team players’ subscription – £50.00

Payment can be made online directly to the Club’s bank account :

Sort Code : 30 97 88    Account number : 01007849

If paying by bank transfer, please notify Mike Milne by text (07752352065) or email (michaelmilne66@outlook.com)

Alternatively, subscriptions can be sent to Mike Milne (Treasurer) at the following address :-

Mike Milne, 20 Coudray Road, Southport PR9 9NL

If paying by bank transfer, please notify Mike Milne by text (07752352065) or email (michaelmilne66@outlook.com)

Alternatively, subscriptions can be sent to Mike Milne (Treasurer) at the following address :-

Mike Milne, 20 Coudray Road, Southport PR9 9NL

SOUTHPORT FEDERATION

Southport’s next game in Division 5 of the Federation National League will take place on Sunday 11th March, when they take on familiar opposition in Cheshire Parks.

The home leg will be held at Hesketh Bank Bowling Club, starting at 2.00 pm. Included in the home line-up are Kez Adams, Ray Atkinson, Andy Draper, Darren Edgerley, Mike Milne, Chris Porter and Mark Wilde. The away leg will take place at Poynton Working Men’s Club in Stockport and Colin Edge and Fergal Wright have been selected to play.

Supporters on the day will be very welcome for this crucial fixture.

CLUB COMPETITIONS AND EVENTS

Saturday 24th May    Rose Bowl (Handicap singles with plate) 12.00 pm start

Sunday 1st June         Blowick Cup Champion of Champions (Invitation singles for club competition and merit winners from 2024) 12.00 pm start

Saturday 7th June      Coronation Cup (Handicap singles with plate) 12.00 pm start

Saturday 28th June    Club trip to the Black Horse, Croston – details posted on website or request the e-mail to be sent if not already received.

Sunday 13th July        Ladies’ Championship (Ladies’ singles) 12.00 pm start

Sunday 3rd August     President’s Cup (Handicap singles with plate) 11.00 am start

Sunday 17th August   Chairman’s Shield (Non-random doubles – enter as a pair, no plate) 12.00 pm start

Sun 14th Sept              Championship Cup (Men’s singles – played off scratch, no plate)

12.00pm start

Sun 21st Sept               Last Chance Cup (Random doubles with plate – pairings to be drawn on the day) 12.00 pm start

TBC                                 Floodlit Trophy (date and format to be decided)

GREEN BOOKINGS

Please note the following dates when outside events will be taking place at the club. The green will therefore be unavailable for use by members :-

Thursday 15th May – Southport Ladies’ League Knockout Cup match (afternoon)

Wednesday 21st May – Private Booking (evening)

Sunday 15th June – LV pairs – Finals Day (afternoon) – spectators welcome.

Thursday 19th June – Ladies’ Pairs (morning and afternoon)

Saturday 21st June –Churchtown Conservative Club – B.J.P.O’Malley President’s Trophy(afternoon) – any bowling club member who is also a member of the Conservative Club is eligible to take part in this event.

Sunday 10th August – Private Booking

OPEN DOUBLES – BERNARD O’MALLEY TROPHY 2025The Club’s annual Open Doubles competition took place on Saturday 26^th April on a fine, dry day. There was a full turnout of 32 pairs competing for a total of £900 prize money and the Bernard O’Malley Trophy, which recognises the support given to the Club by our late Honorary Vice-President and Nationwide Produce over nearly twenty years. There was an excellent field, with bowlers coming from Rossendale, Wigan, Skelmersdale, Preston, Kirkham and the West Midlands to take part, as well as players from local clubs. 
In the top half of the draw, the West Midlands pair of Daniel Davies and Gareth Herbert reached the final, despite having a scare in their second game, when they had to come from 18-10 down to get past the home pairing of Darren Edgerley and Steve McManus. Their opponents in the final turned out to be the Our Lady’s / Hesketh Arms combination of Mike Davies and Louis Fazakerley. Their closest match on the way to the final was in the First Round, when they overcame the Zetland Hotel pair of Brian Fairclough and Bill Roddan 21-17. The losing semi-finalists were Will Roddan and Mark Wilde (Zetland / Hesketh Arms) and Tim Dutton and Ben Holmes (Hesketh Bank).The final was a fitting tribute to our late Vice-President, with Mike and Louis pushing the West Midlands pair all the way but it was Daniel Davies and Gareth Herbert who edged it 21-17. Congratulations to Dan and Gareth on winning this competition at their first attempt.

• 

• 

• 

• 

The Hesketh Arms Bowling Club would like to thank everyone who supported this competition by taking part or by coming along to watch or help out with marking cards and measuring. In addition, we would thank the following :-

• Gill for providing the sandwiches and to Lynne Smith for serving drinks during the day.
• Our referee, Graham Pickavance.
• Our greenkeeper, Andy Bate for preparing the green and surrounds. 
• Birkdale Insurance Group for their generous sponsorship. 

We look forward to running our Open Singles later in the season. Full details will be posted in the usual ways when confirmed but the date currently pencilled in is Saturday 30^th Augus