Club News
Another magnificent team effort
In 2021 Sheila Howling registered Potten End Bowls Club on Easy Fundraising. This made it possible for members to go through the website to their favourite online stores or suppliers and purchase goods with the supplier sending back a % to the club.These are all the top brands such as Amazon, Tui, M&S and a further 7,500 so whatever you are buying online there is a chance to support our club.
In December 2021 we reported that 15 supporters in the first year raised £130.
In December 2023 we can report 35 supporters have now increased that total to £612.
Help us now and sign up to raise money for the club. Its the equivalent of a new sponsor or two new members subs.
www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/pottenendbowls/
Why not ask your friends and family to donate. (They can be anonymous). There is also an introduction donation from Easy fundraising.
Please help, it costs nothing and you're only dealing with the companies you currently buy from.
Contact Malcolm if you want to discuss further and we can also get an introduction bonus.
Indoor training continues through the winter months
This year saw a full schedule of winter coaching with 6 session up to Xmas and now a further 6 planned before the start of the 2024 season.
The coaching sessions have not only been attended by new members from 2023 but those who dont play indoor and simply wish to hone their delivery skills and improve technique.
All sessions have been held at Watford Indoor bowls who have been extremely welcoming, they have also benefited with some additional members for the winter from Potten End.
Outdoor coaching will again start as soon as the greens are open in April intime for the competions in May and of course our open days and hopefully new members to come on board.
Bowls England nomination - Club of the Year
Potten End received a wonderful early Xmas Present when Bowls England reported the following on their website:
Clubs are the heartbeat of our sport and their local community. The Club of the Year Award showcases the exceptional innovation and resilience combined with implementing creative strategies to ensure a clubs survival and growth. We celebrate clubs which go above and beyond to create vibrant, inclusive communities both on and off the green, recognising the outstanding efforts of clubs that have embraced their role as community hubs, creating a positive impact.
Below are the list of clubs which have been shortlisted for the Club of the Year Award at the Bowls England Awards 2023.
Erdington BC (Warwickshire)
Ilfracombe BC (Devon)
Maldon BC (Essex)
Potten End BC (Hertfordshire)
West Backwell BC (Somerset)
A club spokesperson said 'Recognition of hard work by all our club members is always welcome. This club is almost 100 years old and is going from strength to strength. Thank you Bowls England for your support'.
The full story can be seen at: www.bowlsengland.com/awards-shortlist-club-of-the-year/
A very proud moment
It is always a pleasure to help those in need but a wonderfully proud moment when your club is able to donate to a fabulous local cause like The Hospice of St Francis on the lead up to Xmas.
Today saw our past Treasurer Alan Howling present Sophie Thomas with the cheque for a staggering amount of £1,130.00p.
When asked Alan was able to say that the amount was collected throughout the season at regular events, together with two dates where we joined with Berkhamsted GC to raise monies for each others captains charities. Our last event and most fruitful was our presentation evening where we collected the majority of the money thanks to the support of both our sponsors and local businnesses who provided some amazing raffle prizes.
So a massive thankyou to our sponsors for this event:
Kings Arms (berkhamsted) - Willow Financial Planning - Peter Spivey Ltd - Dottie About Cake - EIC insurance Services - CRK Windows
and of course our Local business supporters:
Alta Moda (Hemel) - Clipso Hair salon (Hemel) - Per Tutti (Berkhamsted) - Results Hair & Beauty (Hemel) - Bel caffe (Berkhamsted), Rumblers Farm Shop (Potten End) - Potten End Village Store & Coffee shop - Berkhamsted Golf Club.
Who's the crafty one?
A massive thank you to Lesley and Carol for running their two seprate craft events leading up to Xmas.
The first ran by Lesley saw those attending making stars out of old books which certainly gave everyone something to follow in the lead up to Xmas.
At our second event we saw socks and gloves being adapted to make perfect presents for young ones who might like to both keep warm and find hidden chocolate inside.
Thanks again to the organisers and those who took part. Merry Xmas one and all.
Winter Socials
No matter your interest there appears to be a closed season social event for members whether, playing or social only.
The coffee mornings are held monthly giving everyone a chance to catch up and have a chin wag. The November gathering saw 21 members attending and it was great to see those who had not been able to get up to the club recently.
The club not only has the coffee mornings and craft events monthly but weekly sessions of carpet bowls, cribbage and darts for all levels.
This months coffee morning was run by Coral and Karen and they were able to bring in another member John to raise funds for his charity in Bangladesh. ( see news item earlier in the year)
A great success and we now look forward to the remaining events in the run up to Xmas.
Annual Dinner and Presentation Evening
Friday 13th October 2023 was certainly not unlucky for members of Potten End Bowls Club.
After a number of years the Annual Dinner and Presentation evening returned to Berkhamsted Golf Club where 65 members enjoyed a sumptous three course meal along with various games sponsored by both club members and our very supportive sponsors.
The evening then continued with the awards for those who had truimphed in our internal competitions throughout 2023.
Internal Competition Winners 2023
Men’s over 65 Steve Wilson
Ladies’ over 60 Lesley Wilson
Men’s Clubman Rob Callaghan
Men’s Novice Steve Weston
Men’s Triples Keith Newman, Ron Jones & Keith Martindale
Mixed Open Triples Coral Maycock Tony Hogg & Keith Gissing
Men’s Pairs Terry Mitchell & Steve Wilson
Ladies’ Pairs Coral Maycock & Lesley Wilson
Mixed Australian Pairs Coral Maycock & Keith Gissing
Mixed Pairs Jocelyn Potts & Steve Wilson
Open Club Singles Steve Wilson
(Played as a mixed 7up competition)
Men’s Two Wood Ken Delagua
Ladies’ Two Wood Janice Cheshire Burke
Husband and Wife Coral and Malcolm Maycock
Men’s Championship Steve Wilson
Ladies’ Championship Janice Cheshire Burke
Friday Night Aggregate Ken Delagua, Eddie Rochford, Steve Rose
Mixed 4’s Plate John Callaghan, Jeff Masters, Ian Smallwood & Marlene Young
Fred Hawley Cup Maurice Godden
The evening was closed out with a raffle and many thanks to our sponsors and members for their generosity. In total we raised £737.00 for The Hospice of St Francis.
We look forward to seeing everyone at our event for 2024 which is already in planning.
Treading the boards
Its all about chatting!!
Our very own Patrick Isherwood joined us in 2022 and we have just learnt that he is not only a budding thespian but also a writer and director. He further tells us he has been treading the boards for some 30 years though he prefers to write rather than Act. In that time he has written and produced nine plays and several revues.
Patrick has written and is performing the lead in a Revue for Little Gaddesden Theatre Group titled 'Here we Go-Go Again!', a woke parody of the Righteous Brothers’ You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling ( as the Self-Righteous Brothers). He further tells us 'It is fiendishly difficult to sing as it has such a wide range'.
So if you fancy an entertaining evening, book now as they will sell out.
Little Known Fact!
Our chair Annie was a member of the club for many years and Patrick used to direct her.
PEBC – Defibrillator Training
In 2021 PEBC installed its very own Defibrillator on the side of the club. Thankfully it has only been required once since then by the village however its presence is a reassurance to us all should an incident occur.
Sunday morning saw 15 members under the supervision of our very own Maggie Martindale and her lead Mick from St John provide the basics in First Aid training with regard placing people in 'The Recovery Position'. Resucitation and the use of the Defibrillator.
A massive thankyou to Mick for taking the time with an excellent practical presentation, Maggie for assisting and organising and for all those who attended.
The picture shows two new bowlers from 2023, namely John and Beverley getting to grips with placing one another in the recovery position.
Well done everyone.
All hands on deck
Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th September saw members attending the bowls club to close down the club for the off season.
Many thanks to all those who helped prepare the green, wash and stow away the equipment and start the list of actions required by both the green team and working parties over the winter months.
The working party now has a regular weekly meeting on Fridays @ 9am for any member wishing to join in.
The green team is always looking for additional help for the daily chores of brushing the green, to rolling and all the preperation and maintenance work.
We now look forward to seeing the fruits of all these labours in 2024.
Well done team Potten End.
Singing in the rain
A fantastic finale to the 2023 season.
The closing gala saw 6 rinks with 36 players and a host of spectators. Although the rain started shortly after the initial spider this did not dampen the spirits and after the first six ends the weather had changed again and it was back to t shirt and shorts.
The day was made up of three separate games of six ends, mixed teams and personal scoring.
The spider was won by Coach Bob Simpson (He tells me his first win in 20 seasons).
The main competiton had five placings;
5th Karen Baxter
4th Michael Halliday
3rd John Herron
2nd Terry Mitchell
1st John Callaghan
Well done JC and of course everyone else who took part.
The club house was buzzing, the food plentiful and the friendship something special. The day raised £38 on the the spider and £138 on the raffle.
A special thankyou to Linda and Chris for their marvellous organisation, Janice and Pete for the bar and all those who helped endlessly with food, tidying and generally making the day work yet again for one and all.
Finals weekend – Serious stuff!!
What a fabulous few days of superb bowling, well done to all our finalists who provided great entertainment for the many spectators.
Many congratulations to all our winners, commiserations to the runners up. There’s always next year!
A huge thank you goes to Keith Gissing and Linda Burfot for arranging the whole weekend, and of course many thanks to all our volunteers whether they be umpires, markers, board turners, bar staff, green team or any others that make the club function so well.
We are now at the end of the season, and we look forward to the closing gala and of course our presentation evening.
Everyone likes a sequel - Bowls Bash 2
Wednesday 30th August saw the sequel to the June Bowls Bash between two Berkhamsted Golf Club golfing roll up groups; namely The Clique -v- Clique in waiting.
After initial fitting of bowls, the 24 players were given some coaching and practice before the event got going with a spider which was won by this years captain.
Each team had 3 players and played 3 matches each against their opposing triples.
The event then moved inside for some food, prize giving and raffle. The winners were the Clique whose team also won the prizes for best rink and bragging rights through the winter. The raffle raised a further £240 for charity with the prizes donated by the club captian at Berkhamsted, Joe the Golf Pro and Greg Selfe the CIW bowls team captain. The monies were split with £120 going to Hospice of St Francis (PEBC Charity) and £120 to Parkinson’s UK.
2024 will see the return of the event and we hope to see expansion with another club joining the fray.
The event was supported magnificently by the following club members:
Angelique, Annie, Coral, Lesley, Linda, Paula, Bob, John (Fez boy), John Callaghan, Keith G, Malcolm M, Shane, Steve W
Fred Hawley and BBQ re run 2023
The year started out with two significant events for the club on separate days namely the Fred Hawley Cup (named after a previous coach and longtime member) and our summer BBQ.
The former was cancelled halfway through due to torrential rain and the latter due to a severe weather warning. All however, was not lost; August Bank Holiday Monday saw the BBQ’s fired up serving 52 members and their guests some wonderful fare. The Fred Hawley Cup followed on immediately after, the sun shone, and the event was again supported by 32 players. Last year’s recipient Caroline won in her first-year bowling in 2022 but sadly was sidelined due to a knee operation. This allowed our ex-Chairman Maurice Godden to sneak in and claim the cup which he received from Zena Hawley who had managed to attend both events. Well done to Maurice!!
The day was a great success with a spider won by Richard Rowe and of course plenty of raffle prizes with funds going to The Hospice of St Francis.
A massive thankyou to all those who made this happen, a special additional thanks to those who put in extra time prior to the event, shopping and preparing dishes. at home preparing salads etc. So round of applause for Annie, Avril, Linda, Lesley, Michael, Steve W and Steve R.
Bar Staff have end of season knees up!!
Our bar management team of Janice and Peter Burke decided to think outside the barrel for 2023 in how to thank the team of volunteers who had helped throughout the season.
Well, the result was a fun afternoon of laughter as they played out to decide who had the fizz and who had simply gone flat.
The results
Top Fizz Lady: Paula Gillings winning a bottle of Prosecco.
Top Fizz Gent: Richard Abrahart a bottle of wine.
Other prize winners included Jenny Roberts and Steve Rose, the lowest scorers received lolly pops.
Another highlight of the afternoon being a Hotshot by Richard and Karen Baxter and raising money for our charity The Hospice of St Frances when Richard auctioned his winnings.
If you would like to join this event in 2024, please talk to Janice and Peter at any time about getting on the bar rota.
Gala brings sunshine and a Potten End 'Bake Off'
Wednesday 9th August 2023 saw our first Gala of the year fully supported by 16 teams, many thanks to Luton West End, Aylesbury Town, Bushey, Herts, Dunstable, Linslade, Berkhamsted, Little Gaddesden, Kitcheners, London Welsh and Mill End. (Some clubs fielding more than one side).
A wonderful day superbly orchestrated by Doreen Pike and supported by many members was a huge success. Congratulations go to:
Winners: Bushey A - Received £100
Runners up: Berkhamsted - Received £80
Third place: Bushey B - Received £60
The annual event was supported this year by two new sides and a special mention to Pete Irons from Linslade who stated it was his 15th, Gala. A Big thank you to Pete for organising such great weather and of course supporting us so magnificently over the years.
A spider was played adding funds to our collection for Hospice of St Francis.
A call to arms prior to the event meant members provided baked cakes, prizes e and their time to make this happen. The pictured cake is from our new member Ian Smallwood and what a great job. This allowed the raffle to raise £245 and the club to financially benefit as ever from such a day.
We look forward to seeing everyone next year and of course a massive thankyou again to Doreen and her helpers.
Our latest County player
Congratulations go to Annie Rowe who this past week made her debut for Hertfordshire County. Annie is our first bowler for some years, following in the footsteps of Jan Dean, Eileen Clements, and Gladys Pearce.
The game was played on Wednesday 26th July 2023 at Hatfield and Hertfordshire beat Bedfordshire. Annie playing two also won top rink with a score of 28-4.
To play for the Ladies in county competitions you must earn 10 points by winning County competitions. Annie, Lesley, and Coral entered themselves into these competitions and won two of those games. Coral now has 2 points, Lesley 6, and Annie 12. If you wish to enter and want to know more, please speak to Annie.
Well done again to Annie and we look forward to hearing more of your very warm welcome into this next level.
Sponsors Evening
Wednesday 19th July 2023 saw the club host its first ever Sponsors evening.
The event was well attended and with the assistance of club members we were able to start the evening with some coaching followed by a spider (Congratulations to Sally from Dottie About Cakes) with the winner receiving a bottle of prosecco.
Next saw the sponsors and members mixed into 6 teams of triples and matches of four ends against other teams.
The overall winning team were the yellows made up of:
Helena – Dottie About Cakes
Paul – PCS Logistics
Avril – S&G Wildman Plumbing
I think it’s fair to say great fun was had by all and the event finished with drinks at the bar and a delicious spread. We even had a couple of sponsors showing an interest in joining the club and we hope to see them at our Thursday night club nights from 6pm.
A huge thank you as ever to those who helped make this happen namely:
Annie, Carol, Coral, Jenny, Karen H, Linda, Barry, John Carter, Keith G, Malcolm M, Michael H and a big mention for Rob Rodway who without his help on the evening and of course sourcing the majority of sponsors in the first place this would never have happened.
We look forward to having everyone back in 2024.
Berkhamsted Bowls Bash 2023
Wednesday 14th June 2023, saw the inaugural Berkhamsted Golf Club bowls competition between two golfing roll up groups namely The Clique -v- Clique in waiting. After initial fitting of bowls, the 24 players were given some coaching and practice before the event got going with a spider.
Next saw four groups of triples from each team, play 4 matches each, against their opposing four triples.
The event then moved inside for some wonderful food, prize giving and raffle. The eventual winners were the Clique in waiting, whose captain also walked away with the prize for best triple having gone four games unbeaten. The raffle raised £200 of which, Hospice of St Francis (PEBC Charity) received £100 and Parkinson’s UK received £100.
Rob Bailey this year’s captain at Berkhamsted GC sent the following:
Firstly, thank you for organising such an excellent evening for us all at your bowls club. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole event. Please pass on my thanks to all those who helped out with the coaching and making us feel so welcome.
Thank you also for generously donating £100 to my charity which is very much appreciated. I will also thank Joe for the golf prizes provided. My charity this year is Parkinson's UK. My father-in-law, Eric Ruddlesden, was a member at Berkhamsted Golf Club and introduced me to golf many years ago. He died with Parkinson's disease in 2001 and it has been good to remember him in my Captain’s year.
The event was supported magnificently by the following club members:
Annie, Coral, Carol, Janice, Lesley, Linda, Barry, John (Fez boy), Keith G, Malcolm M,
Michael P, Pete, and Steve R
Bowls Big Weekend and Coaching
The last weekend in May will see the Bowls Big Weekend coming to Potten End Bowls Club, from 10am until 4pm each day. So whether you are new, or experienced bowlers come and join in the fun. This is a national event organised by our governing body Bowls England.
Although the Hempstead Road will probably still be shut, it did not put off those potential members who braved quite a chilly start for out first Open Day held on the first Sunday in May. Some of those potential members could be found along with other newer members having some coaching sessions this morning. We will hold a total of 4 in May and then again in June after the Bowls Big Weekend. Our ethos being we would only want you to commit once you are happy this could be your game and of course Potten End is the right club.
So come and join us on Saturday 27th or Sunday 28th. All you need is flat soled shoes (no heels), we will supply the bowls. Clothing is what you feel comfortable in.
Hopefully see you soon.
Full House
The forecast was warmth and sunshine the outcome was overcast and slightly chilled.
That said it did not stop the wearing of shorts and for the first time in a while 6 rinks of triples for our home match to Batchwood. Both clubs were also able to have 3 reserves.
The actual outcome was a great deal of joviality and a 5 rink win and overall score total to the home side. Following the game was a lovely meal and further banter all round. If you're undecided on playing bowls then this match would have provided you with a very positive answer as it was both a fantastic, social and sporting afternoon.
Off to a busy start
This week saw the ladies section start on its season of District and County games with a mixed bag.
The first game a County Fours format was away at Bushey and sadly the team, Annie, Janice, Lesley and Coral lost on the last end by two shots having led the game from the outset.
The next game a County Triples against Kings Langley at home saw Annie, Lesley and Coral win by one shot. At 17 ends the ladies were 4 up and holding five when the opposition skip on her last bowl won the end and bought it back to 3. The last end was lost by 2 shots but the match won by PEBC.
Great to see the teams after discussing the finite details and wishing each other luck for the rest of the season.
Why not give it a try!!
Our flyers have now been posted, our posters have been stuck up in shops and offices.
Finally under beautiful blue skies our dynamic duo of Rob and Doug unveiled the first of our banners for 2023. These are now situated on all the main roads entering Potten End.
Our initial date for new and existing bowlers who are thinking of starting or joining a new club is on Sunday 7th May 2023.
This will be followed up at the end of May on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th. All dates are from 10am - 4pm.
Come and join us. Is bowls for you? If after your initial visit you are interested we will invite you to further coaching dates before you need to make a final decision.
There is no pressure just come and enjoy.
No April Fools
Congratulations to the winners of our darts final, Coral and Steve.
The winners walked away with engraved trophies having hit the bullseye to win the final match.
A special thank you to all those who turned up to both play and watch.
Then of course a massive thank you yet again to Doug who not only sets it all up, but has run the Friday night winter darts league all season. This weekly event brings members together throughout the off season and is always good for a laugh with quizzes and fun dart games for all levels. If nothing else the chance to win the infamous 'screwdriver' in the raffle is not to be missed.
Whilst we look forward to the new winter season, let’s hope for a long hot summer first.
End of an Era
What a shining example.
A massive thank you to Paula, Doreen, Linda, Daphne Lowe and Jean Jones for their commitment to winter social events for the past 13+ years.
The ladies ended on a high note at the weekend and the club owes a huge debt of gratitude for ensuring out of season socials not only bought the club members together but also raised essential additional funds.
These events have included quizzes, race nights, coffee mornings, music nights to name but a few.
Ladies you have gone above and beyond.
We look forward to seeing you at the club, thankyou for the endless laughs and smiles.
If you have an idea for next winters socials 2023/24 please speak to Annie or any of the management team.
Off to a Flyer!!
We now look forward to our Open days for 2023 and greeting all new and potential bowlers to our wonderful green and social sport.
In 2022 our open days attracted 76 people of which 46 joined. Our new bowlers being aged between 14 to 70 and covered all decades inbetween.
Our aim for 2023 is to replicate the previous year inviting everyone to try out the game without any commitment. If you like the game, the atmosphere and feel comfortable then there is no immediate requirement to join. We will then invite you to further free training sessions before taking the next step of membership.
Many thanks to Rob Rodway who organised a team of 6 to start the distribution of our flyers. Dougie, Coral, Malcolm and two new bowlers from 2023 namely John and Richard started door to door deliveries in Potten End, Berkhamsted and Fields End.
Look out for our Posters, Banners and we hope to see you on our Open Days.
It’s always the quiet ones!!
Our very own John Carter joined the club in 2022 and has from the outset been keen to assist or get involved whenever and wherever he can. Our roving reporter caught up with John and found he has been extremely busy helping others for many years.
In 2001 John got involved with care work in Bangladesh after a friend had worked there for 6 months, as a Paediatric Occupational Therapist. Their new Occupational Therapy Unit had no equipment and the only therapy the children received was the stretching of their contracted limbs. Although John’s friend was able to make chairs from recycled materials the therapy toys required were a little more complex. John however, with his background in engineering was immediately able to make the items required, and on his next 10 annual visits train others to do so as well. The same toys for children have now been expanded for use with adults with spinal injuries and stroke patients. There is also now a production unit making and selling the equipment to other centres and outpatient units. The production team consists of 4 full time employees of which two are disabled.
When asked about his involvement John said, ‘What I get from it is the sheer pleasure of knowing I have made a difference to a great number of the poorest people in, not only Bangladesh, but also Malawi, Tanzania and Sri Lanka.’
Yet again, it goes to show, not all superheroes wear capes!!