Club Nights recommenced a few weeks ago with fluctuating attendances.

We finally were able to hold our AGM on August 9^th and once again we had a good attendance from our membership.  There are now some new faces on our Executive – Dave Grant as President, Sharon Brooking as our Vice President, Glenda Grant as our Treasurer and new members on the Executive being Lorraine Hollow and Jean Goodey.  Welcome back to Carole, Christine, Doug, and Hugh.

Many thanks to Chris Carter, John O’Brien, Sandy Booth & Bruce Hollow for their work on previous Executive Committees.

Our Match Committee comprising Robyn Carter, Dave Goodey, Lynda Stevens, Hugh Woods, and Debbie Hanna were quick to get our programme sorted out for the coming season.  Due to the unavoidable delay in getting our Handbook completed the first two months of our programme are displayed on the Noticeboard.  A copy of the whole programme is on the website.  The Handbook went to the Printers on 30 August and we hope to get the proof shortly and then have the Handbook printed – with a bit of luck by the weekend of 12 September.

Work has started on our new store room at the western end of our lounge and other work/repairs to the wall in the men’s locker room is also under way.

Unfortunately, we have had to increase the cost of our subscriptions this season (they are still considerably cheaper than a lot of other Clubs).  Details of these are on the noticeboard and also by the bar.  Remember you need to be financial by the end of September to be eligible for selection in Centre events or to enter Centre events.

Our winter Sunday Ray White Karen Kiely Galas have now been completed.  Many thanks to Karen Kiely for sponsoring these very enjoyable Galas.

We have had bowlers from other Clubs come during the winter months to have a practice on our Carpet Green.  In future any persons, not members of our Club, and wishing to use our greens must pay a fee of $5.00 per person.  This is to be placed in the Trading Table box.

Security of our Clubrooms is very important and you are all advised that under no circumstance is our Security Code to be given to persons outside of our Club.

Our first Championships commence 5^th September – Ladies Triples, and 6^th September – Men’s Triples.  9.00 am start.

The Caterers will be in attendance during championship play for the coming season and just a reminder that whilst they are in the kitchen, club members must keep out, due to Health & Safety requirements. Please also remember should you leave food/containers in the fridge (in hall) it is your responsibility to remove same on a regular basis otherwise they will be dumped.

In recent years during the bowling season we have been very lucky to receive text messages from Chris Carter re cancellations, delays etc.  Chris has decided to have a rest from doing this and unless someone else puts their hand up to take on doing this we will not receive them this season.  If you are prepared to do it or need more information please ask someone from the Executive, the Match Committee, Chris, or even me, please.

Women’s Gee Shield.  The AGM will be held on 4 September and we will know what the future of this competition is.  Unfortunately, some Clubs are no longer able to enter teams.  We will keep you informed.

Don’t forget to support our Sponsors.  A lot of them will have been having a bad time during the Lockdowns, but we are pleased to say they have all come back on board this year.

A little bit of humour:  I went to the paint store recently to get thinner – it didn’t work!

Take care.  Thank you for your continued support.

Since the rules have been relaxed somewhat we have been able to have midweek and weekend roll-ups and some hardy souls have come along and played in these despite bitterly cold windy weather at times.

July has seen the start of a Winter programme with Mixed Triples Galas being held every 2 weeks on a Sunday from 5^th July.  The next one is on 19^th July but is already full.  Keep an eye on the board and get a team in for the following one if you can.  There are Mixed 2-4-2 pairs scheduled for Saturday, 18^th July.  Our many thanks go to Karen Kiely of Ray White Real Estate for sponsoring these.

On 11^th July the final of the Brian Irwin Mixed Pairs was able to be played.  The final was between Chris & Robyn Carter and Ken Adams & Debbie Hanna.  It was a closely fought game and the final was decided by 1 point on an extra end!  Well don’t to both teams and congratulations to Chris & Robyn for their win.

Club nights have resumed on Thursday Nights and gradually there has been an increase in numbers coming along.  We are currently having chicken and one of our meat raffles.

July has been a sad month for the Club with 2 bereavements – Sharon Nixon and Paddy Breslin.  With their passing we have lost 2 good Club members, good bowlers and good friends.  Our thoughts are with their families at such a sad time.

Preparations are well in hand for our AGM and Prize Giving.  These will both take place on 9^th August – AGM at 10.30 am.

Championship Pairs – Women’s winners were Jean Goodey/Jane Henderson were the winners with Marie Walsh/Pops Grobbelaar runners up.

Community League had their BBQ and prizegiving on Thursday night.  Many thanks to Paddy & Karyn for running the League this season.

The Wellington Blind Social Club had their social day on Thursday – activities all at North Park but they used our Club facilities for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.  It’s always good to welcome them to our Club.

Women’s Pennants update.  Division 1 are leading their Division and will be playing their game on 5^th March at Massey Avenue as 2 Clubs are within catching distance!

1^st March is set down as the date for our Mixed Fours subject to it not being required for championship play.  A list is on the noticeboard for those wishing to enter teams in this event.  Date to be confirmed once requirement for championship play is clearer.

The Bambery (Men) & Lynch (Women) Trophy Games were played on Wednesday at Island Bay.  We had 2 club members in the Bambery – Ken Adam and Paddy Breslin; in the Janet Lynch we had 8 club members – Chris Robson, Patricia Wishnowsky, Sandra Prichard, Val Fitzmaurice, Pops Grobbelaar, Marilyn Gutschlag, Sheryl Young & Beverley Smith.  HV men won but unfortunately the women lost.

The postponed Open Pairs will be continued on 15/16 March (this is also the date of the Champion of Champion 1-5 yr singles).  No venue has been advised as yet.

The Women’s Prestige Pairs which were to be played on 12-14 November have moved to 31 March – 2 April at Massey Avenue.

Champion of Champion Events will be upon us soon.  Dates for these are on page 19 of your Club Handbook.  The first is the Fours which are on March 7 & 8; next is 1-5 singles on 14 & 15 March; Singles on 28 & 29 March; Pairs April 4 & 5 and lastly Triples on 25 & 26 April.

Centre Open Triples are to be played this weekend.  We have 1 men’s team entered – (Paul (Ringo), Denis & David (Cate) and 5 women’s teams (Patricia, Debbie, Robyn; Carole, Glenda, Lorraine; Christine, Val, Pops; Sandra, Sharon N, Marie H; Sandy, Sheryl, Sharon B, entered. Patricia, Christine and Carole’s teams will be playing at Hutt; Sandy & Sandra’s teams will be playing at Victoria.  Ringo’s team are playing at Upper Hutt.  Good luck/good bowling to all.

The Men’s Clubs of NZ Tournament has been held in the Hutt Valley this week.  Our club has been the Headquarters.  Our participants were: Ken, Chris, Kevin & Doug; Dennis, Hugh, Flutey & Bruce; Dave, Bill, Gordon (Hirtzel) & Dave (Grant); Gordon Murphy and Brian Trethewey are in different composite teams.  None of our men’s teams qualified for the main draw and they played in the Kelly Plate but unfortunately did not proceed to final play-offs!  All the finals for all the various cups are on Friday at our Club.

Firstly, a summary of Events for January:

• Championship pairs have now reached Post Section which will be played on 6^th
• The Kiwi Trophies & Engraving Development 2x4x2 pairs. Marilyn & Carole are in the final which will be held on 9^th February at Miramar.
• McArthur Henry Tournament for 1-5 yr players held last Sunday – Lorraine, Dave, Natasha & Peter had a W, L D and went into the 2^nd Division but unfortunately were beaten in the first post section game. Bruce, Jana, Glenda and Ange had a W, L, L and went into the 3^rd Division which they won. Well done to all. A very big thanks to all our members for the awesome support for the teams
• The Shona McFarlane Challenge was played on 27 January. Our team of Paul, Gordon & Batts won the event – well done guys.

• Veterans. We had 2 Women’s teams entered in this namely: Patricia, Sandra, Lynda & Val; Chris, Robyn Tuckett, Sharon B & Glenda (a composite team). Congratulations to Patricia’s team who came second
• Bowls3Five – we came 3^rd overall in this competition.
• Pennants Results: Men’s resume next round 5^th Women’s Division 1 are leading but will need to play the last round as 2 other clubs are within catching distance.
• Interclub Results: All games have now been completed. Our Men’s Eights Division 2 won their Division and has been automatically promoted. Well done guys.
• Diamond Buttons. The challenge from Silverstream was held last Friday. Unfortunately, despite wonderful draw bowls by Chris & Val, Silverstream were the winners, so the ‘Buttons’ now have a new home.
• Brian Irwin Mixed Pairs no date yet for post section play.

Events to come:

This weekend the women’s championship singles are take place.

On Monday, 3^rd February – our annual Ryman’s Over 60’s Any Combo Mixed Triples Gala – see flyer on the noticeboard. Cost – $30.00 per team with lunches provided. We are still looking for teams.

The Championship Pairs Post Section for both men and women will be on Thursday, 6^th February (Waitangi Day).

Men’s championship singles, entries close this Saturday, 1^st February and will be played the following weekend – Saturday & Sunday 8^th 9^th.

The Men’s Chartered Clubs Tournament is being held in the Hutt Valley from 10^th–14^th February. Members please be aware that our club is Headquarters and will be busy from 8am to 7pm’ish each day so there won’t be raffles or other events during that week – this includes Community League and Kung Fu. Also, the committee room will be used by them.

Members you are welcome to come and have a practice when the green is open. However, if you wish to do driving practice please use the peg markers as we are getting damage to the rink number markers.

Another reminder about looking after our bowling mats. We had to buy new mats because our older ones were splitting badly. Please – don’t just throw them on the bank as often they don’t land flat – bent over mats gradually split! Also, when putting the mats away on the trolley after play, please lay them down neatly and flat!

Missing Bowls. We have a box of bowls missing from the cupboard – and contains size 0 bowls. If you know where these bowls are please have them returned ASAP. Remember, Club Bowls must be returned each day to the cupboard unless you make arrangements with an Executive or Match Committee Member to use them for a special event.

Trivia
There was the person who sent ten different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Women’s Pennants Results – Premier had 2 wins; Division 1 1 win and 1 loss (both with bonuses); Division 2 1 win and 1 loss with 1 bonus; Division 3 1 win and 1 loss.

Interclub Rounds 8 and 9 as well as catch up games are being played this weekend. Women: Premier AM away to Naenae; PM away to Johnsonville. Division 2 (catch up games) – AM at home to Whitby; PM away to Upper Hutt – these are the last games in their competition. Men: Sevens – Division 2 AM are home to Tawa; PM at home to Plimmerton. Eights Division 2 – AM away to Upper Hutt 1 and PM away to Upper Hutt 2. Any Combo Quad away to Plimmerton (a catch-up game) for the last round in their competition.

Centre Fours – we had 2 of our Women’s teams qualify. Sandra Prichard’s team received a bye into the second round – which was actually the quarter finals – whilst Patricia Wishnowsky’s team had to do the early morning start. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts neither team progressed further but well done anyway ladies!

Junior Singles – women are playing this Saturday with games between Glenda, Lorraine and Merrell. Good bowling ladies.

Thistle Triples are being held today. With a full green of bowlers; it will be a very busy day at the Club. This tournament is always a success and many thanks to all the helpers with this event.

We now have a new Fridge in the Hall (just inside the folding doors) for members to put lunches, meat raffle prizes in etc. The reason for this is that when we have caterers at the Club no member is allowed into the kitchen as this contravenes our food licence – only the caterers can be in the kitchen – this ruling also means that dirty dishes cannot be taken into the kitchen but must be placed for the caterers to deal with. Also please note – no food is to be put in the bar fridges. Anyone wishing to heat food up in a microwave will need to use the one in the bar.

Centre Open Pairs entries closed 25 November – We have the following teams entered – Men Ken Adam/Chris Carter; Dave Goodey/Kevin Gutschlag; Hugh Woods/Byron Iles; Women Sharon Brooking/Robyn Carter; Sandra Prichard/Sharon Nixon; Val Fitzmaurice/ Lynda Stevens, Chris Robson/Sheryl Young; Glenda Grant/Lorraine Hollow; Patricia Wishnowsky/Debbie Hanna; Marilyn Gutschlag/Pops Grobbelaar;

Corporate functions: Bookings to date are on the whiteboard in the clubrooms but in case you haven’t seen them we have bookings for this evening 5.30 – 9.00 pm (20-30 people); 2 bookings on 6 December – 2.00 – 6.00 pm (13-15 people), 1.00 – 7.00 pm (35-40 people) – if you can assist on any of these dates/times please put your name in the appropriate box. These are a good fund raiser for the Club and we really need club members support – if we don’t get helpers these events cannot take place. For those of you who have not assisted in the past, we need bar staff and also need members to be on each rink to assist with showing them the right bias and delivery of the bowls and assist as required with anything else. You would need to be available for approximately 1 – 1½ hours. (It is also a good way that these Corporate visitors find out about the game of lawn bowls and could result in some more bowlers in the future.)

Other events during the month:

Women’s Diamond Buttons – well done to Chris Robson/Sheryl Young on winning the challenge. The Diamond Buttons are now with us and our first challenger is Plimmerton Bowling Club to be played next Tuesday, 3 December (weather permitting!). If weather is bad it will be held on Wednesday, 4^th. Do come along and support Chris and Lynda if you can – start time 10.00 am.

Men’s Diamond Buckles – Byron Iles and Jim O’Brien played this recently against Hutt but unfortunately lost their game.

Tawa Women’s Fours 2-day Gala. We had 3 teams in this. Unfortunately, none of us were the winners but one team – Patricia Wishnowsky’s team got a lucky green prize.

The last Gee Shield games for 2019 were played. Currently we are running first equal. The next round is not until February next year.

Don’t forget our sponsors – please support them.

Trivia:

You might not have known this, but a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female. Here are a few examples:

• Freezer Bags: They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.
• Tyres: These are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated.
• Web Pages: Female, because they’re constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.
• Egg Timers: These are female because over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.
• Hammers: These are Male, because in the last 5000 years, they’ve hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.
• The Remote Control: These are Female. Ha! You might have thought it’d be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he’d be lost without it, and while he doesn’t always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying.

Yvonne

This weekend it is the Open Singles. We have 3 members participating – Ringo will be at Wilton, Hugh at Massey Avenue and Jean at Silverstream. There will be 1 green of men playing their Singles at Petone Central. Markers are required so if you can assist please put your name on the whiteboard. If you have a free day do come along and watch some of the bowls.

There will not be a disc draw on Saturday but there should be one on Sunday – discs in 1.15 pm.

We welcome three new members this month – Pierre Huygen – a first year (novice) player; Doris Byrne and Alan Hoare – both social members.

Entries for the women’s Prestige Pairs to be held on 12 – 14 November have now closed. We have 6 teams entered – Chris Robson/Lynda Stevens; Val Fitzmaurice/Sharon Brooking; Patricia Wishnowsky/Robyn Carter; Marie Walsh/Sheryl Young; Sandra Prichard/Bev Smith and Marilyn Gutschlag/Pops Grobbelaar. More information to come when the draw has been done.

Men’s Pennants were held on Wednesday – results Division 1 had a win and a loss and Division 2 lost both their games. Men’s Pennants Round 3 will be played on 6 November.

Women’s Pennants Rounds 1 & 2 were played this week – results: Premier had 1 win, 1 loss + 1 bonus point; Division 1 had 2 wins + 1 bonus point; Division 2 had 2 wins; Division 3 had 2 wins + 1 bonus point. Well done ladies! Rounds 3 & 4 will be held on 7 November. Please remember to let Chris Robson know if you are not able to play on any scheduled day as we are very short of players due to injury, illness etc.

Women’s Gee Shield is scheduled for Monday, 4 November at Upper Hutt. The team is Chris Robson, Yvonne Horsley, Peggy O’Neil and Shirley House. The next round will not be played until February 10^th.

Melbourne Cup Gala – to be held next Tuesday – there will be several games of various pairs played. Please put your name on the list on the noticeboard. This is open to all membership categories. If you aren’t bowling do come along and join in the socialising at the Club and splash out on some sweepstakes.

Championship Pairs commence on 10 November. Because of the number of entries received we will not have green space for both men and women on the same day. The women will play on the 10^th November and the Men on 17^th November.

The first Round of Community League begin on 14 November.

Clubs NZ North Island Championships are being played in Tokoroa from 18 – 21 November. We have several members participating in this.

There was no Bowls 3-5 held this week. Next game is on Monday, 11 November where our team will be playing at the Hutt.

Coaching was held Monday and will be held 5 pm each Monday unless otherwise advised.

The New Zealand Masters Games 2020 are to be held in Dunedin from 1^st to 9^th February. Lawn Bowls and Indoor Bowls are two of the 65+ events on offer. To enter or for more information go to www.nzmg.com. There is a copy of the information on this event on the noticeboard.

Also on the noticeboard is a flyer from Te Omanga Hospice. They are holding their 10 tables Xmas Tour on 24^th November from 10.00 am – 4.00 pm. See the flyer for more information. This is a very worthy cause so please support it if you can.

Trivia:

• An estimated 15 million Tonka Mighty Dump Trucks have been made since 1964.
• Beverly Hills High School produces about 400 barrels of oil a day from its own well.
• The gravestone of Bugs Bunny’s voice actor Mel Blanc is inscribed, “That’s all folks”.
• There are 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 permutations for a Rubik’s Cube.
• The world’s biggest suit of armour was worn by an elephant and consists of 5,840 plates weighing a total of 118 kilograms.

Two women’s teams are playing their last round of the Championship Fours tomorrow, however one game is still to be played by arrangement. Players must wear their Club uniform for all championship games whether they are played by arrangement or on scheduled dates.

Last Saturday the women played the Valley Cup & Bowl at Silverstream. We had perfect weather and apart from getting used to playing on grass greens after playing on our carpet green conditions, the greens were great. Our teams in the Cup comprising a Pair, a Four and a 242 Pair in each side was won by Petone Central. Our teams in the Bowl comprising a Pair and a Four were runners up (result had to be decided on differential). Well done to all our teams.

The men had Interclub practice/trial games on Saturday.

Entry lists are on the noticeboard for Championship Triples.  It’s time to get your teams organised for this. Entries close tomorrow, 28 September with play commencing on 5^th & 6^th October. If not in a team but would be available please add your name to the bottom of the list.

The Entry list is on the Board also for the Brian Irwin Mixed 242 pairs. This is limited to the first 16 teams entered. This is scheduled for this Sunday, 29 September. As at last night there were14 teams entered.

The women will have their Interclub practice/trial on Saturday, 28 September at 1.00-3.00 pm followed by some socializing and Nibbles. Mufti dress.

Gough Banner & Shield Men’s competition is being held tomorrow at various Clubs around the Hutt Valley. We have 1 section of at our Club in the morning. Team selections are on the noticeboard. Good luck/bowling to our teams.

The caterers will be at the Club this weekend.

This weekend the Naenae Women’s Classic tournament is being held. Patricia Wishnowsky is participating in this – good luck/bowling, Patricia.

Coaching. There will be coaching next Monday Night (30 September), at 5.00 pm for 1-5 year players. However, we would also encourage other players to come along and have some coaching/assistance with their play – learn from a registered coach.

With the higher costs of petrol these days it would be good if passengers in cars travelling to other non-local venues make a small contribution each towards petrol. Whilst some ‘drivers’ don’t want it others do really appreciate the gesture.

Interclub & Pennants – watch the noticeboard for team selections. Round 1 of Interclub commences on 12 October.

The Handbook is now available for members to pick up their copy. Copies are in front of the grill to the left of the Bar.

The Bowls Wellington Handbook is also now available. As we only have a limited number of books, please only take one copy at the moment until all those who do need the book have one.

We will have a team participating in Bowls 3-5 competition and need 9 players.  This event (2 Bowl Triples) – will be played on a week night over several weeks.  If interested please put your name on the list.

The list is also up for Gee Shield for women. The first day of this competition is October, 7^th. This year the competition has been changed to one team of Fours from each Club. The team selection will be made this weekend – watch the noticeboard to see if it is your turn!

There is an Umpire’s Triples Gala on 11 October at Massey Avenue Bowling Club. There is a flyer on the Noticeboard. The cost is $30.00 per team and is triples – any combo. Reserve day is 18 October. If you wish to enter please contact Dayle Jackson – details on the flyer.

A timely reminder too to all members that you must have your membership card with you when at the Club. If you don’t have it with you, you are not eligible to buy a drink at the Bar – therefore you need to sign the visitor’s book and be signed in by a member.

It is the last weekend for Subscriptions to be paid. Envelopes are available in front of the Treasurers Box for your subscription.  Please make sure you put your name and membership category on the front.  Internet Banking is also available – our ANZ account number is 06 0545 0321955 00.  Be sure that your name, initials and membership category are included so that it will appear on the Club’s statement.  The name of the account is Petone Central Bowling Club.

As it gets nearer to Christmas, we are getting a lot of enquiries from corporates/ organisations wishing to use our greens and premises for their Christmas party. Sandra Prichard is coordinating these bookings so if you do answer any enquiries please refer them to either our email or to contact Sandra. Please remember that Sandra’s number in our handbook is incorrect. As advised in earlier mailouts her number is 909 9507.

Daylight Savings commences this weekend – don’t forget to put your clocks forward an hour when you go to bed Saturday night.

Don’t forget our sponsors – please support them.

Trivia:

The club’s top bowler, a guy who had won every club championship numerous times, was known for carrying a little black book which he regularly consulted during games.  Whenever he stood on the mat, with a particularly difficult situation, he would take out this little book and then make a brilliant shot.  Eventually he died and there was great interest in this book.  Many of the club’s members approached the man’s widow asking what she was planning to do with this legendary book.  As a shrewd woman who was also in need of funds, she decided to auction the book off to the highest bidder.  The auction was held at the club and after some very spirited bidding a member, who had often finished second to the now deceased champion, took possession of the much sought after and now quite expensive book.  He could scarcely wait to take the book home and peruse its pages at leisure.  He sat himself down in his study and began to leaf through the pages – and he found that the pages were blank!  He finally came to a single page that had one sentence on it.  It said – “Small circle on the inside.”

Yvonne

Just a reminder too that our Championship Fours commence on Saturday & Sunday, 7 & 8 September – 3 rounds per day. Team entries are on the noticeboard and entries close on 31 August. If you are not in a team but would like to play, put your name on the bottom and maybe someone will be looking for a fourth person in their team or perhaps a team can be made up from those available.

A reminder – we will have caterers in the kitchen on Interclub Days where 2 rounds are being played and also for Championship days as well as some other events as they occur.

The Handbook is now available in the Clubrooms. If you haven’t yet picked up a copy please do so.

Amendments to be made to your Handbook:

• Page 21 under Women’s Pennants – November 3^rd should actually be November 28^th.
• Page 43 – Sandra Prichard’s telephone number should be 909 9507.

Some of our members have been in again during the past week weeding the gardens, painting the shelters at the end of Green 2 and other pieces around the Club. Many thanks for your efforts.

As we will be officially opened next week will be the commencement of points for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday disc draws.

This Sunday, 1 September, the last Karen Kylie Ray White Gala will be played.

We have been reminding everyone of the lists for pennants, interclub, Gough Banner & Shield (men), Valley Cup & Bowl (women) over the past few weeks. The Club has to get our entries in by 31 August so if you want to be up for selection please make sure you get your names on the appropriate lists.

Another list on the noticeboard is the Bowls 3-5 competition. We would like to enter a team in this competition and will need 9 players. This event will be played on a week night over several weeks. It will be 2 bowl Triples. If you are interested please put your name on the list. We have some names on the board already but need a few more.

The list is also up for Gee Shield for women.

It appears we are going to have several new members join us this season which is great. We are sure you will all make them feel welcome and please assist them find their way around the Club where necessary.

There has been a steady response to paying subscriptions – great – many thanks for those who have paid up already. Subscriptions are to be paid by 30 September. If you wish to pay off your subscription please let John O’Brien know. Envelopes are available in front of the Treasurers Box for your subscription. Please make sure you put your name and membership category on the front. Internet Banking is also available – our ANZ account number is 06 0545 0321955 00. Be sure that your name, initials and membership category are included so that it will appear on the Club’s statement. The name of the account is Petone Central Bowling Club.

As we are opening earlier than normal this season (31 August) we may have people playing championships who are unfinancial. Usually you have to be financial to participate in Championships. This season you will not be penalised, however subscriptions must be paid by 30 September. If you are unfinancial after that date you will be disqualified and your team will need to find a substitute or the team will also be disqualified.

Decals. We are getting a supply of them soon – we already have several sets available for members to use. An unofficial survey of some members at the club recently showed that women mainly want to use decals but men are not so keen. Whilst it is optional we must remind you that if you are playing in any competition the whole team must either have decals on their bowls or not have them. Also it is ‘illegal’ to have decals on only one side of your bowls.

Over the next few weeks if time and space allow we will put a few reminders into this mail-out on etiquette etc on the green. The first one is:

Whilst you are delivering your bowl your team has possession of the rink. As soon as your bowl comes to a rest the opposition team have possession of the rink and all your team members must move away from the head. When all bowls have been delivered and the end is being declared the scorer/measurers must decide which team has the winning shot/s. You must not take your own shot bowls out – they must be taken out by the opposition player. If more than 1 bowl is involved please put the bowls taken out onto a cloth to avoid any confusion.

Don’t forget our sponsors – please support them.

Trivia:

• Rats’ teeth never stop growing which is why they constantly gnaw things to wear them down.
• London’s smallest statue is of two mice eating cheese and is on Philpot Lane (should you be going to London and want to see it!).
• The largest-ever portion of fish and chips included a 61.34lb halibut and, with chips, weighed 121.23lbs in total.
• Winkle picker shoes are called “mosquito shoes” in Norway.
• Escaped robber Jeffrey Manchester spent six months hiding out in a Toys R Us store – racing model cars and riding bikes around the shop at night.

Yvonne

As a result of the Tournament Review findings some changes have been made, namely:

Interclub formats – Interclub will be predominantly double headers played home and away (not hubs). Divisions will be labelled Premier, followed by Div 1, 2 3 etc. Top 4 play off for the Premier grade will remain with this being held at the club who won the minor premiership. Promotion/relegation will be automatic one up/one down unless the ‘to be promoted’ club can’t move due to already having a team in that division, in which case the next placed team will have a chance to play off against the ‘to be relegated team’ to decide who is promoted/relegated. This will go as far down as the 4th placed team in the division.

Quad – Any combo does mean any combo and can be all women, all men or mixed gender.

Other Matters:

Interclub & Pennants – – lists are on the noticeboard for you to add your name to if you wish to participate in them this season. The first round of Interclub is on 12 October and you must be financial to participate.

Gough Banner & Shield (Men) on 28 September and Valley Cup and Bowl (Women) on 21 September – there are lists on the board for you to add your name to if you would like to be considered for selection in these events.

Champ of Champs: Clubs are responsible for ensuring that their members only play COC events at one club. Bowlers who compete at multiple clubs will not be eligible to progress to the finals – see the paragraph re Dual Membership below. Home club and affiliated clubs are responsible and expected to do their due diligence – it is the responsibility of all players who enter that in the case of winning the player is available to play in the relevant Champion of Champion event.

Dual Membership: A timely reminder of the Regulation applying to dual membership. Members are still eligible to play for 2 Clubs and can play for either in Centre Open events or Interclub, but cannot play the same club championship at both, but can play different championships for different clubs, i.e. you can play Singles at Club B but therefore not at Club A – the same ruling applies to Pairs, Triples or Fours. Please let Sheryl or Yvonne know if you have Dual Membership with another Club.

In my June Newsletter I advised that all members of the Match Committee were standing again for this season. That is correct but they have also been joined by Hugh Woods. We are so lucky to have 5 members making themselves available for this busy and challenging role. It is a nightmare for our poor Match Committee trying to fit our competitions around all the events – National and Regional – which have been scheduled for this coming season.

Championship fours commence 7 September team lists are on the noticeboard so get your teams organised and listed. It’s time so get the bowls gear out from the back of the wardrobe and be ready to play. As we are starting earlier than normal we may have people playing who are unfinancial. Subscriptions must be paid prior to October. If you are unfinancial after 30 September you will be disqualified and your team will need to find a substitute or the team will also be disqualified. Entries close 31 August.

If you need to pay your subscription by instalments please let Chris Carter know (in the absence of John O’Brien). However, you will need to have it fully paid by end of September.

Gee Shield: Sharon Brooking and Yvonne, who have made themselves available as Selectors/ Coordinators for our Club, attended the recent Gee Shield AGM. As a result of fewer clubs having enough members available to play in Gee Shield (the demise of the Wainuiomata Women’s Section; lack of midweek members at Eastbourne and also Stokes Valley (who will be struggling to get a team together), it has been decided that Gee Shield will revert back to a fours competition with only one team participating from each Club on each scheduled date. The team will play a morning and afternoon game. Incidentally, Gee Shield has now been running for 70 years!

Phew let’s hope that’s all the changes we will face this coming season!

Once again, our winter league Karen Kiely Ray White Gala held on 7^th July was a great success with the weather playing its part. Winners were – Ron Scott’s team from Rymans, first; Paul Terry’s team second; Graham Henderson’s team third. The next Gala will be held this Sunday, 28^th and once again we have a full green. Further galas are on 4 August, 25 August and the last gala on 1 September.

On a sad note we have had a bereavement of a former Central Member, Bev Brosnahan (probably known as Bev White to a lot of former Central members). Bev was also the late Lynda Strutton’s mother.

Subscriptions for the 2019-2020 season can now be paid. There was no increase to any subscriptions this season so if you have forgotten what they were just check on your old handbook (page 9).

As preparation for the Handbook is now well under way if any of you intend changing your membership status please inform either Sheryl Young or Yvonne Horsley. Also if you weren’t at the AGM and have changed your contact details (phone, cellphone, email) we’d appreciate you letting us know. We have email addresses for a lot of members but not all – if you have an email address please let us know and you will (unless you let us know you don’t want to receive them) receive the weekly mailouts during the season and the monthly newsletter to keep you right up to date with what is happening at the Club. We respect your privacy and therefore send ‘blind’ copies of emails so no-one else sees your personal email address.

Also on the noticeboard in the Club is a list of people who wish to be advised by cellphone of any cancellations or postponements of events on the day, so please add your name to it if you’d like to receive a text advice.

Working Bee

This is being scheduled for the weekend of 10 & 11 August and it would be appreciated if as many members as possible assist with this. The main outside area will be Green 2 – the surrounds; maintenance to the shelters – (waterblasting, painting them if this proves to be required), laying carpet in the ditches and putting the stones in) plus any other general maintenance work which is required. As the saying goes ‘many hands make light work’.

At the same time for those members who cannot do the physical outside work how about coming along anyway and assisting inside when we can have a working bee in the Clubrooms to complement the cleaning done by Dawn – ie giving the kitchen a spring clean and generally tidying up various things around the Clubrooms such as cleaning windows, carpets, tidying up locker rooms etc.

We will likely have a sausage sizzle at lunch times.

A lot of you will remember that this time last year we celebrated the 100^th birthday of our Life Member, Joan Porter. Well the year has rolled around and on 29^th Joan will turn 101. What a milestone! Have a good birthday Joan!

Don’t forget to use our sponsors wherever/whenever you can. Support those who support us.

Trivia

• America has more airports than any other country: 13,513
• Under the reign of Elizabeth I, anyone who found a message in a bottle had to give it to the Official Un-corker of Bottles or face the death penalty.
• In Spain it’s considered bad luck to enter a room with your left foot first.

A bald eagle’s eyesight is eight times as sharp as a human being’s.

Well our AGM has been held and we can report that our President, Vice President and Treasurer were re-elected unopposed. Also our members of the Executive Committee were re-elected unopposed. We now have a new secretary, Sheryl Young, who was elected unopposed.

Many thanks to our Officers & Executives who have been re-elected for their work in the previous year. Also many thanks to Glenda for her two years of duty as Secretary.

Proceedings went smoothly and the meeting concluded at 10.40 am.

Our Match Committee have all returned for another year organising all our championship and other events.

There are still some appointments to be made to various other roles and a list of appointments will be up on the noticeboard shortly.

Those present were given a paper on protective shelters/shading around our greens with 3 options. A copy of this paper will also be put on the noticeboard. Comments and questions from members would be welcome and members are asked to put these in writing and deposit in the Treasurers Box. Also members were asked to select their preferred Option (or none). We would be looking at 6 for each green. Option 2 would take a lot of ground work. Option 3 could be installed over the existing seats. It was suggested we should look to run some fund raising events to help fund these rather expensive shelters. Anyone who can assist with some ideas for fund raising please contact a member of the Executive or Yvonne. Perhaps a Quiz or something else if members have any suggestions.

Chris Carter gave a report on the progress of Green 2. There has been a good strike to date. Jeff Adams is assisting the Club and will require help from Club Members from time to time and will continue to assist in an advisory position. Chris also outlined the steps to be taken once growth begins. It is hoped the green will be ready for play by November. Paul Terry who has 40 years ground keeping experience will be overseer.

We do apply for Grants from time to time to assist the financing of Club projects and assistance is required from member(s) who could assist with the Grants process. John O’Brien & Chris Carter will help.

Winter League Gala

Our winter league Karen Kiely Ray White Gala held on was a great success with Mike Prasad’s team from Hutt 1^st, Dave Goodey’s team 2^nd and Sandra Prichard’s team 3^rd. The next Gala is on 7^th July and is already full.   Members wishing to participate in these Winter Galas need to get their names up on the Board as soon as the list is put up – usually just before the current gala is played.

(Photo supplied by Paul Terry)

Other News

This Sunday, 30 June there is a meeting at Bowls Wellington – Pelorus Trust Sports House, Hutt Park, with Mark Cameron and Chris Lander from Bowls New Zealand from 6.00 pm to approx 9.00 pm. Any member who is interested can attend. It will be a great chance to hear about what is going on in the bowls scene nationally and to pose any questions you may have. There will be a recap of events held over last summer and those planned for this summer, namely: Bowls3Five (TV, Interclub, Social and Junior Bowls3Five), Member Levies (freeing up membership categories) Facilities Update, TV and Media partnerships, National Competition structure, Judicial Review, National Rankings / Membership system, High Performance Update, Club Check Award and the Census.

A Reminder

Just a reminder – housekeeping within the Club is or should be something all members can do or assist with. The kitchen in particular is one place that needs to be kept clean and tidy. If you notice dirty dishes or other things which need to be done please do it or get someone to assist, don’t leave it for someone else to deal with.

This weekend’s weather looks good so disc draws will be held on both days – remember weekend start time is 12.30 pm.

Trivia

• America has more airports than any other country: 13, 513
• Mosquitoes have twice as many teeth as humans do.
• The bald eagle’s eyesight is eight times as sharp as a human being’s.