TLH Leisure Resort, Torquay

TLH Short Mat Festival 3 – 10^th October 2008

Once again we have welcomed more than 350 incredibly keen Short Mat bowlers to the TLH Bowling Arena for the Autumn Short Mat Festival.  This was a real celebratory event as this is the 10^th year of the festival and bowlers come from far and wide gathered to take part in Singles, Pairs Triples and Fours trophy and plate competitions – a real extravanganza!  After a welcome drink and a hearty dinner the ‘spoons’ competition and roll-ups started, ready for the main event in the morning - with several stalwarts even spending the weekend at TLH ‘practicing’ in the Weekend comp to give them an advantage (?!) in the Mid –week competitions.

We were particularly pleased to see Terry Batt and his crew finally arrive on Friday night as their car had blown up near Telegraph Hill on their way down from South Wales! The TLH minibus was duly despatched to collect them to make sure they wouldn’t lose valuable playing time, and then on Monday we dropped them off again ready for the AA to take them home – but only after they had collected medals and a their cash prize as Runners Up in the Pairs competition! Terry usually brings a much larger group with him but this year 10 of the regulars are playing in the Short Mat International Series in Northern Ireland in November so they couldn’t spare the time to come down to the English Riviera! We wish them luck and hope to see them in March.

So having generally agreed that a ‘Good time was had by all’ and judging by the number of re-bookings for next March as well as October, we can look forward to another great year in the world of Short Mat Bowls at TLH.  See you soon!

Over the week of 20^th to 25^th September the National Wheelchair Championships were taking place on the bowling arena of Stoke Mandeville Hospital. I was delighted to be invited by National Secretary Ian Blackmore and as there were a couple of lads from Devon playing in the Pairs and Singles (Howard Dare and Roger Wilton of Plymouth IBC) it would be an interesting trip.

Again, this event was well supported and with the camaraderie between the bowlers both on and off the green, it was a very pleasurable 3 days for me. Penny Tyler (GB Coach for the BWBA) organised the games and Peter Eykyn also a Coach, umpired the whole event. I again had the honour of marking the singles competitions and indeed was able to mark the final, which was a very close game.

The results: Winner: Kevin Woolmore (Frith BC – North Wales)

                     Runner up: Paul brown (Bristol City and County BC)

                      3^rd             Percy Powell (Who was 70 on Wednesday 24^th)

                     4^th              Brenda Penny (Frith BC)

But what I would like to tell you all is, that I wouldn’t have liked to play any of the bowlers whom I saw play during my stay at Stoke Mandeville. The quality of bowling was superb, the drawing ability a pleasure to watch.

TLH Leisure Resort holds a special weekend for disabled bowlers in April every year. This is a fun event and is also well supported – all are welcome.

Well that’s about all for now folks - Dru Close (alive and well and safely back in South Devon).

What can I say about the TLH National Top Club?   Excellent weekend. The finalists being the top 8 clubs from around the country come to Torquay to play in the finals on the weekend of 13^th and 14^th September and I was honoured to be asked to mark some singles over the weekend. 

The teams play 3 games to determine places from the winners, through to 8^th place and everyone, yes everyone gets a prize.

With the four disciplines of singles, pairs, triples and rinks all playing at the same time it can be nail bitingly close, and the Competition was closely fought. 

TLH presents beautiful glassware for each team, a memorial TLH/Bowls England badge and each player and every team takes prize money home to their clubs.

It’s a grand occasion with the Executive of Bowls England organising the whole event.

This years results:-

The Winners were Oxford City and County BC with International player, Catherine Hawes on the side. Brilliant bowling all across the team.

2^nd  Sutton BC (Surrey)

3^rd Blackwell BC (Derbyshire) no strangers to this event and with International Jean Baker on the team were winners in 2004 and 2005,

4^th Consett BC (Durham) who were winners in 2006

5^th Box BC (Wiltshire)

6^th Portishead Royal British Legion BC

7^th Saffron Ladies BC (Essex)

8^th Whittlsey Manor BC

bet you thought it would never happen to you…………

Just imagine… you are a newly qualified marker and you have been asked to mark the singles at the TLH National Women’s Top Club. What an honour, to be part of the big game, the march on, and the finale.

You are understandably nervous as this is the first major competition you have marked, and to make matters worse, the Chairman of the English Woman’s Umpires Association (everyone knows Mavis Wellington) is the official umpire on the very green on which you are marking.

It’s the usual questions about who is holding shot and how far are they from the jack etc, you are and making a neat job of the score card, keeping the score board up to date and generally being a great marker, full of pride in a job being well done when…….

a great big golden Labrador lumbers on the rink and makes a bee line for the jack. Noooooooooooo!!!  You are standing 2 meters behind the head and you have never moved so fast in you life. Leaping forward to keep anything in the head from being moved, you place one hand on the jack and the other on the shot bowl. No mean feat seeing as they are a couple of feet apart. On one leg you balance, whilst trying to push the dog away with the other foot. Talk about a contortionist. Then things take a turn for the worse…… can it get worse you say.  The owner of the dog totters on to the green in stiletto heels, Noooooooooo!!!, she grabs the dog and starts to drag it off the green. You are now trying to see what is happening to the rest of the bowls, but the dog does not want to leave and tries even harder to prise the jack from your grasp.  The players are looking on in horror; you are mentally wondering what rules will apply to the ‘end’ if anything gets moved. Suddenly the dog realises that he’s on a loser and retreats with the lady. You look nervously about, thankfully nothing has moved and you chance to glance at the umpire to see if she may, by some chance, have been looking in the other direction during this circus. But no, you are not that lucky. Actually she is bending over, holding her knees, howling with laughter, tears running down her cheeks, she says “Kennard, you are the fastest thing I’ve ever seen over 2 meters ” and starts to howl with laughter again. The players ask if everything is OK and you say it is. Shaky isn’t the word, however the players complete the end – only 3 bowls left to play in the game. Normality seems to be restored but you are a broken marker.

That’s what happened in 2007 when I was marking …

I am happy to report that no such traumas were experienced this year by any of the Markers.

Hi - Dru Close here - every time I venture onto, or near a bowling green this season I get wet, but it seems that the sun only shines on the righteous, because on the day of the TLH Leisure Resort sponsored Men’s National Top Club, the weather was superb.

Picture this, it’s Sunday 10^th August at Beach House Park in Worthing and the semi finals of the Men’s National Top Club are underway with the last 4 clubs in the country battling to win this prestigious trophy. They are the finalists from an entry of 788 clubs. The sun is shining, there is a cool breeze blowing in from the sea, a church bell is ringing, the bowling promises to be brilliant and the company auspicious. It’s ideal, what could be better?

Backworth WelfareBC from Northumberland v the Essex boys from Romford BC

on one green with  Aldershot Traction Athletic BC, Hampshire v Garston BC Hertfordshire next door.

You know, watching men play bowls is always an education, the enthusiasm of the players and the noise generated by the spectators is something to behold. There are some nail biting moments as the game progresses but the finalists are eventually decided. I’s going to be my Essex boys (‘cause I’m an Essex Girl) from Romford V Aldershot Traction Athletic from Hampshire, but before the finals start I am treated to the lunch of a lifetime.

As a representative from TLH Leisure Resort, the sponsors of this competition, I have been invited to have lunch with the England Executive. I join Cliff Waterman the England President, Tony Alcock the Chief Executive and other Officers of Bowls England, Geoff Day the IBA President and a gentleman who has inspired more people than you can shake a stick at, David Bryant.  His bowling record is second to none and his after-lunch speech a joy to listen to. All lunches should be this pleasant.

2.00pm and the Final is underway. Romford lose the 2 wood singles but win the 4 wood singles. The Essex boys are down in the Pairs but its close in the Rinks and Triples. With 10 ends to go across the board things are starting to get tense. The Romford pair are staging a come back, taking some shots from Aldershot on consecutive ends, but its short lived and eventually they lose 20 11.

The Romford  rink are well up with a 5 shot difference and it all going to hang on the triples. 17 ends and the triples are all square at 12 shots each. It’s the last end and it will be the deciding end of the match. The Romford lead nails the jack and and sits 2” short. The Hampshire lead makes a great reply but the jack looks secure. None of the other players shift the shot bowl or the jack as the head builds but it is a great end to watch. The Romford bowls stay on that jack as if glued to the spot. Remember it’s this end that will decide the game. Can you feel the tension?

The Aldershot skip, David Dunford,  plays his first two bowls just narrowly missing the shot bowl but the bowl of the Championships is just about to be played. With the precision of a brain surgeon David plays his last bowl, the course is good, the pace is good and we hold our breath as the bowl approaches the head, the players are all yelling at the bowl (it won’t help the bowl but it does make you feel better) Yes you’ve guessed it, he draws round the shot bowl, gently lifts the jack and Romford go 2 down on the game.

Shouts of delight mix with groans of disappointment. The Romford 4’s who are winning don’t need to play their last bowls as Hampshire have won 3 disciplines to two which gives them the Trophy. Its mayhem on the green, much back slapping, jumping up and down, punching the air, and high 5’s.

Then the presentations, each competitor is presented with a National TLH Top Club lapel badge, newly struck by TLH Leisure Resort. There is also a beautiful cut glass trophy that each club takes home with them as a souvenir of the event and of course the National Trophy, which is big enough to hold several bottles of celebratory Champagne!

Its been a great day and I have rubbed shoulders with the rich and the famous. The weather held and there was a great crowd of spectators.

I now look forward to the National Women’s TLH  Top Club which takes place on home ground in Torquay . That’s over the weekend of 13th and 14th September and promises to be a great tournament, real party atmosphere.  I’ll be doing a bit of marking at that one, but that will be another story.

For anyone wanting to come along to watch some great competetitive bowling for the weekend, it’s not too late to book to stay for the weekend at T

Signing off

Dru Close

Calling All-weather Bowlers.

Based at TLH Leisure Resort in Torquay, our intrepid team of hardy bowlers could never be dissuaded. Whether playing against touring sides, in tournaments or a local club in a league, most bowlers are determined to enjoy themselves. So, we have donned our waterproofs and looking like groups of flour graders we step onto the green to do battle.

Lightening has flashed and thunder rolled accross the heavens, and at one point, I could have sworn that I saw Noah at the helm of his ark mooring in Torbay to take shelter. Ducks landed in puddles forming on the greens, and some of the spectators even had fishing rods ready, just in case the tide washed up the odd cod or haddock.

But seriously, Torbay is a beautiful place to visit for any bowling team. There is so much to see and do in the area and the local clubs who host games are so very friendly. The views are superb and greens are amongst some of the best in the South West. No doubt some of you have played on greens like ploughed fields, but Torbay greens are fast and free, and very well manicured, (sounds like a skip I know). Aberdon Bowling Club, from Aberdeen, will vouch for this, having spent a glorious week here on the English Riviera a few weeks ago.

On the whole, this summer has not really been that bad and in the South West we generally have milder weather, I understand it’s because we are just that bit closer to the equator than the rest of the country.  Better still, the long range weather forecast shows 2009 as having a super summer with tropical condidtions over Torbay, its just the ticket, but can you trust ‘em, remember Michael Fish?

As the summer season draws to a close and we hang our waterproofs up to dry one last time, we can look forward to bowling in warm arenas when the only thing we have to worry about is holding back the bowls so they don’t roll straight into the ditch, but thats another story

To all the teams that have visited TLH Leisure Resort this summer, we thank you for your sportsmanship, humour and great competition. You are a pleasure to work with.

 This is Dru Close - signing off!