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 20^th and 21^st 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

Have you heard about our “Pick of the Crop” themed breaks? Last May Bank Holiday we launched this new break on our calendar, designed for guests who wanted to sample good quality food, sourced and produced locally in the West Country. Not only did they get to enjoy some really tasty menus, but there was the opportunity to see and learn more about where our local food and wines come from.

The weekend included a visit to Occombe organic farm, set in a picturesque valley on the outskirts of Torquay, a trip to Old Walls Vineyard near Teignmouth, which included a full ‘vine to wine’ guided tour and a chance to taste the wines! We also held a Sheppy’s Cider and Sharpham’s Cheese tasting in the hotel, featuring Chef’s homemade Onion Marmalade and Fudge, as well as a traditional Devonshire Cream tea. 

The weekend was a roaring success, with some excellent feedback from our guests. So much so we are now going to be running the same break at the Toorak Hotel in October (10^th –12^th). This time the break links in with us hosting our second Farmer’s Market and Craft Fair on Sunday 12th as well as the food and drink tastings. So forget your diet for a weekend and come enjoy a real treat. There seems to be no doubt that this is set to become a regular and very popular holiday in our short breaks calendar.

‘Oh are you – well you’ve got an easy job then, haven’t you!’

A little non-plussed I asked ’Well, sometimes! But why do you say that?’

‘Well’ he said,’ people only have to come here once to know that you can’t find anywhere better in the South West !’

How lovely! And Yes, I have got a great job, but easy ? Not so sure!!

For a start, how do you make sure that everyone knows that there really is something for everyone here at TLH. Firstly there’s the amazing Arena for bowlers – whether they come in a group or as a couple or even as individuals to make new friends . Then there’s the nationally-renowned dance floors for keen dancers as well as those Strictly fans who want to take to the floor!
And all the family facilities, whether staying in the hotels or the self catering apartments, need to be seen to be believed. Aztec Falls, the Toby Club, Teenzone, Arena Games as well as all the entertainment in the evenings – the list is endless.

Our local Mayor once described us as a ‘cruise ship that doesn’t move’ – but then why move on when we are ‘moored’ in Torquay, the heart of the English Riviera, with palm trees, beaches, moors and heritage all on our doorstep!

On days like today I can look out of my office window and see children having their face painted, playing tennis or just hurling themselves in to the pool, whilst their parents plan their next Spa treatment and celebrate the fact there is washing up to be done and no eternal cry of ‘I’m bored’ Talking to the guests is actually one of my favourite pastimes as teenagers and grandparents alike all sing the praises of TLH – and I am always amazed to hear that so many of them have been coming for years and years.

Re-unions are a really big thing at TLH with whole families and large groups of friends getting together in the summer or pre-Christmas to just have a catch-up without any stress and we love seeing the old faces returning year after year. One guest called the other day to say that they are coming back after a 10 year enforced year gap – and sent photos of the old days showing at least 10 members of staff who are still here – some since the seventies!

So – it’s a hard job but someone’s got to do it, and there are few places I would rather be on such a glorious day. And before long we’ll be putting up the decorations for the Turkey and Tinsel and Winter Wonderland themed breaks, and rocking and rolling once more with our Rock Bottoms regulars. It’s a great life if you don’t weaken, as my Grannie used to say! See you soon!

On Sunday 3rd August 2 intrepid teams representing TLH Leisure Resort and the Aztec Club entered the annual It’s a Knockout event on Paignton Green. It was great fun - honest - and everyone got soaking wet, especially as the weather wasn’t great! The best part of the day was everyone going into the sea at the lunch time break to gain 500 extra bonus points for the team!! Joss and Charlie from the Carlton Hotel even came prepared with bikinis so they didn’t get their t-shirts wet - now that’s what I call organisation! We all met down there at 9am and got the gazebo set up, mainly so I didn’t get wet! As soon as the breakfast van opened at 10am there was a rush for the bacon butties - supposedly to build up their strength! 

Unfortunately, in spite of dedicated training in the Aztec Gym and pool, we didn’t do as well as last year, with the Aztec team finishing outside of the top 8 and the TLH Leisure Resort Team team finishing 7th. But at least we raised lots of money for a great cause - Action for Blind People.  Over £1200 was raised by our 2 teams alone - so well done everybody. 

¼/p>

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!

Turning in to the car park at Clennon Valley the queues had already started, within half an hour the queues were heading out the car park and up the road.

After the warm up, registering and making sure we collected our free Galaxy Chocolate Bar, we were ready to go!

Waiting for us on the seafront at Pier Point Restaurant, friendly volunteers included staff from TLH Leisure Resort, offering hot drinks and flapjacks – much appreciated just before the killer hill up to Babbacombe, which we were approaching.

We received a warm welcome at the Babbacombe Cricket Club with drinks and a generous meal donated by Pasta King…. and of course a well earned sit down.

Proud of reaching the half way mark, we started the walk down towards the harbour.  Unfortunately Pier Point had run out of treats for us, so we started on the free Galaxy bar we were given at the start line to give us energy to get back.

I have lived in Torquay all my life and never known Paignton seafront to be so long! We were getting tired now and to make matters worse our torch decided to die just by the park leading down to the beach (which was pitch black at this point).  Luckily some other walkers were behind us with a working torch and we headed down to the beach encouraging each other along.

The finishing point was in sight now and I could see my car to take us home – at last!

Welcoming staff at Clennon Valley congratulated us on our efforts and headed us in the direction for food, drinks and most importantly chairs! Rummaging round in our goody bags, it was great to see a voucher for a well-earned spot of pampering in the Aztec Spa at TLH Leisure Resort.

I walked with my Mum and am really proud that we were involved in such a successful event raising over £179,000.00 for Rowcroft Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Support, which are both charities close to our hearts.

Well done to everyone involved and see you in 2009!  

The Second Chef from the Derwent Hotel, Lee Johnston, represented Torquay’s TLH Leisure Resort in the event and having recently completed the Torbay half marathon, was quietly confident and keen to get his hands on the £150 first prize.

The competitors had to weave their way through a course and collect a stack of plates which were precariously balanced, and then weave back to the start. Lee breezed through the first round and finished a comfortable second -  no point over-exerting yourself before you need to.

Then there was a mad dash at the start of the final and when Lee got to collect his stack of plates they had been knocked over by other competitors, so by the time they’d been put back together the winners had already finished and Lee trudged back to finish 4th. Disappointed, he made his way back to the Derwent Hotel and started thinking about next year.

Lee could still find himself on a winning team before then though, as he is one of 20 people making up two teams from Torquay’s TLH Leisure Resort in the It’s a Knockout Tournament on Sunday 3rd August. Any guests staying at TLH at the weekend are welcome to come along and cheer the team on! As you can see, they have been training hard, with Toby Lee Hound acting as referee during practice sessions.

The sun setting in a pink sky, a balmy evening and the chink of glasses on the terrace – well that’s what we were hoping for on the 4^th July when we held our very first Aztec Club members Bar-B-Q in the Aztec Bistro. Sadly it wasn’t quite the night we had planned because of the bad weather, but the Great British spirit kicked in and everyone seemed determined to enjoy themselves in spite of the rain.

Club members thought the evening was a great success and are looking forward to the next members event. We’ll keep you posted.

The Aztec Bistro lends itself well to this kind of event and it has the flexibility to be an indoor or outdoor venue. The new Bistro Menus is now in place with a wider range of all day dishes giving you more flexibility – if you fancy popping in for a panini at 9pm – now you can! It may seem like we haven’t even had a summer yet, but Christmas Party Menus are available now.  

Call 01803 400145 for more information or go to www.tlh4locals.co.uk

¼/p>

The Derwent Hotel has some great offers for families this summer including:

• Kids under 5 FREE!
• Special rates for children aged 6-15 years
• Special rates for teens sharing a twin room

Our family holiday deals are available throughout July and August. We have extensive activities for your children.

There’s our Toby club for children aged 3-9 and the Teenzone for those aged 10 upwards

Activities at Toby Club for Children under 9

Craft and modelling, junior discos, face painting, swimming galas, video time, badge making, talent competitions, wacky games and lots of games and toys.

The activities for under 9s are all supervised and organised by the TLH’s resident entertainment team.

Activities for teenagers include:

Killer pool, tennis coaching, cricket (kwik kricket), 10 pin bowling, snooker, pool, quizzes, competitions and talent competoitions

So if you are feeling the pinch at the moment with the credit crunch, why not take a holiday in beautiful Devon at one of our four family hotels in Torquay.

Call us on 01803 400500 for information on kids free holidays.

Don’t just take my word for it. When you come and stay here at TLH Leisure Resort, the Abbey is located just across the road from the Toorak Hotel, and is well worth taking the time to pay a visit. You can wander round the cloisters and gardens in the footsteps of the White Canons - the brothers who lived here 800 years ago, when Torquay was just a tiny fishing hamlet . And when you look at Torquay today, it’s hard to think of the jewel in the crown of the English Riviera as a tiny village.

Torre Abbey is just part of the great heritage and culture of Torquay and the surrounding area of South Devon, so if you’re a bit of a culture vulture, there are plenty of places you can visit during your next stay at TLH Leisure Resort.

The Abbey is open every day 10am-6pm (last admission 5pm); and from 10am-5pm from November to February.

Admission prices are: £5.90 adults, £4.90 concessions, £2.50 children.

For further details, visit www.torre-abbey.org.uk.