April 2025 Newsletter
The summer bowls season has now started in earnest. Last month we opened with our two traditional ‘in house’ matches – Captain v President and Ladies v Gents – and followed up with the first competitive fixture, away at Baldock in the Stevenage Mixed League. We have six more SML matches scheduled in May. Four of them are away but we have home fixtures at 6pm on Wednesday 21st and 2.30pm on Saturday 24th May. There are also evening home matches in the Welwyn & Hatfield League on Friday 9th, Thursday 15th, Monday 19th and Thursday 29th May plus a ‘friendly’ on the afternoon of Wednesday 28th. Visitors are welcome to come along and watch any of our matches at the club, situated in the main Recreation Ground.
We are especially happy to see anyone who would like to take up the sport of bowls. If you have been thinking about it, now is the time to do something about it! If you would like to try your hand at bowls you can come along on most Monday evenings, when our green will normally be open from 6pm until 8 for members to practise. There will be some occasions (like 19th) when we have a Monday evening match so please check with me beforehand (01438 813073) that the green will be open and that someone will be available to show you the ropes.
As well as those evenings, we have an Open Day during Bowls’ Big Weekend on Sunday 25th May from 10am to 4pm for anyone to come along and ‘have a go’ at bowls. Again, members will be there to talk about the sport and give you basic instruction. You may be surprised to find how enjoyable it is. All you need to do is wear shoes with flat soles that will not damage the green and just come along and have fun. And if you decide to join us we have a special half-price subscription rate for new members, so 2025 could be the year you don a Knebworth Bowls Club shirt and start playing bowls for your village!
March 2025 Newsletter
The 2025 outdoor bowls season begins this month and Knebworth bowlers start with two ‘in house’ matches on consecutive Saturday afternoons. By tradition, the first is a President v Captain match, on Saturday 12th April, and a week later, on 19th, we play Ladies v Gents. Both start at 2pm at our green in the Watton Road recreation ground and visitors are welcome to come along and watch. If you are interested in playing bowls you will be especially welcome on these two occasions as we will be able to chat with you and explain what is happening during the match – something which is not possible when we play competitively against other clubs.
As it happens, our first few matches in the Stevenage Mixed League this summer are all ‘away’ and we have no ‘home’ fixtures until the latter part of May. But our green will be open for members to practise and for anyone who would like to try their hand at bowls from late April onwards. A regular time will be Monday evenings, 6-8pm, but other arrangements can be made. Please have a look at our website or phone me on 01438 813073.
The start of summer bowls at weekends means that we have to pause our monthly coffee mornings. But not until next month! Saturday 5th April will be the final fund-raising coffee morning of the current series. Our clubhouse will be open from 10am until noon and everyone is welcome to pop in for coffee (or tea) and homemade cake in return for a small donation towards our running costs. We thank everyone who has supported us at these events during the winter months. And, of course, that includes the fortnightly walking group which continues on alternate Tuesdays all the year round.
February 2025 Newsletter
This month is the run up to our 2025 season. Members will be gathering at the club on the morning of Saturday March 15th to sign up for this year. We have a full programme of league fixtures at weekends from the end of April and, in most weeks, there is also a ‘friendly’ match on a mid-week afternoon. If you have been thinking about taking up bowls, now is a very good time to do something about it. This year we are offering half-price membership to new bowlers and after a little bit of practice you could well be playing as part of our team this coming season. As I have said before in these pages, bowls is a sociable sport which can be played by people of all ages and abilities. To quote a leaflet issued by our governing body, Bowls England: “Playing bowls is very doable – whatever your physique, bowls is a sport for everybody and it will help improve your fitness levels and mental wellbeing.” I should perhaps add that we are not talking about anything strenuous – just gentle exercise with the added bonus of enjoying fresh air and friendly competition!
So, to find out more about playing bowls, why not come along to the clubhouse in the Watton Road recreation ground on March 15th. Members will be there between 10am and noon and we will be happy to answer all your questions.
The clubhouse will also be open for our monthly fund-raising coffee morning. This month it is on Saturday March 1st, from 10am until noon, and everyone is welcome to pop in for coffee (or tea) and homemade cake. We look forward to seeing you.
January 2025 Newsletter
When this issue of Knebworth Parish News lands on the doormats it will still be winter but just six weeks before our 2025 season gets under way. Not yet for playing bowls but with members ‘signing on’ for this year. On Saturday 15th March we will be meeting at the club to register for playing during the summer. Maybe you have been thinking about taking up bowls but never got around to doing something about it? If so, make a note of the date, when you will be able to have a chat with us. This year is a good time to start as we are offering half-price membership to new bowlers. Bowls is a healthy sport which combines gentle regular exercise and fresh air and can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. I you want to know more, take a look at our website or perhaps come along to one of our monthly coffee mornings (see below) where you will be able to meet some of our members.
This month, our second fund-raising coffee morning of the year is on the first day of the month – Saturday 1st February. Why not pop along for a warming beverage, some tasty home-made cake and friendly chat at the clubhouse in the main recreation ground between 10am and noon. We also have a selection of paperbacks and jigsaws for sale at very reasonable prices. As always, we look forward to your company and your support is much appreciated.
December 2024 Newsletter
We officially closed our 2024 season with the AGM in late-November, when we were very pleased to welcome Vicki Jeromson to make the first presentation of the John Jeromson Cup. Known as ‘JJ’ to many people in Knebworth, John sadly passed away in 2023. He was a popular and valued member of the club and as well as being a keen bowler was always willing to help with the ‘behind the scenes’ jobs that constantly need to be done. The new trophy, in his memory, is awarded to the winners of our revamped pairs competition. We are most grateful to Vicki for her support and for joining us on that occasion to present trophies to all our competition winners.
As we move into 2025, some of us are starting to think about the coming bowls season. And maybe some of you have made New Year resolutions? If one of them is to take more exercise, how about taking up bowls and joining us at Knebworth Bowls Club? For those unable or unwilling to partake of strenuous physical activity, bowls is an ideal way of combining gentle regular exercise, fresh air and a bit of mental agility – as much or as little as you like! All very good for health and well-being, we are told. Next season we are offering new members half-price membership so it will a good time to join. The season starts in April but now is not too early to start thinking about it. If you would like to learn more, have a look at our website, or you can phone me on 01438 813073. Or pop along to one of our monthly coffee mornings, where you can usually find some of our members and have have a chat.
After the December break, we continue with our monthly fund-raising coffee mornings this month. They are held at the club in the main Recreation Ground, normally on the first Saturday of each month during the winter. This month’s is on Saturday 4th January, from 10am until 12 noon. Everyone is welcome – come along for a warming cup tea or coffee, a tasty piece of home-made cake and some friendly chat. If you are partial to doing jigsaws or some light reading we have a selection of jigsaws and paperbacks for sale, too. We look forward to seeing you and are grateful for your support.
November 2024 News letter
Closure of the summer bowls season was marked at the end of September by a small working party of members removing mats from the ditches around the green and making other preparations for the winter. Now our green has a chance to recover from the wear and tear of the summer months. Some of our members continue to play bowls during the winter on the indoor rinks at Stevenage Leisure Centre but activity at the club on the ‘main rec’ continues from time to time.
The second of this winter’s fund-raising coffee mornings will be held on Saturday 2nd November. Our clubhouse at the Recreation Ground will be open from 10am until mid-day and everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy a warming beverage and to choose from a selection of homemade cakes. We have a selection of books and jigsaws for sale at reasonable prices – useful as Christmas ’stocking fillers’, perhaps? This will be the last of our monthly coffee mornings this year but we expect to continue in January.
Later in November, we hold our Annual General Meeting at the clubhouse on Sunday 17th, starting at 10am. If you are interested in playing bowls next summer you are welcome to come along and have an informal chat with us. The club is also opened on alternate Tuesdays when we welcome the health walkers for a cuppa as they relax after their exercise and we much appreciate the donations they make to our funds.
October 2024 News Letter
Closure of the summer bowls season was marked at the end of September by a small working party of members removing mats from the ditches around the green and making other preparations for the winter. Now our green has a chance to recover from the wear and tear of the summer months. Some of our members continue to play bowls during the winter on the indoor rinks at Stevenage Leisure Centre but activity at the club on the ‘main rec’ continues from time to time.
The second of this winter’s fund-raising coffee mornings will be held on Saturday 2nd November. Our clubhouse at the Recreation Ground will be open from 10am until mid-day and everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy a warming beverage and to choose from a selection of homemade cakes. We have a selection of books and jigsaws for sale at reasonable prices – useful as Christmas ’stocking fillers’, perhaps? This will be the last of our monthly coffee mornings this year but we expect to continue in January.
Later in November, we hold our Annual General Meeting at the clubhouse on Sunday 17th, starting at 10am. If you are interested in playing bowls next summer you are welcome to come along and have an informal chat with us. The club is also opened on alternate Tuesdays when we welcome the health walkers for a cuppa as they relax after their exercise and we much appreciate the donations they make to our funds.
September 2024 Newsletter
The end of the season saw the culmination of our club competitions. Our main Finals Day was held on Sunday 25th August, after being rained off on the scheduled previous day. Fortunately, Sunday’s weather was ideal for playing bowls. The results of this year’s competitions were:
Winner Runner-up
Altimus David Howells Terry Greening
Handicap John Matthews Pam Veale
Two Woods David Percival. Graham Stevens
Yardstick Pam Veale John Matthews
Ladies’ Singles Pat Matthews Melinda Sprigge
Men’s Singles Russell Davis Terry Greening
Pairs Graham Stevens John Matthews and Terry Greening and Russell Davis
We congratulate the winners and runners-up and thank everyone who entered the competitions. On Saturday 7th September we held our ’nominated pairs’ competition, in which six teams competed for the new John Jeromson Cup. Each team played every other, three in the morning and two in the afternoon. Although the matches were limited to just eight ‘ends’ it was quite a strenuous day but most enjoyable, including the ploughman’s lunch between sessions. The winning pair, scoring nine out of a possible ten points, were John and Pat Matthews.
League results
Our Stevenage Mixed League programme ended with an away match at Whitethorn, in Letchworth, on 15th September. Although we played well, we lost by 39 shots to 52 to the fourth-placed club in the league but at least picked up one of the six match points by winning on one rink. During the summer we notched up eight wins – only five of the other twelve clubs won more matches. But we were held back by the losses and, especially, the five fixtures we had to concede through not having enough bowlers available to play. So we ended up at the bottom of the table but along the way we had a few good wins and some close results against much stronger opposition.
In the Welwyn & Hatfield League we fared better, finishing fourth out of nine clubs, only seven points (more or less a match win) behind the top club. On Finals Day at Hertford, our team of Dick Berry, John Matthews, Graham Stevens and Pam Veale won the ‘fours’ trophy and Graham was runner-up in the Jock Hunter singles competition. Congratulations to our finalists and to all our bowlers who played in the W&H matches during the summer.
Coffee morning
Once again, this winter we are holding find-raising coffee mornings at our clubhouse in the Watton Road Recreation Ground. The first is on Saturday 5th October from 10am to noon and everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy coffee and home/made cake. We also have a selection of books and jigsaws at very reasonable prices. The coffee mornings will normally be on the first Saturday of the month. We look forward to seeing you.
Handicap Pam Veale David Percival
Two-woods Graham Stevens Richard Humphrey
Yardstick Dick Berry John Matthews
Ladies’ Singles Pat Matthews Melinda Sprigge
Men’s Singles David Percival Russell Davis
Pairs Dick Berry and John Matthews and
Pat Matthews Ron Hand
Congratulations to the winners and runners-up and we thank everyone who entered the competitions and played in the preliminary rounds. Sunday 3rd September was set aside for an in-house ‘round robin’ pairs competition. Each of the four teams played matches of eight ‘ends’ against the three other pairs and it turned out to be a most enjoyable day, including a ploughman’s lunch between the morning and afternoon sessions. Three of the teams chalked up one win but a clean sweep of victories meant that John and Pat Matthews were runaway winners.
League results
We completed our Stevenage Mixed League programme at Datchworth on 11th September and then had to wait a few days for other matches to be played before our final position was confirmed. The results went our way and we finished in seventh place – one better than last year. I would like to thank our small team of bowlers for their support, enabling us to turn out a full complement on every occasion.
Saturday 9th September saw us making our presence felt at the Welwyn & Hatfield League Finals Day in Welwyn Garden City. We were finalists in two team competitions and, although we had to settle for runners-up trophies, our bowlers battled well against strong opposition in both matches. In the league itself, our performance in the early season was patchy and for some time we looked like being relegated. However, we rallied towards the end and finished in third place.
Coffee morning
Our monthly fundraising coffee mornings last winter were a great success and we are repeating them again this year. This time they will normally be on the first Saturday of each month, starting on Saturday 7th October. The clubhouse in the Watton Road Recreation Ground will be open from 10am until noon and everyone is welcome. If you enjoy reading or doing jigsaws, we also have a selection of books and jigsaws for sale at very reasonable prices. We hope to see you there.