Bowlers respond to Open morning follow-up sessions
Post date: Jan 22, 2020 1:14:23 PM
John Little welcomes potential new bowlers
Stamford Indoor Bowls Club has joined the national Bowls Development Allliance in a bid to improve its recruitment to the game.
The club has formed a committee of volunteers who are responsible for generating fresh interest in indoor bowls from the local community and surrounding towns and villages.After an intense campaign which included a 1,000 leaflet drop by club volunteers on nearby housing estates and publicity through press and social media, 40 were attracted to our open morning on January 11.
Perhaps even more encouraging, was that a similar number responded to the first of a series of follow-up sessions taking place on Saturday and to be continued on subsequent Saturdays from 9.30 am to noon.
Head coach John Little, who is part of the recruitment committee, commented that it he was delighted that the open morning had caught the imagination of those who came to try bowls and that so many had chosen to return for a second time.
"A lot of hard work has gone into generating interest in the game locally through our promotions and we have learned a lot about making the game more fun to newcomers particularly from Annie Dunham our county co-ordinator on the BDA, " he said.
"We are very hopeful we will be able to keep new bowlers' interest and eventually, of course, convert them into members so they can enjoy bowls as both a pastime and as a competitive sport."
The club is also promoting a 'Women Can' campaign to encourage more women to take part in bowls. A recent survey showed that membership at the club dropped by 7 per-cent this year to just under 500 and more than 20 women failed to renew their membership.
Above: Coach Neil Handley with a group of newcomers to the sport.
SWEET SUCCESS FOR STAMFORD WOMEN
Stamford's women bowlers ended a streak of three successive defeats with a convincing 33-shot home victory over Grantham who had returned to the Lincs Trudy Bates A league this season.
The 14 points were a relief for captain Glenys Edwards' team following losses to Boston, Sleaford and Spalding.
Rink honours - and a chocolate treat - went to Jan Want, Terri Handley, Carol Warters and Denise Mackie, despite dropping two shots on the last end.
The win means Stamford leapfrog Sleaford into third place with 49 points from six matches, still 20 behind Spalding (69) and Boston (66).
Result (Stamford names only):
Lincs Women's (Trudy Bates) League A: Stamford 113 (14 pts) Grantham 80 (2). Janet Dye, Carolyn Gray, Margaret Broadbelt, Isobel Reading lost 16-21; Jan Want, Terri Handley, Carol Warters, Denise Mackie won 27-12; Margaret King, Ann Northen, Shirley Suffling, Christine Ford won 21-20; June Brennan, Maggie Holden, Valerie Du'Kett, Peggy Birch won 26-12; Janet Lonslow, Linda Cave, Elizabeth Wallace, Sue Moir won 23-12.