Bowls surface will change from next summer

How Lincoln & District Indoor Bowls Club looks with its blue carpet.

STAMFORD Indoor Bowls club will spend nearly £30,000 on a replacement bowls carpet and underlay next summer (2020). Members will be canvassed to recommend the colour of the playing surface - whether green or blue.

This was revealed at the latest management committee meeting when chairman Keith Rippin presented the report of the directors who decide the club's major capital expenditure.

While most clubs prefer a traditional green surface, near neighbours Lincoln & District Indoor, with one of the largest membership in the country, has recently installed blue on its two, four-rink greens as it is the colour preferred for its regular professional televised singles events.

Blue is also the colour of preference for the World Indoor Singles competition, televised on a portable rink from the Potters Resort every January.

However, chairman of the Stamford directors Keith Rippin, said the members would be given the opportunity to vote on their preferred colour in a survey in the club's newsletter published in September. The directors will consider the outcome.

He also added that while a replacement wooden floor immediately underneath the underlay had been considered because of minor discrepancies in levels in certain areas of the 'concrete' base, its installation had been ruled out at this time.

The underlay and carpet surface will be replaced during the week commencing April 27, 2020.

New LED (over rink) lighting had been installed during the summer, offering 'at least as high if not higher than the level obtained by the previous lighting' but will result in significant energy savings.

Following the proposal passed at the annual meeting in April for a change of timing for the annual presentations from 2020, the management proposed to hold the 2018-19 presentations and club presidents investiture provisionally on Saturday, October 19.

Club finals would be staged on the weekend of April 18-19 (following the annual meeting in April 15) with 2019-20 winter season presentations on April 25. The 2020 summer league would be invited to hold separate awards if required on completion of their fixtures.

Club open mornings to attract new members, will be staged on September 14 and 21 and the annual Christmas fours tournament on Saturday, December 28. Apart from the tournament, the club will be closed over Christmas and New Year from December 23 - January 2.

FOOTNOTE: The club is due to open for the 2019-20 winter season from Monday, September 9. Annual membership (£55 or £50 if paid before September 30) remains the same and runs from September 1. Bowlers must be up to date with their membership before they contest organised sessions and matches. Rink fees have been increased from September 9 to £3.20 per player, per session and £4 each for a double session.