We are entertaining the scouts on Wed 5th June - 6.30 to 8 pm.
Help would be appreciated from 3 or 4 members to show them the ropes etc.
Likely to occupy 4 rinks/
Apols if this precludes usual roll up- only date we could find, and important re good will etc.
Alan

Today`s match away to Hethersett is cancelled owing to rotten weather forecast inc thunder warning. Individual players notified.
Please prey for better weather soon.....
Alan Pask

BROOKE BOWLS CLUB
WONDERED WHAT GOES ON `OVER THE HEDGE`?
We`re delighted to be planning for the opening of the bowls green at the end of April – and looking forward to a lovely sunny summer of out door bowls and social activities!
If you`ve ever wondered what goes on `over the hedge` and in our club house – come and join us at one of our `open events` - try bowling and see what we do as club members enjoy their time at the green.
These take place on Friday May 10th at 6.30pm, and Saturday 11th at 10.30am – all we ask is to wear flat shoes please, bowls and other equipment provided – refreshments will be available, no charges! Come along and see us.
New members always welcome at any of our regular `roll ups` held:
Sundays 2.30pm
Tuesdays 10.30am
Wednesday evening 6.30pm
Thursday 10.30am
Friday evening 6.30pm
We look forward to seeing you on the green!
Alan Pask
Chairman

Caroline sent me these pictures - click on the Album to see what's happening at the club house

The winners were:

Open Singles : Barrie Hutchings
Ladies Singles : Caroline Sauverin
Mens Singles: John Friswell
Pairs: John Sauverin and David Townshend

We had a good turnout, with fifteen players.
We played one triples, two pairs with a bye for one player for three rounds of 6, 6, and 4 ends
Only two players won all three of the rounds, where Doug Ratcliffe had a better score difference than John Ash, to come first.
Ken had two wins and a draw to come third.
The entry fees of £30 was split £12, £10, and £7 with a pound used for expenses.
The organisers (Roger and Tim) are still baffled by the fact that Tony Hemmings used to make the process look easy.

Thank you to the 40 members and guests who supported our summer lunch. Despite the worrying forecast, the weather was kind to us and we enjoyed good food and good company in Alan & Christine's lovely garden.
This event has always been a major fund raiser and whilst the final figure will not be known until all expenses have been processed, approx £400 will be added to club funds. The raffle is included in that figure and raised an amazing £114 thanks to your generosity in providing prizes and then buying tickets!!
If you have expenses for food provided that you would like reimbursed please let me know.

There were 13 entries, so we played 3 sets of 3 pairs, 6 ends each, with one bye for each set. Only three bowls were used. The afternoon's play ended at about quarter to 5. Very windy, but warm & sunny.

The best score, with two wins and a draw, was made by Christine Garner.
Several players won twice, but David Townshend came second with an overall score difference of 11, and Gunter came third with a score difference of 9.
The prizes were £12, £8, and £4. Gunter donated his to the tea fund.

p.s. further examination of the extremely messy scoresheet for the day shows a mistake, but I'm hoping people will make allowances for deteriorating abilities with age

Won by John Friswell, Doug Ratcliffe, & Roger Munting

Runners up Barrie Neal, Ken Warman, Tony Kirlew

With a few last minute adjustments, we only had eleven players. We decided to play two pairs games and a singles, using 3 bowls, and on rinks 1 3 and 5. Six ends for each. With hindsight, it should have been 4 bowls for the singles. One person had a
bye each round. The bye person scored a win but with no score. There were three rounds, with a tea break after two.
Only two players, showed three wins, and Tim Sanders had a higher score overall than Ruth Dodds, who came second. Third place was taken by Barry Neal, who had the highest score amongst those who won twice.
The takings were £22 (£2 per head) and the prize money was shared out as £8, £6, and
£4 with four pounds left in the donations box for expenses.

Just to keep you all in the loop, in case anyone asks, Bob is out of hospital and living in a care home, Broadland View, 147 Yarmouth Road Norwich. He is a lot less anxious and much calmer now. The food is lovely and he is eating well. Because he has his own room, it is quieter so he is sleeping better. Visiting is allowed any time except meal times- lunch is 12 - 1.30 and tea is 5ish.

Have a great season

Liz

shown as @' Not Played'- It was- and we won.

Sends his thanks to club members for the 90th birthday card we sent him.
He is looking forward to more bowls in 2023

The Rep from Ace Fire completed the annual check of the Club Fire Extinguishers today. He will send the certificate on. Invoice will go to Doug R.

Alan Beeson.

Winners

Triples:
John Sauverin, Tim Sanders, Barrie Hutchings

Pairs:
John Sauverin, Tim Sanders

Open Singles
Tim Sanders

Mens Singles
Barrie Neal

Winner Tim 2 wins and a draw, score difference 10
Runner up Barrie Hutchings 2 wins and a draw score difference 8

Other players:
Barrie Neal, Caroline, John Sauverin, David, John Ash, Gunter, Bob, Roger

Due to the lowish turnout, the entrance fee cash was awarded to only the first two.
£13 & £7

Thank you to Alan & Christine Pask for hosting yesterday's lunch in their beautiful garden and to everyone who helped with the event and the provision of the lovely food and raffle prizes.
Provided there are no further expenses claims, (and thank you to everyone who said they did not want reimbursing) we will have raised £300 for club funds, including £68 from the raffle.

Bookings are open for

1) Summer lunch 31st July

2) Roll on July 17th

Our social at the Village Hall on 22 April generated a net surplus of £262.06. This figure includes the raffle which raised £73. Thank you to everyone who supported the event - an enjoyable evening and a good start to what we all hope will be a successful season.

https://www.brookebowls.co.uk/fixturecard

All of the club events for 2022 are in the Events list. Rosemary is still working on the fixtures with other clubs, which will appear later.
You can print a club calendar at the link above

Tony, our treasurer, and one of the most valued members of the club, died last week.
His funeral is to be held on Wed 24th November, 11 am at Brooke church. All bowls club members are invited.

Message from Tony :

We raised £565 last evening which includes £135 on the raffle - great result - big thank you to you all for all your help to make this a great result

Winners :

Open Singles : John Friswell
Mens Singles : Tim Sanders
Pairs: John Friswell and Barrie Hutchings

Played earlier:
Triples: Rosemary Sanford, Phil Rowland, Paul Darby

FINAL ROLL ON of the season tomorrow Sunday 15th August - plenty of places left
Just turn up 2.30pm for prompt start
A FUN AFTERNOON

We are in need of players for match at Great Melton on 19th August start time 6.00pm
If anybody can help it would be greatly appreciated
Please contact David/Rosemary as soon as possible
Many thanks in anticipation

HURRY! HURRY! HURRY! last few days left to book in for the final roll on of the season - only £1.50 per person including tea & biscuits - cash prizes
YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO HAVE GO!
See you Sunday

Sunday 15th August 2.30pm
A fun afternoon cash prizes 1st 2nd & 3rd
Names please see notice board
GO ON HAVE A GO!

We will be pulling up weeds for an hour or so on 16th July from 9am. Everyone welcome.

Roll on No.2 -Sunday 11th July 2.30pm
A fun afternoon for all - prizes for 1st 2nd and 3rd - £1.50 including tea and biscuits
names required please - see notice board

Roll on Sunday 2pm
3 lots of 6 ends £1.50 per person prizes for first second and third including tea and biscuits
Contact Tony Hemmings or place your name on notice board

They start earlier now, 18:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays instead of 18:30

Ladies shoes size 5.5
Bowls size zero
Several sets of bowls size 3 and larger

Triples can now be played, and scoreboards and pushers can be used. See the rules for Roll Ups for full details

BROOKE BOWLS CLUB
Brooke bowls is back!
We`re delighted that the bowling green has reopened for play. A great deal of work has taken place during the lockdowns to improve the green and club facilities. We now have an excellent playing surface and first class clubhouse facilities.
We have a full programme of roll – ups and competitive games through the summer. We especially welcome any prospective new members at our roll-ups - please contact Tim Sanders, club secretary if you wish to come along ( phone number at end of magazine).
Bowls is a naturally socially distanced activity, good for mental and physical health of all participants – and along with an active social calendar ( subject to covid/regulations) is a great way to meet old and new friends.
Come along and give it a try!
Alan Pask
Chairman

We will be resuming the normal playing routine this year. As well as the roll ups, there will be fixtures for games with other clubs, and competitions for the club trophies for men's and women's singles, open singles, and pairs.
Please sign up for some of these, it makes an interesting addition to the bowling routine, and hopefully a good Finals Day at the end of the year. Just ring or email me and I'll put your name on the lists.

A booking system will be used in 2021 for organising these games, which will be played outside of the club roll up periods, and avoiding times set aside for green maintenance, fixtures, or special events.
This is partly to comply with covid rules, and partly to make it easy for members to book the green for their own use.

The booking screen can be found on the club web site. It should be easy to find the required date and available times.
If members use it fully, you should be able to see who else is playing, and when, and any bookings that have been made by other players which involve you.

Another page on the web site also shows players who have signed up for 2021, and their phone numbers. If you wish, you can use the web site to message them via email.

Contact Tim Sanders if you have any difficulty, on 558395.

To make a booking, click on the time slot for the chosen rink, where you intend to start your session. The system will offer you different length available sessions, and you pick the one you want.
For the time being, please do not book a pairs game at the same time as another pairs game.

If you do not wish to use the web site to book your session, please ring me, or another committee member, who will do it for you. It should be straightforward though, so please try it out.

You can cancel a booked session by clicking on part of it on the screen, and then confirming the cancellation. You can add other players' names to a booking by clicking on the day of the booking in the summary of your bookings shown at the bottom of the screen.

The gulleys at each end were cleared, ready for new strips of rubber. Weeds were cleared from the paved areas and around the hedges. Benches were stained. The sheds were painted and part of the clubhouse.
Those working were:
Tony Hemmings
John Friswell
Barrie Neal
Bob Powell
Alan Pask
Tim Sanders
The green is looking good

No doubt we are all looking forward to the new season – and the possibility of some normality about day to day life – and bowls! The committee have had an `email` meeting to discuss arrangements for the new season, and the main conclusions are as follows;
GREEN OPENING
The green will be open for play on Sunday, 2nd May
WORKING PARTY
As usual, we need a working party of members to do some tidying up, weeding, painting etc and this will take place on FRIDAY, APRIL 16TH 9am. Please let Tim know if you are able to help out.
OPEN DAYS
Attracting new members is vital this year. We shall be holding club open days on FRIDAY, MAY 21ST and Saturday MAY 22ND plus the evening of FRIDAY MAY 28th .
New members are of course welcome to the club at any roll ups, subject to numbers and signing in etc under continuing covid rules.
PLAYING PROTOCOLS
We are still required to work under government/Bowls England guidance and a new set of playing procedures are shown on a separate notice prepared by Tim. These will change as the roadmap evolves so watch out for any adjustments which will be posted on the website and on the noticeboard at the clubhouse.
MATCHES
Rosemary is discussing with various clubs the resumption of matches – however, these are not likely until later in the roadmap. Updates will be posted when progress is made.
SOCIAL EVENTS
Under normal conditions, the committee would be arranging social events at this stage of the year. Whilst we still hope to have a full programme of social and fund raising events, we cannot make firm arrangements until further progress in the roadmap. The committee will keep this under review – we know how important our social activities are to members.
Keep an eye on the noticeboard!
SUBSCRIPTIONS
These are now due. Tony will be pleased to receive payments of £40 for playing membership, £25 for new members, £10 social members, either in person by cheque, or post to 1 Kingswood Close, Brooke, or by bank transfer to the club`s Barclays Bank account at 20- 53-06 account number 43123146
The committee is looking forward to the new season – any comments or queries, you know where we are or via the website.
Alan Pask
Chairman, April 2021

BROOKE BOWLS CLUB NEWS

In the midst of a difficult winter, it`s good to look forward to the many positive things to come in 2021!
The bowls club, like so many village organisations, has had to hibernate somewhat this winter – although we don`t play outside bowls in this period, much planning takes place for summer activities and this continues, with of course covid limitations. We have certainly missed our club social activities over the winter period too.
However, we are hoping that a `normal` season of outdoor bowls will commence in the spring or early summer, along with a programme of social activities. Our usual village hall fund raiser ¬ Quizzical!` will take place but this depends on the limitations in place – likely to be a summer event this year at best. We very much hope to open the green around the end of April, with public `open` days to follow.
We welcome new members at any time – these open days and evenings are an opportunity to come along and meet the members, try bowls and find out about our social activities. I`m sure all of us have been reminded how important social contact is during this pandemic.
The bowls club committee will shortly be planning the new season, so look out for our further notices. For any further information, the phone number of our secretary ( Tim Sanders) is on this web site (About)
With best wishes to all!
Alan Pask, Chairman

Gunter and Barrie have completed the installation of a new roof on the clubhouse. It looks excellent.
John and Alan have dressed and reseeded the green, after having it hollow tined.
The hedges have been cut.

The last use of the green for playing bowls will be Sunday 13th September.

The green is reserved from 10:00 to 12:20 for roll ups. The first 12 players can sort themselves into pairs and singles for friendly games following our corona virus social distancing rules.
http://www.brookebowls.co.uk/rule/4/

These two mornings have been reserved for social bowls sessions.
The games will start at 10:20, with a list of matches prepared the day before from the bookings for the day.
To see who will be playing, have a look at the bookings for the day.
To join in, contact me, or book any hour on the day you would like to play. Book in the afternoon if the morning is full, I will know you want to play in the morning session.
It will be a mixture of pairs and singles. I will pick the pairs firstly using members of the same household. After that it will be random.
Tim

There is a proposai that a Thursday in August be used for a session where several members book a rink (just an hour will do), and I use that information to create a set of matches to be played in the morning.

Interest so far:

Alan Pask
Ruth Dodds
David Sandford
Rosemary Sandford
Barrie Hutchins
Doug Ratcliffe
Michael Winslade
Jane Winslade
Alan Beeson

Please contact Tim Sanders if you are interested

The competition has started, on Monday 29th June, with 13 competitors.

http://www.brookebowls.co.uk/showleague/1

I`m pleased to be able to tell you that the committee has agreed that, with safety precautions in place, we can reopen the green on Monday, 15th June.
We have devised a set of rules and procedures for playing bowls, found at this location: http://www.brookebowls.co.uk/rule/4/
These are based on government and Bowls England guidance and it is important that we play to these rules to ensure our safety and the safety of others. Please read carefully.
The key features include:
- only members can play via pre booking on the club website - more detail to come from Tim
- no access to the clubhouse
- singles only, social distancing at all times
- only two rinks in operation
- sanitise as instructed
- limited equipment in use
- no visitors or spectators
- more detail in the attached rules and procedures.
The rules may seem irksome, but they are essential to ensure our safe return to the green - and we have to follow national guidance.-
It is of course for each individual to decide if and when you return to the green - however I hope we`ll see all those who would like a game of bowls on the green after 15th June!
SUBSCRIPTIONS
As this will be a limited season ( although we hope to continue through to around mid September), the committee has decided that the subscription for `playing members` is set at £25 - if you wish to pay the full fee of £50, as some have done, then of course this is welcome. For others, who are not able to play ( perhaps shielding etc, we suggest a £10 social membership will keep you in touch with the club, access to the website and ( hopefully) some social activities in due course.
Subs please to Tony - 550559 or at 1 Kingswood Close.
Any queries on booking a rink to Tim - via email, the website or 558395
Any general queries or if in doubt to me please via email , the website or 558764
I hope you`ll enjoy a return to the bowls green - and look forward to happier times all round!

The committee have been considering how and when we can restart bowls at Brooke - I`m sure many of you are keen to get out on the green, in a safe way.
Bowls England have suggested some procedures to open up taking account of social distancing and other government guidance. With suitable protocols in mind we are aiming to reopen by 1st July, all being well.
The committee is drawing up procedures and precautions to ensure safety at the green eg clubhouse will be closed, two rinks only in operation, no casual rollups or competitions/matches - playing only by a booking system.
Once we have worked through these arrangements, they will be fully publicised to all members before booking and play takes place.
Hope you`ll be keen to return - I appreciate that some members will need to be `shielded` for longer, but hope that those who wish to play, can do so safely.
Further information and guidance as soon as we can!

Hope you are all surviving the lockdown in good health and spirit! No doubt house and garden are by now pristine and you`ve enjoyed local walks....
In my last email, I confirmed the cancellation of our pre season social and the green opening at the end of this month. We now know that the lockdown will continue for at least another 3 weeks - and no doubt longer limitations ( social distancing etc) for us `elderlies`. Clearly the `open days` early in May cannot take place, and without the village magazine, they have not been advertised.
Beyond that, it`s not possible to make any firm plans for the season - however, we will review again in about a month. I hope we can then plan for opening up in some way around mid summer, so that we might have at least half a season ( perhaps 10 weeks if we stay open into September), with all the appropriate precautions .
In the meantime, Alan Beeson continues to keep the green cut - and is happy to get his `isolation` exercise doing a great job for us. I gather the mosskiller has been applied to the green, is working and the green looks well.
Alan

Alan Beeson has been continuing to keep it looking good, as any passers-by can see.
The moss has been successfully treated.
Let's hope that we can a chance to try it out before too long.

The club has to remain closed, and all social activity suspended until the current national lockdown is relaxed.
Thanks are due to Alan Beeson, who has undertaken to keep the grass under control.

Watch this space for notification of any change to this position. The committee will be providing more information in a month or so.

CANCELLED

The pairs tournament on the 27th March is fully subscribed.

The pairs are:

Gary Bushnell & Alison Ferguson
Barbara Fox & Sue Chisholm
Rupert Lorrimer & Richard Wilson
Daphne Warman & Christine Garner
Don Coombes and Matthew Morritt
Alison Shaw and Jenny
Chris Harvey and Bridgid Everitt
Pam and Ray Lack

The games starts at 2pm, so please be there for 1:45 to let Mike tell you how the day will work, and show the seating plan.

Tea and biscuits at half time.
£10 per person. Prizes for winning and running up pair.

The minutes of the quiz planning meeting are on the web site, in the events section

Friday March 13th in the Village Hall.

BR00KE BOWLS CLUB

QUIZZICAL!
A fun quiz for all abilities!
Quiz Master Graham Dunthorn
Good food and prizes….........£10.00 per person
BROOKE VILLAGE HALL…...FRIDAY 13TH MARCH
7.00 for 7.30pm
To book your place call Tony 01508 550559 by 6th March
Ideally teams of six but not essential
Bring your own drink & cutlery, glasses will be provided
PLEASE ADVISE ON ANY VEGETARIANS

Thanks to Gunter and Barrie Neal for making and fixing a cover for the pump which will hopefully give protection frost etc.

There's a new event in the club calendar. A bridge duplicate pairs afternoon on 27th March, in the clubhouse.
Please let me know if you would like to play (you will need to find a partner)

The dates for the social and competition events for 2020 are now shown on the Events page

Gunter & Barrie Neal have been working on repairing the wood on the two ends of the green

Taking bookings (and offers of cake making)

We tidied up the Green late last week. The worm casts were swished off and all the fallen leaves were swept up and binned.
These are ongoing jobs which will continue throughout the winter as and when necessary.
If we have a warm spell of weather we will check to see if the grass needs a trim-probably unlikely but it is possible.
Alan and John

Merry Christmas to you all and lets hope we have a good 2020

From the Committee