Founded in 1897
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Saturday 7 September - Matthew/Allen Cups
A two cups competition today, one cup for the lead and one cup for the skip in a pair. Played after a random draw over three matches of nine ends, the two best performers then play a final for the win.
It was fine settled weather and it was good to see all but one of the rinks occupied.
And the winners of those two cups were Mike Cunningham and Paul Causer.
....and the close runners up were John Letts and Ken Sampson.
Saturday 7 September - Friday evening lived up to expectations
It was down to the last wood bowled on Friday evening to determine which team would emerge as champions of the Friday Night League. The relegation spots were settled somewhat earlier.
It was an evening which showed, both at the top and the bottom of the League, you should not give up hope.
Three matches ago Alan Cornfoot's Invicta were anchored at the bottom not able to buy a win, then all of a sudden they win three matches on the trot and condemn Ravens and Becket to Division 1.
Similarly Marlowe were in 4th place with three matches to go but with the top teams playing each other and other results falling their way, they were able to claw their way up to the top with three victories.
But even then Cooper could have retained their top spot with a four on the last end (against Marlowe), but could only manage three - so the victory was Marlowe's.
Congratulations then to Marlowe's team of Malcolm Nicholson, Tony Dobson, Mike Talbot, Eddie Churchley and Ian Hopkins.
Friday 6 September - looking ahead to Final's Day
All but one of the Club's "throughout the season" competitions is finalised. Traditionally, it all comes to an end on Final's Day which this year is 8 days away on Saturday 14 September.
Scheduling the matches to be played can be a nightmare for organisers as the best laid plans can be upset when individual bowlers are particularly successful. Some of the matches can take up to 3 hours, others can be over in an hour. Can a bowler who has played on one rink be allowed to play another match on the same rink? How many times is it fair to ask a player to play on one day? The weather can also intervene; the long range forecast suggests we may have unsettled weather. Unsettled may sum up the feelings of those that have to put together this highlight of the bowls season.
Leaving that aside, let's congratulate all those that we have tracked on the website as they progressed through the rounds and have made it to their individual finals. Well done!
There really are some cracking matches to look forward to watching. Put the date in your diary.
Thursday 5 September - the closest finish ever?
At the beginning of this week the final matches were held in the Ladies Evening League and what a finish! Three teams ended on the same points and the Champions were crowned on the basis of most ends won over the season. Even then only 9 ends separated first and third.
The Lilac team was comprised of Annette Harding, Sandra Swan, Deborah MacVean, Janice Steele and Maureen Dilnot.
Wednesday 4 September - history corner
The Oaten Hill and South Canterbury Association (OHSCA) represents residents in the area of Canterbury in which our bowls club is situated. Their objectives are “to support and improve the quality of life of our community”. OHSCA's catchment area includes about 2000 households.
They were interested in telling their membership about the history of our bowls club and they approached the website to see if we could provide them with that history for publication in their summer newsletter.
We took on that challenge.
We have a History section on our website, but it does not explain the development of our club in sufficient detail for general consumption. Before moving to our current premises, a former secretary of the club did write an extensive history and we condensed this for the readership of OHSCA.
OHSCA have now published this online and if you would like to read that history then go to the OHSCA Summer Newsletter and scroll down to page 11.
We suggest that most OHSCA residents could “improve their quality of life” by joining our bowls club!
Tuesday 3 September - Ladies Dover League, nearly but not quite
In 2023 Canterbury ladies took the Dover League title and for much of this season it looked a distinct possibility that we could take it again in 2024. The squad was strong consisting of Jenny Anderson, Chrissie Barr, Mandy Catt, Sue Close, Yvonne Gambrill, Liz Long, Sue Mates, Maddie McConomy and Karen Owen.
The format for the League consists of two triples, one played at home and one away. Two points per rink won and another two points for the overall win. There are eight teams in the League.
We performed strongly at the end of the season winning our final two matches and finished runners-up to the undefeated Victoria Park. Very well done.
Something else that the ladies of Canterbury can reflect upon. Having defeated Whitstable in the National Top Club competition back in May, they took on Appleyard in the next round and gave them a run for their money. Appleyard went on, in the same competition, over this weekend, to be the English Top Club champions.
Monday 2 September - a steward's enquiry?
This afternoon sees week 19 out of 20 in the men's Major Carroll competition. The list of top ten players looks like this:
It is no surprise to see that Bill Hillman is up the top once again. He has organised the Major Carroll afternoon for many years and more often than not has come away at the end of the season as the winner. During this season we are told that Bill has passed over responsibility for running the show to Simon Willis. Now who do we see challenging for the lead? None other than the new organiser!
There is still time for others to sneak past them both. We have asked Cedric the non-playing table creator to keep a sharp lookout as the random draws for teams take place to ensure no funny business.
You can watch for developments as the tables are updated shortly after the day and can be seen here.
Sunday 1 September - Bernard Annand success
Breaking news. Earlier today the Canterbury team below won the semi-final and final of the Bernard Annand Trophy at Herne Bay.
The Bernard Annand Trophy had an entry of 24 Clubs and in earlier rounds we had beaten Hythe and Charing. In the morning semi-final we beat Wear Bay and in the final we overcame Lenham.
Tom Attaway, Paul Causer, Dave Todd, Darren Ellis, Mike Cunningham (Captain), Damian Hone, Bryan Nicholson and David Charlton
Saturday 31 August - Friday Night League (continued)
Friday evening did not disappoint. Some exceptional bowling in a series of tight contests at both ends of the Premier League resolved nothing as far as Champions and relegation candidates are concerned.
At the bottom end of the league, Alan Cornfoot's Invicta sneaked past Bryan Nicholson's Ravens on the last end, not least because Alan was in top form. Meanwhile Becket dropped to the bottom of the table. One of Invicta or the Ravens will be relegated next week along with Becket.
At the top of the league, Dave Todd's Magpies team brought their A game and saw off Cooper, whilst Malcolm Nicholson (captaining from the sidelines) saw his Marlowe team overcome the Buzzards, thanks in no small part to some special bowls from Tony Dobson.
The top looks like this:
Next week Magpies play Buzzards, while Marlowe plays Cooper. We will leave you to work out the permutations.
Next week will also determine which team in Division One will take the top spot between Doves and Owls.
All teams are invited to sit down with a curry at the end of the matches, put your name down in the clubhouse if you want to partake.
Saturday 31 August - anything the men can do.....
The ladies have their own highly competitive league played on a Monday evening and their season is drawing to a close, but any one of three teams can claim the League Champion crown.
The final matches are played this coming Monday. Lilac will be playing Oak. Fir will be playing Elm. If points are level, ends won will be the decider, but as can be seen all the teams are incredibly well-matched.
After the matches on Monday evening there will be a celebration of the season with a buffet and no doubt with the bar open, a toast or two will be appropriate to congratulate the Champions.
Hopefully there will also be recognition of the efforts of the five team organisers (Annette Harding, Anne Burton, Val Hughes, Jane Carey-Harris and Jenny Anderson) and last, but not least, Merrilyn Lee, for administering the league, including creating and maintaining the online table.
Thursday 29 August – Friday Night League (FNL)
Our bowls pundits have examined the last two fixtures in the men's FNL and are beside themselves with excitement as an extraordinary situation has occurred in the Premier League. The top four teams play only each other in those last two fixtures, so leaving the top spot wide open.
Similarly, the bottom four teams only play each other, so the trapdoor of relegation is wide open for two of them.
Another unknown factor is the ability of the Magpies to get a team together to play. They forfeited their last match and now they are due to play the top two teams in the last two fixtures.
Tomorrow, Cooper play the Magpies and the Buzzards play Marlowe. One team could be crowned tomorrow, or it could all come down to the final match on September 6.
The crunch matches at the bottom tomorrow are Ravens against Invicta and Choughs against Becket.
The current league table is:
In Division One of the FNL the only decisions that remain are, which of the top two will gain the top spot and which team will end up bottom of the pile.
Tomorrow, Owls play the Pilgrims, Doves play the Kestrels, while Eagles play the Hawks. All the decisions may be known by 8 o'clock tomorrow or they may stretch to the final matches on September 6.
Wednesday 28 August - last hopes
Joe Vandepeer is now the last player from Canterbury in this year's Finals. He is playing in the Junior Pairs with Isaac Jenner from Appleyard.
The match is not being live streamed, but the scores are being published live and we will post here every half hour or so. The trial ends started at 9.15am.
Joe and Isaac are representing Kent against a pair from Warwickshire.
9.40am After the first end Joe and Isaac had a good start and lead 5-0.
10.00am. After 4 ends Kent lead 8-2.
Live pictures of Isaac and Joe from Jenny Anderson's sister at the event
At 10.20am Kent lead 12-5 after 7 ends.
At 10.40am Kent lead 13-9 after 10 ends.
At 11.10am Kent lead 20-10 after 13 ends.
The automatic updating system seems to have gone on strike after 14 ends. However our on site correspondent informs us that the match was conceded after 15 ends with the score 25-11.
They will now play a pair from Lancashire this afternoon starting at 4.15pm. Sending good vibes from Kent..
The vibes were not quite enough. Joe and Isaac lost 17-16 against two England players in what was described as a brilliant game.
Monday 26 August - long distance bowling
We have not before produced an article illustrating what club members do on their holidays. But one of our many correspondents ventured almost overseas (North of the Thames) so it was difficult to refuse coverage as there was some tenuous bowls content.
Great Yarmouth boasts that they have 800 bowls participants for their Bowls Festival over the course of the next four weeks and an intrepid band of four men players ventured north to take part over the last weekend .
Our correspondent reported: " Playing in the 4s the team of Darren Ellis, Dean Ellis ,Chris Dawson and Alan Cornfoot took on a team of badged players from Cambridgeshire led by Peter Ferris. In true Canterbury fashion we started with some bowls hospitality and allowed the 4 from Cambridgeshire a 10-0 head start after three ends. The fightback began and going onto the last end the 4 from Canterbury were 1 shot behind, but unfortunately couldn't overturn the shot difference and lost 18-16."
Well, this early defeat meant that they could spend time enjoying themselves.
Just in case those members who go on cruises are tempted to send photos of themselves playing carpet bowls in the bar area, be warned that they may not be accepted.
Monday 26 August - praise for Sue Mates in Leamington
Sue Mates, our international umpire, has started her stint as umpire and marker from this weekend at the National Bowls Championships at Leamington. It is likely that she will be appearing in the important games that are being live streamed by Bowls TV. She started by marking one of the last 16 matches in the Women's Singles.
The commentators were Josh Pounds (Chairman of the English Indoor Bowls Association) and Yaz Hasan (already a gold medal winner at these Finals).
At this match the knowledgeable commentators picked out Sue for some lovely comments.
We have extracted this section of the commentary.
We agree with their assessment.
Sunday 25 August - the Dickins Trophy
Today the club ran one of our popular all-day competitions. The Dickins Trophy is a mixed triples event over a series of matches determined by the organisers.
Today's winners were Mike Cunningham, Sue Close and Mervyn Gulvin.
Friday 23 August - Friday night league gets exciting
We decided to assemble our team of bowls pundits to give us their expert opinions on the title race in the Premier Division. Unfortunately, we have had to suspend one of our pundits for inappropriate behaviour on the green (undisclosed).
With three matches to go it is all very tight at the top. Theoretically we have 4 teams in the race for the title, Marlowe, Magpies, Buzzards and Cooper.
Tonight, may determine where the title will go as Malcolm Nicholson's Marlowe in 4th play Dave Todd's Magpies in 3rd. At the very top Dean Ellis's Buzzards in second place, face the leaders, Pete Foster's Cooper.
Pundit's forecast.....Pete to stretch the lead.
What do you think Gary at the other end of the table........?
Well, it is just as tight in the relegation places as the four teams all fighting the drop to Division One play one of their bitterest rivals. Alan Cornfoot's Invicta need to win tonight against Andrew Burton's Becket or else they are doomed. Meanwhile one of Harry Macdonald's Choughs or Bryan Nicholson's Ravens could move to relative safety with a win.
What about Division One......? Our pundits have lost interest as Mervyn's Doves and Cedric's Owls already have promotion in the bag.
If you want to be your own pundit the current tables are displayed here.
Wednesday 21 August - Barbara's half century
Last week Barbara White, who has done most jobs in her 50 years of membership of Canterbury Bowling Club had a ladies Fun Afternoon to commemorate that fact.
She had many cards of congratulations, some hand-made, including one with a photo of her 20 years ago which she particularly liked.
We think it was taken 2 years ago.
Tuesday 20 August - Chris and Jeff in Leamington
As we have mentioned before Chris Dawson and Jeff Vane got through to the National Senior Pairs Finals in Leamington. They are playing their match against Kirk Smith and Alan Price of Buckinghamshire which started at 4.45pm.
At 5.15pm after 3 ends our pair are 3-2 down.
At 5.45pm after 8 ends our pair are 6-4 up. We will continue to post every half hour or to the end of the match at 18 ends.
At 6.15pm after 12 ends our pair are 12-6 up. Peering through fingers now....
At 6.45pm after 16 ends (and after dropping 6 shots to be at 12-12) our pair were 14-12, but have just dropped a 3 to be losing 15-14 with one end to go.
The Bowls England live scoring system seems to have died. However, the opposition have been listed as in tomorrow's last 16.
And so the journey comes to an end . They couldn't manage to get over the line. But very well done to have got this far in difficult circumstances. We are proud of you.
Meanwhile, as Chris and Jeff were playing, Ken Weyand from St Lawrence, who says he loves playing on Canterbury's green, was winning the Senior Singles title. Well done Ken!
Sunday 18 August - Men's drawn pairs
The first of the season's men's one day events, the Drawn Pairs, took place on Saturday. The draw takes place for pairs partners first thing in the morning and the day proceeds with four games of 7 ends during which the new pairings get used to one another.
A pair does very well to win all four games that they are involved with and yesterday two pairings did just that. The runners-up were Tony Dobson and Dave Anderson (Tony had won last year). But the winners on countback were Pete Foster and Robert Green.
Robert and Pete
Sunday 18 August - apologies to Leah
We have been focussed on those we knew who were performing at Leamington, but we had wrongly assumed that as Canterbury player Leah Bamford had to give up Club and County fixtures this year, due to work commitments, that she would not be considered for the Kent team for the Amy Rose Bowl Trophy in Leamington. We were wrong and she was included, having been a member of the successful team in past years.
Yesterday, the Kent team of two fours (under 31 years of age), firstly beat Somerset in the Semi-final 56-29 and then beat Lincolnshire in the Final 42-30.
The least we can do to compensate for our error is to show a photo of the winning team with Leah, second from the left in the front row. The third year in a row that the team have been successful.
Congratulations Leah!
Friday 16 August - never too late to ask for free training as a new bowler
Our club does not rely totally on our Open Day for recruitment of new members, especially those who have never played the game before. We provide free training to those people who would just like to try bowls, whenever it is during the bowls season. Many people have just written to the Contact us page of this website, or spoken with someone that they know who already plays bowls at the club, and training sessions have been arranged.
This afternoon on the green, Maddie, one of our very experienced coaches, was showing how it is done to 3 beginners. One was at her first session and the other two players were attending for a second time. All three were doing remarkably well.
Maddie McConomy on the left
Don't be shy, just go to our Contact us page and ask to try this wonderful game of ours.
