News

See the Dates section for upcoming events including the club open days in April and May.

May 1st. Then over-55s men's game against Portishead had to  be postponed as their green was awash after a thunderstorm the night before - makes a change as we're usually the ones under water! The ladies however journeyed to Wyrall Park for a triples friendly but lost on all 3 rinks.

28th April. Mark's first home fixture proved to be successful while hosting our old chums from Prattens Bowls Club near Radstock. Mark won two of the three rinks played in this friendly triples match. Lin Simpson, Malcolm Bennett and skip John White were dominant on their rink winning 15 ends to get home by 24-5 shots. Also winning by a healthy margin, Barbara Durston, Russ Chilcott and skip Brian Tagg pulled away in the later stages to win by 22-9 shots on their rink. Captain Malcolm Bennett thought that the overall 60-30 shot win augurs well for the upcoming season!

25th April 2024. At last the long winter break was over as Mark’s over-55s men's team travelled up the M5 to play Clevedon Prom in the fresh air. The wind blew cold, however, and jumpers were much in evidence. Captain Gerald Durston was pleased to find 18 men to play especially as a couple had to drop out at the last minute. The result went against Mark as they lost on 5 of the 6 rinks played. The bright spot was the debut of Russ Chilcott as skip who, with the help of Paul White and Malcolm Bennett, won their rink 16-10. The overall shot total went to Clevedon by 120-74 which meant 18 league points to Mark's two.

Our next Open Day is on Saturday 27th April  when the whole green should hopefully be dry enough to play on, so potential new players will be able to bowl a few bowls and get a feeling for this marvellous game. The club will be open for this second Open Day from 11am-5pm, please wear flat-soled shoes or trainers if you wish to try bowling! Free coaching sessions can be arranged with our coaches.

The first Umbrella evening will be on Monday 29th at 5.30. Members who wish to compete need to wear grey trousers and a white shirt.  Visitors are welcome to watch and look around the club. Another regular club evening is on Thursdays - again starting at 5.30pm at this time of year. This is a "roll up" which means ad hoc games being played depending upon who wants a game. Given the weather forecast the first one should be Thursday 2nd May. 

Our first Open Day went well with a good buzz around the club and with half a dozen potential new bowlers emerging. The sun shone and coffee and cake was consumed. People were able to have a go on the green which has dried better than expected. Our first fixtures are all away which is probably a blessing (see Teams for playing line-ups). 

Thankfully, our bowling green is starting to dry out and one rink will now be open on the club's first Open Day on Saturday 20th April. All are welcome to visit the club and check out our facilities between 11am-5pm. The club secretary Shirley will be on hand between 11am-1pm to answer any questions about joining - or rejoining - the club! Also your first free coaching session can be booked. By the following Saturday 27th April  the whole green should be dry enough to play on, so potential new players will be able to bowl a few bowls and get a feeling for this marvellous game. The club will be open for this second Open Day from 11am-5pm, please wear flat-soled shoes or trainers if you wish to try bowling! 

The ladies friendly fixture against Winscombe on 24th April has been postponed to Tues 4th June.

David Norrell will be at the clubhouse on Wednesday 24th April to receive competition forms from members.

The ladies away  match at North Petherton on 15th April has been postponed. Will update in Fixtures when we get a new date firmed up. Presumably they are suffering from the same problem of a sodden green...

Breaking News! Due to extremely bad weather and a continued wet forecast for the next couple of weeks our esteemed green-keeper David Urwin thinks it only sensible to delay the opening of the green. This is to protect the turf from unnecessary wear and tear which is hard to repair. David has learnt that other clubs in the area are also having to delay the opening their greens. The suggested date for opening is now Tuesday 23rd April but check here for any updates to that. 

It was tense stuff at the short mat evening as the final of the pairs took place. Mary & Rob went ahead on the first end and kept in front throughout, pipping David U & Marion at the finish. It was a very civilised affair and no marital disputes were observed!

It was the last event of the winter programme with Malcolm Bennett the genial host of his Mega Music quiz. Ably assisted by his lovely Statistical Assistant Aline (try saying that after a few drinks), Malcolm teased and tortured his willing victims through several rounds requiring specialist knowledge of 1960s pop, Oscar-winning songs, TV themes, the Beatles, novelty songs and much more besides. The  winners were Bristol Fashion closely followed by 3S & D and the Forget-me-Nots. It was a brilliant evening which raised a goodly amount of cash for the club. Thanks to all that helped set it up and to Malcolm and Aline for their good humoured performance!

The club's soup lunch went down well with nearly forty members enjoying the choice of soups, desserts and cheeses. It was a really lovely occasion followed by a signing-on session with everyone paying their year's subscriptions in anticipation of a seasons's enjoyment. Thanks to the cooks and the bar staff!

That was a lovely concert with Yarrow Brass on Sunday. The sextet included 2 tubas, 2 saxophones, a cornet and a trombone. Ken Henton's sextet played a variety of popular tunes including Singing in the Rain, Scarborough Fair and Summertime. What really got the crowd going however was the closing set of Germain drinking songs, Caroline even donning Bavarian folk dress for the occasion. Many thanks to Ken & friends!

Tired of the stresses and noise of modern life? Then come and enjoy an afternoon of proper music when  the local ensemble known as Yarrow Brass plan to soothe you with some classic tunes and then rouse you with the odd bit of Oompa! Even better it's a free event on Sunday10th March at 3.00pm. Refreshments will be served. If you'd like to attend, please ring Rob or Marion on 641899 to give us some idea of numbers.

Saturday 24th February Thanks to David and Caroline Harris for hosting our latest quiz. Many teasers were posed and much head scratching ensued!  The sporting anagram round proved particularly challenging to our team. Once more, the team known as 3S & D proved triumphant in the arcane knowledge department. The evening was enhanced by the launch of the new PA system, heroically installed by Malcolm and Bill in time for the event. Malcolm will be hosting the last quiz of the season with his Mega Music Quiz on Saturday 23rd March at 7.00pm.

The dates for the two Open Days planned for the new season are listed in the Dates section. Check it out!

It is 40 years since the foundation of Mark Moor Bowling Club in 1984 and also 20 years since the new clubhouse was opened! Expect a celebration in May - details to follow...

The social afternoon  on Sunday 4th February went very well with a medley of games  enjoyed by over 25 members and family. Darts, Connect 4, draughts, Yahtzee and Uno were among the hits with great interest in an old bar skittles game brought in by Roger which had been made by his uncle over 70 years ago and was still in great working order! Absolutely brilliant! Thanks all who helped set up the room, those who worked the bar and particularly those who brought in their favourite games to share.

1st Feb 2024. This was a real local derby as Mark Moor short mat team took on the Mark Village Hall team in a league fixture. The two clubs are separated merely by the width of their shared car park. It is always a tough encounter but this time Mark at home won both games played. The first one was a tense affair with David Watts, Penny Glew and John Florey edging it at 7-6. Next up, Shirley Florey, John White and Mary Watts won a bit more resoundingly at 11-3. This means a precious 8 league points for Mark. Well done to all the players!

27th January 2024. Well, we had another great quiz from Malcolm Bennett, again ably assisted by his fair Stat Guru Aline. There were lots of themed rounds including a music round... which proved a bit of a challenge to some of us! Our knowledge of American landmarks, cities and Presidents was similarly put to the test. It turned out that there was no need of a sudden death shoot-out as a clear winner emerged. 3S & D nosed ahead with a score of 100 with two other teams snapping closely at their heels. Sheena, Sue U and Spike made up the "Ss" and it was great to see "D" (David U) coming out to play after an enforced absence from the club and straight away lift some silverware (well a box of chocolates actually). The Wotsits did not do so well with a reward of four KitKats for their bottom position! Oh dear. Their names are being hidden to protect the not so innocent...

Thanks to Lin for organising the raffle, Marion for setting up and the snacks, Sharon & Bill running the bar and all who helped put everything away afterwards. Special thanks to Malcolm and Aline for making the whole evening go so well.

23rd January The Mark Moor short mat team had a field day against their Winscombe rivals in a home league fixture. David Watts, John White and John Florey dominated their game, coasting home at 16-2. Not to be outdone, Shirley Florey, Penny Glew and Mary Watts piled on the pressure with a crushing scoreline of 14-5. The result completed the double over Winscombe as Mark had won there on the first fixture of the season. Well done!

January 2024 Some of the redoubtable short mat players headed off to Torquay last week for a few days of sun, sea and sand. Actually, that's a slight exaggeration. It was more a case of biting cold weather... but at least the sky was blue! We played as triples every morning and had the rest of the day off to do our own thing. Some swam in the pool, others went for walks while some went and played... more bowls. The food was lovely and the accommodation would have been fine except a couple of rooms had hot water failure. Poor John W had to shiver under a heap of quilts for two nights before the fault was sorted. Every night the eight club members formed themselves into a card school playing Newmarket for literally pennies and a good time was had by all.

Luke the Nuke look out! We will be having a darts afternoon on Sunday 4th February  3pm.

2024: Happy New Year! 

New Year's lunch - Well, that was a lovely lunch with cottage pie, crumble, followed by cheese & coffee. Nearly 30 people turned up and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Marion and Shirley for cooking from the crack of dawn, Penny G for helping to dish up and clear up and Mary for her delicious pavlova.

The quiz in January will now be on Saturday 27th at 7.00pm not the Friday as previously stated. The February and March quizzes will also be on Saturdays.

Thanks to David Harris for hosting a great quiz on 1st December! Well done to the Wotsits... you know who you are!

We have just booked Yarrow Brass for an afternoon of brass music (obvs) for 10th March. Led by local man Ken Henton, the group promises a programme of light tunes together with a tour of their various instruments... Save that date!

The Short Matters were up against the Mighty Kewstoke in their latest league match. Kewstoke lived up to their table-topping position by winning both games. Mark Moor competed closely in both however with David W, Rob and Penny G going down 6-10 eventually after playing nip and tuck throughout. Meanwhile a late challenge from Shirley, Mary and John F ran out of gas, with them going down by 9-11. Congratulations to Kewstoke who had an excellent all-round performance!

The AGM on 7th November was well attended with nearly 40 members in attendance. Mary Watts was a popular choice as our new President while Shirley Florey takes over as Club Secretary. Many thanks to Penny V for all her hard work. Malcolm Bennett is our new Men's Captain and Peter Beavan takes on the SCL captaincy. The Competitions Secretary will be David Norrell in 2024 and Neville Ham is the new Vice-Chairman. Otherwise it's as you were! Next year's full adult membership will be £100 with a reduced fee of £50 for players new to our club. Thanks to Bill for chairing the meeting with good humour... 

The next quiz has been postponed by a week and now will be on Friday 1st Dec commencing at 7.00pm. It will be hosted by David Harris. Tables of 4 at £3pp. Booking is essential, please phone Marion or Rob on 01278 641899 to book a table. Because of the proximity of the dates, the tea on Sunday 3rd will now not go ahead.

Malcolm Bennett hosted a music quiz on Friday which was a very jolly affair indeed. Malcolm tested our musical knowledge  over the past half century or more ably aided by his stats elf Aline. The outright winners were Steve Hannett's team whose outre team name currently escapes me! Thanks to all who organised the room, the bar, the raffle and the snacks! Note: the aforementioned winning team name was No Pies for Old Men - so called because of a lack of the said comestible at a local Burnham hostelry on the evening of that there quiz. Poor lambs!

Quiz on 27th Oct... breaking news, the quiz is postponed to Friday 3rd November and will be hosted by our very own Malcolm Bennett. See Dates for further details...

It is with great sadness that the club has learned of the passing of Pat McHale. Pat was a long time member of Mark Moor Bowling Club and was very well known amongst fellow bowlers far and wide. We offer our sympathy to Richard and the family at this difficult time.

Apologies but the darts afternoon will not now go ahead on Sunday 8th October...

Wednesday 13th Sept 2023. We were heartened by some visitors from Porlock who came here to play a last friendly game of the season. Mark won two of the five triple rinks played while Porlock went on to win the shot total by 76-96 - which was the reverse of the result when Mark visited them. Bill Murphy, Roger Lamprey and captain Peter Beavan won their rink by a convincing 22-9. Much closer was Sue Urwin, Marion Pudner and skip Richard McHale who came from behind in the second half of the game to clinch their rink by 17-13. A lovely meal followed as the time came for most of us to hang up our sun-hats and waterproof jackets and head indoors for the winter. Very sad really!

Tuesday 12th Sept. The ladies had a lovely end to their season with a friendly triples match played in sunshine against Wyrall Park, Glastonbury. Mark Moor won two of the three rinks played with Penny G skipping Sue U and Cynthia to a 20-12 win while Jackie, Sharon and captain Shirley had a similar margin, coming home at 21-14. The shot total went to Mark by 55-52 so smiles all round. The smiles widened when the game was followed by a lovely tea with homemade cakes made by Mary Watts. Wish I'd been there!

Monday 11th Sept. It's a sure sign that the outdoor season is coming to a halt when the club plays its last Monday evening Umbrella. The Umbrella is a competition that runs throughout the season wherein players are drawn into random teams every week and accumulate individual points for each team win or draw. Confused? Don't worry, nearly everybody else is... but it is a great way for newer players to experience playing in different positions and alongside different members.  Anyway... (drum roll) the winner of this year's Umbrella is... ladies captain Shirley Florey - followed by Roger, Peter B and Rob P. Congratulations, Shirley, on playing so well on regular basis!

Sunday 10th. It was the gender wars in Mark Moor as the Ladies took on the Gents in a bid for the bragging rights over the next 12 months. It was the ladies who blinked first but they did go on to win two of the six rinks played. The best ladies rink was played by Aline, Julie, Sue S and skip Marion who won by 20-10. Another good win was by Sheena, Barbara and Shirley (skip) who scored seven over the last two ends to win by 24-22. On the men's side the widest victory was by Nick V, Terry, Russ and Roger who cruised home at 28-7. Chris, Pete P and Nick F also won by a convincing 25-6  while Rob, Trevor and David N did well to win by 19-8. The other men's winning rink was Richard, David U and Peter B who just held on to win by one shot at 19-18. There was a lot of laughter and fun and the match was followed by a lovely barbecue with John W and Joe wielding the tongs. The raffle raised over £130 for the club charity Hope for Tomorrow. Well done , everyone!

Tues 5th Sept. Phew what a scorcher! could be the running headline this week as Mark's over-55 men (yes, we are really that old, appearances to the contrary) took on the mighty Clevedon Prom team in hothouse conditions. This was the last league fixture of the season and the result was exactly the same as when we took the trip up the M5 early in the season. The Promenaders won four rinks to Mark Moor's two. Paul White, John White (no relation) and skip Joe Harris watched an early lead nearly evaporate in the sunshine but managed to hang on and get home by 18-15. An even closer encounter was had by Chris Cann, Malcolm Bennett and stand-in captain Peter Beavan who came from behind  to hold on to a narrow victory by 15-14. The other rinks went down in various degrees of heaviness giving the Prom the shot total by 75-113 and the league points by 4-16. Captain Gerald Durston was let off his usual duties because of his Golden Wedding anniversary and the team wishes him and Barbara all the very best. It's been a long old season but Gerald has held his team together and we can look forward to a good campaign next year!

Sunday 3rd. The club competition finals ran into its second day, this time with even hotter sunshine! In the Ladies Pairs, Christine Richardson and Sue Urwin overcame Peggy Fortunati and Alison Buckton by 16-7 while in the Ladies Singles Shirley Florey came from a long way behind to pip Marion Pudner by 21-19. The Mens Singles was also keenly fought with Wayne Richardson holding off a late challenge by Rob Pudner to get home by 21-15. Well done to all the competitors and organisers for a lovely weekend of bowling.

Saturday 2nd Sept. It was Day 1 of the club competition finals and we were blessed with some welcome sunshine. Nick Fuller and Wayne Richardson contested the Men's 2 Woods with Wayne getting ahead to win by 9-16. Meanwhile Sharon Murphy was in scintillating form as she lead Lin Simpson by 13-10. Later Rob Pudner and Allan Brooks had a difficult start against Wayne Richardson and Joe Harris, going down 6-15 in the Men's Pairs. At the same time, Shirley Florey and John White pulled away from Sue & David Urwin to win by 23-7. This was a very good day's competition, thanks to all who helped to organise it.

Friday 1st Sept 2023. The cub enjoyed a great game against our neighbours from Burnham-on-Sea. Six rinks were played in this mixed friendly match with each club winning three apiece. Mark's best score came from Sue Smith, Richard McHale and skip Brian Tagg at 20-11. Also in a winning mood were Nick Fuller, Chris Cann and Lin Simpson (skip) with a 16-13 score-line. Even closer were Bill Murphy, Sharon Murphy and John Florey who edged home by 16-14. Captain Peter's rink fought back from a poor start only to lose 15-16 with the last shot of the game. Both teams played well but the overall shot total went to Burnham by 89-97.

Tuesday 29th Aug. Mark's ladies welcomed their chums from Winscombe for a friendly game. Rain eventually curtailed the length of the game but the 12 ends played were enough to constitute a match. Four triple rinks were played with honours being split two apiece. Mark's winning rinks were Sue U, Cynthia and Marion who held off a late challenge to hold on at 12-11. The outstanding result however was from Aline, Jackie and Lin who dominated their rink to win by 15-6. This meant the overall shot total went to Mark Moor by 44-40. Captain Shirley was very pleased with the all round effort and attitude of all the Mark ladettes!

Sunday 27th August 2023. We had a very friendly mixed game against Wellington with the rain holding off until the last few minutes of the game. It was nip and tuck throughout with Mark nipping ahead on three rinks while Wellington tucked in on two. As their captain Ian said afterwards, it showed the value of perseverance as their rink picked up three shots on their last end which was enough to swing the whole game to the Wellies by 82-84. He also said that was his first visit to Mark but, after the really warm welcome, he would make sure to arrange and play in the same fixture next year! Chris Cann, Jackie Morris and skip Nick Fuller carded the best result, getting ahead and staying ahead to finish at 19-12. Gaining a three point cushion after falling behind early doors, Sue Smith, Aline Bennett and Roger Lamprey (skip) scored 19-16. Meanwhile, Sue Urwin, Malcolm Bennett and skip Shirley Florey held off a late challenge to coast home at 16-14. Captain du jour Gerald declared himself a very happy bunny!

Saturday 26th August. This was Joe Harris's last turn as captain after 15 years  in a revised men's county league fixture against the Yatton B team. It wasn't quite a fairytale ending as Yatton won two of the three rinks played but it was a game played in great spirit. The green was still quite heavy after the previous day's rain but skip Andy Kyprianides aided by Nick van der Bijl, Russell Chilcott and Billy Holiday provided a spot of sunshine as they picked up 8 shots over the last three ends to clinch their rink  by 20-19. The shot total however went to Yatton by 47-74 giving them 10 league points to Mark's two. A bottle of something red was presented to Joe after the game and a lovely tea was enjoyed by all. Well done and thank you, Joe!

Friday 25th August. Mark's men were in danger of winning a rare victory in this friendly against our old chums from the City of Wells B.C. but they saw it drift away from them in the latter stages of a close but friendly game. Rain stopped play on couple of occasions, the drizzle turning  to rain, but finally we were rewarded with the sun coming out. The rinks went two apiece with Mark's best performance coming from Bill Murphy, David Norrell and Rob Pudner who won 19-10 - aided by some healthy dollops of luck! Joe Harris assisted by Malcolm Bennett and Brian Tagg also did well, coming from behind to win their rink by 20-17. The overall shot total however went to Wells by 66-71 while everyone was pleased to have had a good game followed by a tasty meal. The Wells' captain in his speech went out of his way to praise Mark Moor's green, declaring it one of the best that he'd played on all season!

Thursday 24th. Mark Moor's ladies were quickly back into action, this time against Ashcombe at home in the Victoria league.  Rain threatened proceedings but didn't amount to much. Captain Shirley along with the two Sues, S & U, tried to recover from a slow start but went down 11-25 eventually. Aline, Ros and Marion were in contention until the final end when they dropped four to lose by 17-21. On the other hand, however, Jackie, Sharon and skip Penny G were little rays of sunshine, dominating their rink to win by 22-11. Twasn't enough to swing the whole game, unfortunately, as those pesky Ashcombe ladies seized the shot total by 50-57!

Wednesday 23rd August 2023. As captain Gerald put it, Mark Moor's over-55s team were in for a "blooming good hiding" when they came up a strong Nailsea team at home. Losing on all six rinks was not a good look with Mark's best effort coming from Paul White, Russ Chilcott and Richard McHale (skip) who came in at 13-17 down. This may seem a case of the last of the summer whine with all 20 points going to Nailsea with a big fat zero to Mark! But it was a game played in beautiful sunshine on our lovely green. Thanks to David U and the green team for all their hard work at getting the surface back to tip-top condition.

Tuesday 22nd August. The ladies travelled for a friendly triples game against their old chums at Wyrall Park, Glastonbury. Captain Shirley's rink made a late charge to make up ground but eventually lost by 15-29. Meanwhile, Penny Glew's side came closer, picking up 3 on the last end to finish 13-14. Pick of the results, however, went to Peggy Fortunati, Ros Prince and skip Marion Pudner who just held on to their lead to win by 15-14. The shot total went to the Wyrall by 43-57. This was a lovely game played in beautiful conditions.

Saturday 19th. A visit to table-topping Victoria BC (W-s-M) was always going to be a big ask for Mark Moor's men in the county league. And so it proved with all three rinks going to the Weston lads. Mark's best show was with Roger Lamprey, Gerald Durston, Andy Kyprianides and skip Wayne Richardson who went down 14-21. The other rinks were skipped by Joe Harris (23-15) and Brian Tagg (11-26). This gave the Vic the maximum 12 league points and confirmed relegation for Mark Moor. A sad day but there's always next year...

Adjustments! The over-55s game against Nailsea is now a home fixture after Nailsea kindly agreed to reverse the fixture following our green being a bit water-logged recently. Also affected by heavy rain, our county league match against Yatton B team is now on Saturday 26th August.

Thursday 17th Aug. Mark's ladies played well but were overcome by the consistency of the Clarence BC's ladies in this friendly triples match. Clarence won all three rinks while Mark's best performance came from Aline Bennett, Sue Smith and Penny Glew who came back to challenge after a poor start... but lost on the very last end by 11-12. The shot total went to the Weston club by 36-58 so no arguments there!

Tuesday 15th Aug. It was a mixed bag of fortune as Mark's over-55s travelled away to promotion-seeking Ashcombe Knights in a very sunny Weston. Mark travelled with a full crew of 18 players, leaving captain Gerald Durston to direct matters from the shade of a palm tree. Fortunes swung back and forth as Mark won two of the six rinks played. The best result was achieved by Nick Fuller, Alan Rockett and skip John White who powered away in the latter stages to win by 28-6. Similarly, Roger Lamprey, Malcolm Bennett and skip Wayne Richardson dominated their last few ends to come home with a 19-12 score.  The shot total went to the Knights by 95-117, however, while captain Gerald declared himself well pleased with the his team's effort. Four league points to Mark and 16 to Ashcombe.

Saturday 12th. 'Twas a pity but the county league game against Wrington had to be cancelled due to a lack of players on both sides.

Thursday 10th Aug. Mark's ladies travelled to Clarence BC (W-s-M). Mark won one of the three rinks played but sadly went down by a shot total of 35-66. The sole winning rink provided the drama of the game, however, as Penny Glew, Sharon Murphy and captain Shirley Florey came from behind to score 3 on the last end to take their rink by 16-15. Well done, ladies!

Tuesday 8th. There had to be a last minute change of venue for this over-55s game as Mark's green was absolutely sodden and not playable. Nailsea kindly agreed to us play the fixture at their club instead and gave us a very warm welcome. The Mark lads competed well and won on three of the six rinks played. Standout rinks were Malcolm Bennett, Andy Kyprianides and skip David Norrell who won by 17-10. Equally impressive were Paul White, Russell Chilcott and John Florey (skip) who dominated their rink with a 19-12 result. Also chipping in were Nick Fuller, Spike Sharp and skip Rob Pudner who held off a late challenge to get home by 16-11. A surprise stand-in was chair Bill Murphy who covered an absence even while having a decided limp from recent knee surgery. The overall shot total however went to Nailsea by 82-113 (I think, having lost the relevant piece of paper!) which meant 6 league points to Mark Moor and 14 to Nailsea. A good effort, lads!

Sunday 6th. Gerald led his team on a magical mystery tour to Pratten's BC near Midsomer Norton for a mixed triples friendly. Rain threatened the start of the game but, after a sociable time-out, the rain stopped and the sun eventually shone. We had a lovely game and Mark won two of the three rinks played. The biggest margin went to Roger Lamprey, Barbara Durston and skip Rob Pudner who dominated the closing stages to win by 27-7. A similarly strong result was secured by Chris Cann, Russell Chilcott and Marion Pudner (skip) who stayed ahead from early on to cruise home by 21-11. The overall shot total went to Mark by 65-38 and the day was topped off with a lovely cream tea.

Saturday 5th August 2023. Yatton came, they saw and they went home dripping wet. The forecasts were always threatening and indeed  the skies opened on this county league match and after a couple of wet ends the players retreated indoors for an early tea. The problem will now be finding a mutually agreeable date to fulfil the fixture... Update: a draw has been agreed which leaves each team with six league points apiece. We are still perilously close to the trapdoor... Hotter news, the match has been re-arranged, please see the Fixtures section for details...

Thursday 3rd August. Mark's ladies were on a bit of a roll in this friendly match against local rivals Wedmore, winning two of the three triple rinks played. The biggest margin went to Alison Buckton, Sharon Murphy and Marion Pudner (skip) who combined well to win by 18-8. Also scoring freely were Sue Smith, Mary Watts and captain Shirley Florey who won their rink by 14-9. The third rink went down - but by only 12-15 - meaning that the overall shot total went to Mark by a whopping 44-32. Mark's reserve player Penny Glew did come on to play... but for the opposition, as one of Wedmore's players had to retire in discomfort. Altogether this was a great result for the ladies!

Saturday 29th July. It was always going to be hard going as Mark started with a man down as they hosted Clevedon Prom in a county league match. The shot penalty incurred didn't prove decisive however as Mark lost on two of the three rinks played. The winning rink was Roger Lamprey, Chris Cann, Andy Kyprianides and skip Brian Tagg with a convincing 20-15 scoreline. The overall shot went to the Promenaders by 54-63 meaning that Mark gained 2 league points to Clevedon's ten. Better luck next time, lads!

Thursday 27th July. Mark's ladies made the short hop, skip and jump to Burnham-on-Sea for a Victoria league fixture. While giving a good account of themselves, the match eventually swung Burnham's way by two rinks to one. Mark's winning rink was Christine Richardson, Sharon Murphy and captain Shirley Florey with a decisive 21-9 margin. The overall shot total however went to B-o-S by 47-57 leaving Mark with two league points and the opposition with eight. Still, a great effort against our near neighbours!

Wednesday 26th. It was a miserable day in more ways as one as Mark travelled to St Andrews (W-s-M), the team topping the men's over-55s league at the moment. Mark had to travel with only 5 rinks as some players had pulled out late in the day. This meant an automatic penalty of 10 shots and 2 league points for the missing rink. In the end, the Saints needed no favours as they won on all five rinks, cantering home by a shot total of 43-91. Conditions were dismal anyway with a steady drizzle coming down for most of the afternoon. Mark's best rink was Roger Lamprey, Paul White and skip Alan Brooks who were just ahead going into the last end only to drop 4 shots and lose by 11-14. Let's pray for dry conditions and maybe some sunshine next time!

Sunday 23rd July 2023. It was Mark's turn to host Wedmore in the second leg of the Moors Shield fixture. The first leg had gone overwhelmingly Wedmore's way but there was still pride to play for. Six mixed rinks were played and they went three-all between the two clubs. It was a tense time as the captains Trish and Gerald struggled with the arithmetic required but there was a great cheer as Mark was declared winners on the day by two shots with a shot total of 113-111. Terry Heasman, Chris Cann, Lin Simpson and Rob Pudner made a convincing 33-9 on their rink. Another good score was won by Roger Lamprey, Sue Smith, Cynthia Wadeley and skip John Florey coming in at 22-13. Penny Glew aided by Gerald Durston, Sheila Bickham and Richard McHale also won, holding off a late challenge to score 18-15. Captain Gerald Durston was mightily pleased with two wins on the trot and even more so when their captain left the shield behind in error! We'll have to hide it for the next 12 months...

Saturday 22nd July. Mark hosted Berkshire Bowls Association as part of their summer tour of Somerset. The green looked beautiful, the scoreboards would have gleamed in the sunshine (if there'd been any) and all the sandwiches were neatly cut and stacked. Trouble was, the weather wasn't playing ball. The rain started and didn't stop all day. The Berks men couldn't play their own game in the morning and the game against Mark in the afternoon. The decision was taken to pull the plug and after an early lunch the Berks men headed off to the heady delights of Weston Helicopter Museum. Our visitors were a very jolly crew and it was a pity we didn't get a game on. 

Thursday 20th July. There was joy unbounded as Mark's over-55s men's team finally scored a victory in this bottom of the table crunch match. Ashcombe Templars proved doughty opponents and made a good early start but Mark got back into it and ended up winning four of the six rinks played. The widest margin went to Nick Fuller, Alan Rockett and skip Alan Brooks who eased away in the later stages to win by 21-8 on their rink. Roger Lamprey, Kevin Roberts and Peter Beavan (skip) came from behind to get to 21-10. Skip John Florey together with Paul White and Bob Miller  dominated their rink at 17-7 while Russell Chilcott, Rob Pudner and skip Joe Harris pulled back on theirs to win by 16-12. The overall shot total went to Mark by 94-86 which meant 16 league points to Mark and four to Ashcombe. This was a friendly game played in perfect conditions. Mark's Russell and Kevin both excelled on their debuts while captain Gerald masterminded tactics from a shady bench. Well done, all!

Tuesday 18th July. It was close run thing as Mark's ladies travelled to Ashcombe Park (W-s-M) for a Victoria league match. Honours were pretty even as Mark won on one rink, drew on another but lost on the third. The winning rink was Barbara Durston, Emily White and captain Shirley Florey who held off a late challenge to finish at 15-12. Meanwhile Jackie Morris, Marion Pudner and skip Penny Glew played nip and tuck to close out at 10-10. The overall shot total however went to Ashcombe by 37-41 which gave them 7 league points to Mark's three. Everyone had a really enjoyable game despite the pitch being invaded by a swarm of flying ants! 

Sunday 16th. It was another wet and windy excursion for the club, this time to the City of Wells club which nestles beautifully near the Bishop's Palace. The trees loom large over their green and as we arrived the Well players were busy with leaf-blowers and rakes to get things ready for the game. It was a mixed triples friendly on 5 rinks and our Wells opponents were as amiable as ever. The game didn't go our way, however - just for a change - and Wells won on four of the rinks. Mark's only success came with Rob Pudner, Sue Smith and skip Joe Harris who powered away to win  18-8 on their rink. The overall shot total was weighted to Wells however at 39-59. There was a short break for rain half way through and only 16 rinks were played in the end as another heavy shower came in... ah, British summers...

Saturday 15th July. It was a  tale of woe as the men made the short trip to Wedmore for a county league match played in squally weather. The welcome was warm however, and the food was lovely - it's just the scores that were a bit of a disappointment! The best of three rinks played was skipped by Brian Tagg with David Norrell, Chris Cann and Richard McHale  who came back from 6-15 down to finish 11-17. The other two rinks were a little bit the worse for wear score-wise.  As captain Joe Harris remarked afterwards it was still a great day out for the Mark Moor players. Better luck next time, lads!

Wednesday 12th July. There was a sense of deja vu as Mark Moor's men had to play a home over-55 triples game short of one rink. Mark won on 3 rinks against Portishead, losing two. David Norrell (skip) Roger Lamprey and Andy Kyprianides dominated proceedings to romp home on their rink by 16-10. Meanwhile, Nick Fuller, David Urwin and skip John Florey made a spectacular come-back to win by 20-15. The other winning rink was Nick van der Bijl, Gerald Durston and skip Joe Harris who managed to hold off a late challenge to win 19-17. The shot total included a 10 point penalty for the missing rink and at 72-102 gave Portishead 14 league points as against Mark's six. This was a great effort against a much larger club - congratulations are due to Gerald and his merry men!

Thurs 6th July. Here is a belated report on last week's game against our old touring chums from Ashstead, Surrey. This was a men's triple friendly game played on three rinks and Mark soon found themselves behind on all rinks. The best come-back came from Nick Fuller, Malcolm Bennett and skip Roger Lamprey who clawed their way back to lose by just a single point 15-16. The shot total went to Ashstead by 35-48. This was a lovely game played in good spirit with our visitors enjoying a warm welcome before beetling back up the motorway as we were their last port of call on their tour of the area.

Tuesday 11th July. Well, we've all been saying that we need rain for the garden and the bowling green but it is a bit out of order for the wet stuff to descend in the middle of a game! Mark's ladies were taking on the Wedmore gals in a mixed triples friendly and were doing ever so well by leading on two the three rinks being played. Alison Buckton, Sheila Bickham and skip Lin Simpson were leading 10-8 while Sue Smith, Sharon Murphy and Penny Glew had nosed ahead 8-7 when rain stopped play after 11 ends. The other rink was a bit behind but who knows where this game could have gone? Only the rain gods and they're not saying...

It is with great sadness that the bowls club has to announce the death of its President Brian Haggett. Brian had been bravely facing ill-health for a long time while continuing to bowl expertly from a wheel-chair in latter years. Brian's cheerfulness and sportsmanship were a great example to us all. His company will be sorely missed by his many friends. Our thoughts and sympathy go to Val and the rest of his family.

Sunday 9th July. After a difficult rain-interrupted first day, the club's rinks competition finished on a perfect sunny day. The final between Roger, Emily, Terry and Lin against Gerald, Mary, Sue S and David U finished in a close 12-9 victory for Lin and her team. The result was in doubt until the final wood came to rest. Well done all. The day concluded with a delicious cream tea served by Penny and Shirley. NH.

Wednesday 5th July. There was a long and winding road to Portishead for Mark's over-55s men's team for this afternoon's bowling. An overturned caravan on the M5 made the trip up twice as long as usual. Portishead BC politely awaited our arrival before kicking off proceedings and proceeded to power ahead on all rinks. The only ray of sunshine came on Rink Two with Roger Lamprey, Bob Miller and skip Joe Harris pulling back from 4-15 down to win by 20-18. That was a great effort but unfortunately the overall shot total went to Portishead by 64-122 with 2-18 league points going to them as well. Having said all that, we had a great welcome and everyone enjoyed the afternoon's play with the added bonus of a clear run on the motorway to get back home! Oh, and Captain Gerald was very pleased to take a full complement of 18 players - albeit with a few walking wounded...

Sunday 2nd July. There was great fun to be had and much meat to be consumed at the annual Fun Day with Barbecue. Thanks to all who pitched in and made it such a great success!

Saturday 1st July 2023. It was a tough job for Mark Moor's men taking on Portishead RBL, one of the area's biggest clubs - as demonstrated by the fact they could field a strong C team against us. There was some relief for Mark as we won one of the three rinks played. Roger Lamprey, Bill Murphy, John Florey and skip Peter Beavan managed a 24-17 win on their rink but the shot total went to RBL by 52-71. This meant 2 SCL league points to Mark and ten to Portishead. After 6 league games, this finds Mark Moor at the foot of their division having won only one game and on 15 points, three points behind Wrington who are just above us. All to play for in the second half of the season!

Thursday 28th. It was a close run thing as Mark's ladies took on their old rivals North Petherton in a Victoria League match. Mark Moor won on two of the three rinks but the shot total went NP's way.  Ros Prince, Penny Glew and skip Lin Simpson  had a convincing 23-11 win on their rink while Peggy Fortunati, Cynthia Wadeley and skip Mary Watts just pinched it by 21-20. The overall shot total however was 58-68 which meant Mark gained 4 league points to North Petherton's six. This was a solid performance for an improving Mark Moor side.

Sat & Sunday 24th/25th June. It was a fine weekend as seven mixed triples teams battled it out to discover who would be this year's club  champions. There was a quick adjustment to the format on Saturday morning after we longer had enough players to make up an eighth team. By Sunday afternoon every team had played four matches and the two top teams on points went into the final. Sharon Murphy, Nick Fuller and skip Brian Tagg went head-to-head against Gerald Durston, Allan Brooks and David Norrell and at first coasted ahead to an 8-0 lead. A late rally from their opponents however saw them still ahead going into the last end of twelve - but now by only 10-8. This proved enough as they scored an extra shot  to win the final by 11-8. There were lots of oohs and aahs from the crowd during the game which was followed by a lovely cream tea. Neville Ham and Penny Glew deserve great credit for mastering an excellent weekend and also for working out the scores in the revised format. Well done Sharon, Nick and Brian for a great win!

Thurs 22nd June 2023. It seems a little while since Mark Moor had cause to celebrate something and it couldn't have happened on a nicer day. We travelled to Porlock for a mixed triples friendly game and had a great welcome from our hosts. The weather was beautiful with a cooling  sea breeze coming off the Channel with views across to wonderful Wales! Mark won on three of the five rinks played  with a standout performance from skip Malcolm Bennett aided by Paul White and Emily White (not related!) winning 26-15. This was Malcolm's first outing as skip and the drinks are on him... Nick Fuller, Chris Cann and Wayne Richardson (skip) also dominated their rink at 21-14 while Andy Kyprianides, Mary Watts and skip Rob Pudner grabbed a four on the last end to finish at 22-16. Nice food and cold drinks finished off a lovely day before the marathon drive home. Well done to all the players and congratulations to captain Peter Beavan on a solid team performance.

Tues 20th. There were mixed emotions as Mark's over-55s men entertained Victoria Vikings (W-s-M) in a close game on a beautiful day. Heavy rain the night before had made the green a bit heavy but it still bowled really well. Mark won 3 rinks and out-scored the Vikings but still came off worse in the hunt for league points. Why? It was because Mark could only field 5 rinks instead of six which entailed a 10 shot and two league point penalties. The best winning rink was won by John White, Andy Kyprianides and skip Wayne Richardson by 19-14, the other winning rinks were skipped by Alan Brooks 21-17 and Rob Pudner 15-14. After incurring the penalty Mark lost by 83-89 shots and 6-14 league points. Captain Gerald Durston was very pleased with a great effort and is determined to get the right number of troops amassed next time around!

Monday 19th. It was a tough game against seasoned opponents as Mark's ladies dashed down the A38 to play Bridgwater in the Victoria league. Mark lost on all three rinks with the best result coming from Julie Fowler, Alison Buckton and skip Marion Pudner who couldn't quite catch up at the end and went 13-17 down. Captain Shirley Florey thanks Barbara, Emily, Julie and Pat Seabrook for stepping up to make a team.

Sunday 18th. This was the first leg of the annual Moors Shield match between Mark Moor and Wedmore. Mark travelled up the slopes of the mighty Isle of Wedmore but it went pretty well downhill from there. The only ray of sunshine proved to be Mary Watts, Cynthia Wadeley, Neville Ham and skip Peter Beavan who held on for an 18-all draw on their rink. Wedmore will breeze into the second leg holding a lead of 75-152 which means Mark may be playing for revenge if not victory! Club captain Peter Beavan went out of his way to thank Steve Hannett and Neville Ham for turning out to play at the last moment.

Saturday 17th June. Mark Moor's men took on the Banwell B team in the county league and came of worst. All three rinks were close half-way through but the Bees crept ahead on two of them in the closing stages. The third rink of Terry Heasman, Mac, Gerald Durston and skip Wayne Richardson were holding up to the very last shot when the Banwell skip took the jack back to make the two that saw them win by 20-21. The overall shot total went to Banwell by 46-60 which meant the Bees took all 12 league points. Well done, Mark, for a good effort in very hot conditions.

Thursday 15th June. It was a case of so near yet so far as the Mark Moor ladies went down to a narrow defeat against Burnham-on-Sea in the Victoria League. Mark won on one of the three rinks played - with skip Penny Glew aided by Shirley Florey and Sharon Murphy edging it by 15-13 shots. The other two rinks were also close (but in the wrong way) which meant Burnham won the shot total by 43-48, giving them 8 league points to Mark's two. A valiant effort by all concerned on a very hot day!

Saturday 10th. Well, bad news travels slowly but Your Intrepid Reporter can now reveal that the SCL team lost to the Congresbury B team on all rinks. The actual scores are veiled in a shroud of mystery but suffice to say nil points Mark, dix points a Congresbury. Things can only get better, mes braves!

Tuesday 6th June 2023. Mark Moor entertained our friends from Ashcombe Knights for the third time so far this season. The day was slightly cooler than the previous week which made it ideal for bowling. The Knights galloped away with the win in the end after a pretty close start. Mark won on two rinks to Ashcombe's four. Alan Brooks, ably supported by Brian Tagg and John White, made a good start and kept themselves ahead the whole game to win their rink by 18-13 shots. Meanwhile Dave Nesbit, Terry Heasman and skip Rob Pudner held off a late flurry to stagger over the line at 18-15. The other 4 rinks went down by various amounts which meant the shot total went to the Knights by 80-111, leaving them with 16 league points to Mark's four. It was great to see Dave Nesbit make his club debut with a good performance.

Saturday 3rd June. Well our dash up the M4 to see our friends at Rodbourne Cheney, Swindon didn't come to fruition due to some confusion over the date. Given the state of the motorways over half-term holidays it was probably a blessing in disguise!

26th June. Our second Open Day went well on Friday evening and afterwards. Over the whole weekend 8 potential players came forward and, hopefully, all will set out on a biased way of life!

Breaking news.. Just in... the Weston & District Over 55s Triples League 2 table. Mark lie in 6th position out of 8. Played 4, won one, 9 rinks won and 15 lost. Below us is Portishead who have only played two games and, below them, Ashcombe Templars who have played more and lost them all. There's a long way to go and Captain Gerald keeps on turning out with a full team!

Saturday 27th May 2023. The men's county league team wreaked a measure of revenge for their midweek defeat by St Andrews - albeit in a different league. This time the Mark lads won two of the three rinks contested. The standout result was by Roger Lamprey, David Norrell, Peter Beavan and skip Wayne Richardson who got ahead, stayed ahead and romped home by 23-10. A more tense affair was won by Nick Fuller, Chris Cann, Spike Sharp and Rob Pudner who held off a late challenge to win by 21-20. With the overall shot total going Mark Moor's way by 62-51, Mark took 10 league points to the Saints two. Very well done, lads!

Thursday 25th. Mark's ladies came ever so close to securing a win over old rivals at North Petherton in the Victoria League. Mark won on two of the three rinks played but unfortunately lost out on the overall shot total by 50-56. Sue Urwin, Cynthia Wadeley and skip Penny Glew had a great victory on their rink by 21-16 while Sheila Maton, Marion Pudner and Lin Simpson had a similar scoreline, coming home by 20-16. Sheila impressed on her league debut for the club. Mark Moor gained 4 league points to Pethie's six.  

Tuesday 23rd. Mark took yet another beating - albeit from a very friendly opponent! The visiting over-55s team of St Andrews (W-s-M) showed a good deal of skill and resilience to win 5 of the 6 rinks up for grabs. Mark's best performance came from Dave Urwin, Malcolm Bennett and skip Brian Tagg who held off a late surge from the Saints to get home by 18-16. Peter Beavan aided by Nick van der Bijl and Dave Sharpe also did well, losing by just 17-19. The overall shot total went to St Andrews by 85-124, meaning a total of 18 league points to Mark's two. Still it was a great game of bowls.

Sunday 21st. It was another defeat on the road as Mark Moor headed up the A38 for a mixed rinks friendly with our old chums at Wrington BC. We had a lovely reception but it was tinged with a hint of deja vu as Mark succumbed 0-4 rinks on the dreaded carpet surface. Best of a less than good bunch was Chris Cann, Marion Pudner and skip Roger Lamprey  who after being 6-3 up early doors eventually went down 10-14 after a poor run-in to the end. Only 16 ends were played as the hosts thought the afternoon too hot but actually conditions cooled as cloud cover drifted in later on in the game. We lost 47-72 with the only consolation being that with the return fixture to be played on real grass the boot should be on the other foot! Thanks to Gerald for stepping in as non-playing captain and bringing young Super-Mac with him.

Saturday 20th May. The men headed up the road to Winscombe for an SCL league game. Winscombe proved a difficult team to beat on their own beautiful green, winning on two of the three rinks. On the third rink, Mark's Roger Lamprey, Chris Cann, Brian Tagg and skip Joe Harris were well ahead but were pulled back on the last end to for a draw at 19-all. Mark were warmly welcomed at Winscombe with a lovely afternoon's bowling under a perfect blue sky. One point to Mark, 9 to Winscombe.

Meanwhile the ladies headed off in the opposite direction to Taunton Deane for the first round of the Southey Cup, winning on one of the four rinks played with Marion Pudner and captain Shirley Florey. The overall shot total went to the Deane 53-83 who proceed to the next round.

Friday 19th. Mark Moor made the big trip to the seaside to compete with our old friends from Burnham-on-Sea bowling club in a mixed triples on six rinks. The first half of this friendly game seemed evenly balanced but after a half-time cuppa things swung definitely Burnham's way as they eventually won on five of the 6 rinks.  Mark's sole triumph was Sue Smith, Nick Fuller and captain Peter Beavan with a solid win on their rink by 19-9. The overall shot total was a convincing 76-117 to Burnham. Many thanks to John White as he came on for a poorly Mac halfway through.

Thursday 18th May. Bridgwater came, saw and conquered as Mark's ladies manage to complete a full game for the first time this season. All three rinks went down quite heavily and the shot total went to the Bridgwater ladies by 30-77 thereby winning all 10 league points. Things can only get better!

Wednesday 17th. It was smiles all round as Mark's uber-55s mens team won their first game of the season at the third time of asking. Captain Gerald was rightly pleased with a good all round performance even after visitors Ashcombe Templars introduced a seasoned supporter to play in place of a no-show. Mark Moor won four of the six rinks on offer. The winning rinks were Nick Fuller, John White and skip Wayne Richardson with 30-14 shots; Dave Urwin, Chris Cann and Peter Beavan on 23-8; Gerald Durston, Nick van der Bijl and Rob Pudner with 23-13, and Dave Sharpe, Bob Miller and David Norrell on 21-14. The green looked beautiful on a sunny afternoon and it was fitting that greenskeeper Dave Urwin had his first time playing on a winning rink. The team were also very grateful to Bob Miller for turning out to play so soon after joining the club. Well done, everyone! 

Sunday 14th May. Australian pairs? Australian rules? It's a fun bowls format which I don't feel I can explain without the aid of diagrams and kangaroos... Who really knows but anyway we still had a competition to find this year's champions. Eventually, after two round robin groups,  we had a close final between John White and Wayne Richardson versus Roger Lamprey and Gerald Durston. John and Wayne won the last end to take the championship 4-3. This was an excellent day's entertainment and much thanks must be given to Neville Ham and Penny Glew for organising the day with efficiency and good humour.

13th May.  The men's team faced Ashcombe B team at home in their first  county league fixture. The Bees took two of the three rinks, clinching the game. Mark's highlight was Roger Lamprey, Malcolm Bennett, Wayne Richardson and skip Bill Murphy who won their rink 23-17. This was a tough first game against an accomplished team.

10th May. The over-55s men's team went on the road to Weston looking for their first win of the season but to no avail. Victoria Vikings were on fine form on a sunny but chilly afternoon, winning four of the six rinks on their lovely green. The bright spots for Mark were Roger Lamprey, Bill Murphy and skip Peter Beavan winning their rink 14-10 while Paul White, Malcolm Bennett and Rob Pudner held off a late challenge to hold on for 14-13. The shot total went to the Vikings by 113-77 which meant 16 league points to them and four for Mark Moor. The hunt for a first win goes on!

5th May 2023. Mark's ladies travelled to Winscombe for a friendly triples match on four rinks. Mark were doing ever so well (or so I'm told) when the skies opened and rain stopped play. The compensation was a lovely tea! R.

Members of the club were saddened to hear the news of the passing of Bob Orledge. Bob had been a member of Mark Moor club for many a year and was highly regarded both as a player and as a man. While always being competitive, he was also great fun to play with. His funeral in St John's, Highbridge was very well attended by Bob's large family and many friends and was a fitting tribute to a lovely man. R. 

 3rd May. The over-55s men team put up some stiff resistance against Ashcombe Knights in the first round of the knock-out cup but pulled up short in the end. Mark's sole winning rink was skipped by Joe Harris aided by Terry Heasman and Richard McHale coming in at 17-12. Two drawn rinks were the other highlights with Nick van der Bijl, Bill Murphy and Alan Brooks drawing 23-all and Paul White, Nick Fuller and Rob Pudner managing 17-all. The overall shot total went to the Knights by 91-133 so it was a clear and heavy defeat for Mark. Captain Gerald Durston was however pleased with the effort put on his debut home fixture and the fact of being able field a full team again. The green looked lovely and bowled well on a beautiful afternoon.

The sun came out and shone on the Captain's versus President's match. Two mixed teams from the club were pitted against each other and the Captain's Crew beat the Presidential Hopefuls by three ends to one. It was all played in very good spirits. The winning skips were Penny Glew, Alan Brooks, Rob Pudner and Bill Murphy. Captain Pete Beavan and President Brian Haggett thanked all concerned after a lovely cream tea. The green played beautifully and the new season felt that it was really underway! Woo-hoo! R.

The over-55 team had their first outing of the season under the firm hand of new skipper Gerald Durston. It seemed more of a nautical outing than not, as the team battled up the rainy M5 to Clevedon Promenade club. Amazingly, the game went ahead as indeed the rain turned to drizzle and then stopped. Mark were a man short even after Bill Murphy gamely agreed to play while nursing an injury. The green was heavy and all rinks were going the Prom's way early on. Gradually the Mark players started to turn things around and ended up winning two of the six rinks. Skip Joe Harris aided by Terry Heasman and Richard McHale dominated proceedings on their rink to win by 22-9 while Chris Cann, Spike Sharpe and skip Alan Brooks came from behind to win by 18-11 on theirs. Clevedon won the other four rinks and clinched the whole match by 128-80 shots, giving them 16 league points to Mark's four. Hopefully, the old lads will have shaken off their winter rust ready for the next game! R.

Well, the first Open Day went really well!  We were positively awash with potential bowlers going ooh and aah at our wonderful facilities and baize-like green. More than twenty folk tried their hand at bowling and, hopefully, most will come back for their coaching sessions before committing fully to membership. Thanks to all the members who popped in and helped show people around and enabled all our visitors to have a taster session. We were lucky that the rain held off until the end of the day as the we didn't want to cause any damage to what is still a very moist green. It was a really good day, so much so that I had to lie down in darkened room afterwards! Rob.

The  new outdoor season has kicked off at Mark Bowls Club next to the Village Hall. Great news, we are still offering a free year’s membership to all players new to the club (with a £10 charge to register with the county association). Free coaching will get you started. Outdoor club evenings are at 6.00pm on Mondays and Thursdays. Find us next to Mark Village Hall, Vole Road, Mark TA9 4NY. Ample free parking. Our second Open Day for tours and taster sessions will be on Friday 26th May 2-7pm. Just wear trainers if you want to go on the green. If those dates are not suitable, please ring the number below and we’ll fix you up some other time. Give us a call on 01278 641744, visit markmoorbowlingclub.co.uk  or email [email protected]

It’s a team ‘thing’

In the first of what we hope will be a series, we today focus on the club’s Green Co-odinator David Urwin and his seemingly never ending cycle of tasks necessary to enable the club to present an appropriate playing surface for us all to bowl on.

Whilst David of course, sets the pace and direction of the work routines, he will be the first to insist that recognition is given to the team of willing volunteers who share the load of green preparation, maintenance and repair via carefully planned timetables and rotas… anywhere from 6 to 10 regular contributors give their time and effort for the benefit of the club, and of course for the tea/coffee and Brian Tagg’s home made cakes, often a key incentive.

As to the main tasks that will be most recognisable to the reader, foremost will be the mowingof the green, not only a relentless Spring/Summer activity, but also a maintenance activity through the Winter months, weather permitting of course. David drew up the following stats to illustrate just how much time and effort the team put into this activity alone, aside from a lengthy list of additional tasks that I will cover later:

October-March: Once a week during this period during the off season, each measured at 2 miles of mowing… 48 miles.

April-September:Three times a week during the pre-season and into the season proper, again each measured at 2 miles resulting in an impressive 144 miles.

These stats are for the standard cuts at progressively shorter cutting heights, reducing down ultimately to a playing surface grass length of approx. 5mm, again wholly dependent on weather conditions, for example, if it is seriously hot and dry as it was at times last summer at times, cutting too short will expose the grass to potential scorching. So as you see, even the cutting of the grass itself, becomes a balancing act born out of the green team’s collective experience, wanting to achieve a surface that isn’t slow, but that also isn’t exposed to the damaging elements or diseases.

Below is a list of the main additional tasks that need to be managed by the team, not an exhaustive list, but one that clearly illustrates the effort and walking distance required:

Spiking – every 4-5 weeks – 20 miles

Grooming – twice a month – 24 miles

Spreading – 8 times – 4 miles

Spraying – 21 times – 10 miles

Sweeping – 200 times – 20 miles

In total, David has calculated that green focused work alone will occupy approx. 200 hours of direct effort in any given year, this excludes any remedial maintenance and upkeep work that the tools and machines require… quite an effort I think you will agree.

So, to end, next time you walk into the club and remark that maybe one or two of the mowing lines is not arrow straight, or the pace of the green is not quite as pacey as you would like it… think about what you have read here, out team of volunteers save the club something in the region of £8k-10k annually, in my opinion also, they do a great job. Wayne.

Hot news... the final league table of the Woodspring Short Mat Bowls League 2022-23 has just hit the noticeboard and Mark Moor has achieved true mid-table mediocrity. Won 8, lost 8 leaves us fifth in a league of 9 sides,  slap bang in the middle. Having said that, we do play against teams that play all the year round in their respective village halls and it always takes us a few matches before we get going in the autumn. Congratulations to our chums across the car park in Mark Village Hall who came top in a dramatic finish, pipping Kewstoke by a solitary point. Well done!

Monday March 27th.  Well, the roar has faded, the crowd melted away and the popcorn vendors have packed up their cute little trucks and headed off to their next gig. Yes, the final of the short mat singles competition is over and the new champion has been crowned. Ros Prince achieved immortal status as she held off Pat Seabrook to win by 4-2 in a six end match after a nervy start. It was a clean contest with no discernible eye-gouging! Well done to both players for a close encounter.

Next week we have the last short mat evening when the winner of this year’s umbrella will be decided. Unfortunately, one of our number will no longer be with us. Mr Dave Butt will not there then and is due to be moving house before the Short Matters reconvene in the autumn. He is the man who invented Butt’s Corner, a part of the mat where bowls are mysteriously drawn to contrary to your intentions. Dave was presented with a bespoke autographed wooden block to remind him of fun times. What more could a chap desire? Good luck, Dave!

Saturday 25th March. It was head-scratchin' time at the club - no, not nits but the last of the quizzes of the winter. Trevor once again provided the questions, answer sheets and did the marking, this time aided by his new assistant Peggy. Bill read the questions and judging by the general hubbub, a good time was had by all. The picture round proved difficult for some (well, me actually) but some teams did very well on it so it must have been doable! After the lead changing several times the wine and chocs went to the winning team lead by our very quiz queen Mary aided by her close family, brainy lot!

Monday 20th March. It's coming to the business end of the short mat season as the final of the pairs knockout competition was held in front of a hushed crowd at the clubhouse. You can take the terms "hushed" and "crowd" with a pinch of salt, by the way. Anyway, it was guys against gals as David W and Barry pulled away to beat Sue and Shirley 5-2 over six ends. Following a nervy start, both pairs played some good woods in a fascinating game. Well played, all!

Wednesday 8th March. The Mark Moor short mat team took on Clarence (W-s-M) for their last league match of the season. Both games were close with Sue, David U and Penny G competing to the the finish but still going down by 6-9 shots. The second mat of Shirley, Rob and John F looked to be out of it, trailing by 6 shots with two ends to go, but gained two threes to draw 10-10. So, seven points to Clarence with one to Mark. Other clubs still have to complete their fixtures but a comfortable mid-table finish beckons for Mark whatever happens. Thanks again to Penny for her captaincy and keeping her motley crew happy!

Sunday 5th March 3.00pm. Well the bingo session went well. No fortunes were won but none were lost either and it was a fun afternoon. Thanks to all who attended. 

Wednesday 1st March. Mark Short Matters celebrated St David's Day in style with a crushing home win over Winscombe. The first leg of David W, Rob and skip Penny dominated from the start as Winscombe failed to get to grips with the mat, coming away with a 19-1 victory. The second mat of Shirley, Mary and John took an early lead and were not to be shaken, romping home to a 17-5 shot win. So. all 8 points to Mark Moor. With only one game to go, this leaves Mark firmly ensconced in fourth position in the league. Congratulations to all the players for a great run of form!

23rd February 2023. The short mat team made the short trip to play on the tricky mat at Ashcombe Club (W-s-M) and came away with a great win to continue their strong finish to the season. The first mat consisted of the ladies Sue, Mary and Penny who dominated the early ends and held off a late Ashcombe resurgence to get home by 8-5 shots. The "lads" - David W, David U and John Florey - however had to fight back on the very last end of the second game, gaining a 3 to win by 8-7 shots. Phew! What a terrific performance by the whole team to take all 8 points.

8th February. The Short Mat Hot Shots had a great home result against Bleadon with this league win. First off were the likely lads of David W, David U and John F who were rampant with a 15-3 victory. Then the ladies, Sue U, Shirley F and Mary Watts,  turned the screw even tighter with a 13-8 triumph. This meant a heartening maximum 8 league points for Mark Moor. Well done, everyone!

5th February. There is a social session on Sunday afternoon, 5th February for members to come along and have a cup of tea or coffee together with a toasted tea cake (or a beverage from the bar).  Whilst at the club we will have a selection of shirts in various sizes for you to try on, prior to the club placing a bulk order.  Pictures of the club shirts that we will order are on display on the notice boards and the club will subsidise half the cost of the first shirt for members. You can also see an image of the shirt at the very bottom of this page. (Note: Double click on the image to open it to view in full).

Well that went well with over 60 shirts ordered for members with more to come!

If you are unable to make Sunday afternoon to try on shirts you would be most welcome to pop into the club on Monday morning, 6th February, whilst the green team are there from 09.00 to 11.00 a.m.

28th January. Twas another crazy high-octane night at the bowls club. While our genial host Trevor brought in the quiz with his crack team of invigilators, Bill was invited to take the mic and rock the clubhouse. It was a close run thing but the S&D team, consisting of David, Sheena, Spike and Sue, won through, pipping the Optimists into second place. The Wotsits, who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent, brought up the rear to claim the traditional wooden spoon box of chocolates. With an attendance of over 45, this was a very nice evening's entertainment for all.

25th January 2023. Hutton short mat club visited Mark Moor but came second in a closely fought match. David Watts, David Urwin and skip Penny Glew drew ahead on the first mat for Mark and held off a strong challenge in the end to triumph by 14-9 shots. Next up was the second mat of Sue Urwin, Rob Pudner and Mary Watts (skip) who went in the last end on level pegging but were beaten then by the odd shot to lose by 6-7 to Hutton. Five league points then to Mark (due to the better shot total) with three to Hutton.

Torquay. The Short Matters (AKA The Mad Hatters) recently headed off down the M5 for their annual jolly in Torquay. Over the three days of friendly games the play did not go so well for the three Mark teams, only winning one and drawing one between them - unlike last year when we only lost one! The afternoons were spent either making up other short mat teams or looking at the many attractions that Torbay had to offer. Whilst in the middle of the cold spell, we were blessed every day with blue skies on the English Riviera. The main action however took place in the evenings when Newmarket ruled the lounge and small fortunes were won and lost in the cut and thrust of this ancient card game - I reckon I lost over 40p over the four evenings play! Many thanks go to Penny G who managed to keep the unruly crew in some sort of order.

January 6th 2023. The short mat crew were on the road again in the New Year, this time to windswept Kewstoke and their notoriously difficult mat. The first mat of David W, Rob and John F did indeed find it tricky after a decent start, going down 4-16 in the end. The second mat of Shirley, David U and Mary did so much better at getting to grips with the vagaries of the sloping terrain, toughing it out at the end to win by 9-5. Three league points for Mark Moor with 5 to Kewstoke for having the better shot total at 13-21.

A Happy New Year to both of our readers!

Dec 2022  We had a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon when Bill unveiled the club's new dartboard. A game of darts "cricket" ensued while the only thing that could be said about the players would be that they had better stick to bowls in future! Still we had a good natter and a bit of fun...

Thursday 1st December 2022. The Mark Moor Short Matters took the short walk across the car-park to play our friendly rivals in the Village Hall. Both games were exciting but the Village Hall People won out on both. in the first match Sue, David U and Richard came back from 1-12 down but couldn't quite catch up, finishing 8-12. In the second game, Pat, David W and Mary went into the last end on 7 apiece but were pipped at the post losing 7-8. So all the points to the Village Hall but a very friendly contest with a lovely choice of snacks at the half way break. They even had Cartwheels!

Wednesday 16th. The tide turned with a vengeance as the first Mark mat of Pat, John and Mary won 17-0 with a dominating display against Ashcombe. The second team of Rob, Richard and Penny could not replicate that form and went down 5-9. Still the first win for a while!

Sunday 13th. The short mat season started so well but has gone a bit downhill since. Today we played at Clarence Bowls Club in Weston with Shirley, David and Penny drawing 9-9 on the first mat while Sue, Rob and John went down 5-13 on the second. So, just the one point for Mark.

Saturday 12th. The club held its first quiz of the winter season with our very own Trevor Difford as the genial quizmaster. Very rarely, it was won by an all-member team. Step forward, Team 3Xs+D (better known as Sue, Sheens, Spike and David U) and take a bow.

Tuesday 8th. The AGM went well. We welcome Bill Murphy as our new chair and Dave Smith as our new treasurer. Many thanks go to Joan Thompson who has guided the club through some tricky times and also to Brian Haggett who volunteered as a stand-in treasurer for 6 months… about 23 years ago! Thanks to both. The fashionistas amongst us would like to know that the club has decided to go for maroon and white sports shirts next season. Ooh la la!

Thursday 3rd November 2022. It was another bad day at the short mat office as Mark Moor lost at  home on both rinks to Kewstoke. Sue, David W and Mary came close, going down by 6-7 shots while Shirley, David U and John had a hard time on the second mat, losing by 4-16. Still, chin up, another day another dollar, etc.

Sunday 30th October. It was a doubly disappointing outing as Mark headed off to Bleadon for a short mat league match. The first mat of Pat, Rob and John got their noses ahead from the start but were caught up and overtaken on the very last end to lose 7-8 shots. Then David, Mary and Richard came up against a very good side and went down heavily by 6-20 shots. So nil league points...

Friday 21st October. Well, the presentation evening went very well indeed! The clubhouse looked a real treat with tables laid out for the 42 people attending. The lovely floral arrangements were by Mary Watts. The meal was delicious - provided by Anna and her crew from Cafe Aroma, Burnham-on-Sea. President Brian Haggett was the genial host, presenting the winners and runners-up with their trophies, as listed below. All in all, a great night. Thanks to Sharon for organising the competitions and sorting out the trophies. Also to Marion, Shirley, John and Bill for their work in preparing the clubhouse and Brian Tagg for taking the photographs.

Here are the results of this year's competition awards:

Ladies Singles, winner Penny Glew, runner up Sue Smith

Men's Singles, winner: Neville Ham, runner up Bill Murphy

Ladies 2 Woods, winner Lin Simpson, runner up Alison Buckton

Men's 2 Woods, winner Joe Harris, runner up Brian Tagg

Mixed Pairs, winners Penny Glew & Neville Ham, runners up Shirley & John Florey

Men's Pairs, Nick Fuller & Neville Ham, runners up David Norrell & Joe Harris

Ladies Pairs, winners Ros Prince & Marion Pudner, runners up Cynthia Wadeley & Christine Richardson

Mixed Triples, David Norrell, Wayne Richardson & Shirley Florey, runners up Nick Fuller, John Florey & Sue Urwin

Mixed Rinks, Chris Cann, Neville Ham, Joe Harris & Lin Simpson, runners up Andy Kyprianides, David Norrell & Rob Pudner

Australian Pairs, winners John Florey & Wayne Richardson, runners up Nick Fuller & Roger Lamprey 

Umbrella, winner Roger Lamprey

The Roy Norris Award, Rob Pudner

Short Mat Umbrella, winner Penny Glew, runner up David Watts

Short Mat Pairs, winners Barry Salter and Penny Glew, runners up Mary Watts and Shirley Florey 

Short Mat Singles, winner John Florey, runner up Shirley Florey.

Wednesday 19th October. Well, it was local derby time as the Village Hall Swallows made the long flight across the car-park to play away in the Mark Moor clubhouse. Just think Liverpool FC playing Everton but with even closer stadia. Mark made a good start over the first three ends in the first game but faded badly to go down 3-12. The Swallows had their wings clipped in the second game however as  the Mark Moor trio of Shirley, Mary and John eased away in the latter stages win by 10-5. Three league points to Mark Moor with five to the Swallows.

Monday 10th Oct. Mark played away at Hutton in the short mat league, a place where we've struggled on their longer mat in the past. Indeed, the first mat went to Hutton by 3-11 shots with no luck coming Mark's way. In the second game, it was the reverse score going into the last end with Shirley, Rob and John needing to win the last end to clinch the match. They managed to grab three shots to go to 14-3 to win their rink and the overall game. Played two, won two!

5th October 2022. Well, the short mat season has kicked off with a win for Mark. We played the Ashcombe B team at home and the “lads” won 19-5 on their mat only to be immediately outdone  by the ladies (Mary, Shirley and Penny) with a crushing 19-3 win on theirs. All points to Mark Moor. Honestly, we’re not used to score-lines like that!

The ladies had had a terrific outdoor season and ended up joint top of the Victoria League with Bridgwater Bowls Club only to be pipped from the championship on shot difference (4 shots). So close! Congratulations to Shirley and her players. A brilliant effort.

Revolutionary news but the club is considering going with stylish, maroon sports shirts next season. We seemed to be the last of local clubs to still favour the old all-white outfits which look so elegant on a summer’s day.  However, time marches on…

Wednesday 14th September 2022. And now the end is near as the sun sets on another outdoor season. The sun did indeed shine very warmly as Mark Moor's men played St Andrew's (W-s-M) on 5 rinks in a friendly match. What was rather nice was that after an afternoon's huff and puff the shot total panned out at 76 each, so it was a tie! Mark's two winning rinks were one skipped by Joe Harris aided by Terry Heasman and Richard McHale cantering home at 19-11 while Glyn Sully, David Norrell and Andy Kyprianides (skip) pulled away to a 19-13 win on their rink. Now begins the graft of putting the green to bed suitably seeded and topsoiled. The players retreat indoors for long or short mat as the fancy takes them before we re-unite at social events, the AGM and the presentation evening.

Tuesday 13th. Mark hosted its second county game of the season, this time Somerset were taking on Gloucestershire in a mixed match on all six rinks. A friendly afternoon's play took place but unfortunately a steady drizzle made playing conditions less than ideal. Somerset however ran out clear winners by 132-116 shots. The visitors were full of praise of praise for Mark's excellent green and the high standard of catering for around 60 visitors. Speeches were made, drink was drunk and many new friends were made!

Sunday 11th September. After a minutes silence in memory of the Queen,  the Ladies v Gents grudge match kicked off with a whole year's bragging rights up for grabs. There was a lot of mind-games beforehand but when it came down to the action on the green it was the Lads not the Ladies who came out on top. Two gents were made to cross the gender divide before play commenced to make the numbers even - so hello to "Juanita" White and "Chrissie" Cann. In the end, the gents won 5-1 rinks and 110-83 on shots. This was a lovely afternoon's play followed by a nice cream tea and a raffle in aid of the club charity. 

Wednesday 7th. Mark's uber-60s team slumped to a heavy defeat away to local rivals Burnham-on-Sea. Mark Moor managed a win on one rink and drew another while losing on the other four. The best result was Nick van der Bijl, Jason Kybert and skip Richard McHale who had a lovely afternoon, getting ahead and staying ahead to win by 24-11 shots. Another good effort came from Alan Brooks (skip), Roger Lamprey and Gerald Durston who had a good old ding-dong of a game before having to settle for a draw. The shot total went to Burnham by 85-115 and the league points were 3-17. This was a good game played in a friendly spirit. This was also Trevor Difford's last game as Captain (so he says, anyway) and much thanks is due to him for taking charge during a season when finding enough players (18) was always going to be difficult and sometimes impossible. Thanks, Trev, you've been an absolute star!

Tuesday 6th September 2022. The ladies go marching on with another fine victory against a bigger club! This was a hard fought win with two rinks going to Mark and one to North Petherton in this final Victoria League match of the season, leaving Mark Moor perilously close to the top of the league depending on results elsewhere. Penny van der Bijl, Sue Urwin and captain Shirley Florey were dominant on their rink by 25-18 shots while Pat McHale, Marion Pudner and Cynthia Wadeley held sturdily on to their lead to get home by 22-20. This meant Mark won the overall shot total by 59-54 and gained 8 out of the 10 league points on offer. This was a fantastic finish to what has proved a brilliant season for Shirley and her rapidly improving team. Well done, the gals!

Finals weekend 3rd/4th. The finals weekend went really well with all the competitions coming to hard fought conclusions. All the games were played with a good spirt and lovely food was eaten and some drink was taken, apparently! The winning results were:-

Mixed rinks: Lin Simpson, Chris Cann, Neville Ham and Joe Harris. Men's singles: Neville Ham. Australian Pairs: Wayne Richardson and John Florey. Mixed Triples: Shirley Florey, Wayne Richardson and David Norrell. Ladies Singles: Penny Glew. Ladies Pairs: Ros Prince and Marion Pudner. Men's Pairs: Nick Fuller and Neville Ham. Ladies 2 Woods: Lin Simpson. Men's 2 Woods: Joe Harris. Mixed Pairs: Penny Glew and Neville Ham.

Thanks goes to Sharon for organising the competitions throughout the season and the finals weekend with such aplomb! Was it like trying to herd a bunch of cats? You betcha!

Friday 2nd September. The green will be closed in the afternoon in readiness for the club competition finals on Saturday and Sunday.

Wed 31st August. It was another big win for Mark Moor's ladies as they travelled to Ashcombe Park (W-s-M) and grabbed all the points on offer by winning on the three triples rinks played. The standout result was Peggy Fortunati, Marion Pudner and skip Cynthia Wadeley who never let go of the grip on their game to get home by 24-17. Also fully deserving of credit were Sue Urwin, Sharon Murphy and Shirley Florey (skip) who won by 17-16 as was Penny Glew who skipped Penny van der Bijl and Lin Simpson with a similar scoreline of 18-17. Mark won the shot total by 59-50 and claimed all ten league points. This has been a tremendous season for the team under the captaincy of Shirley Florey which leaves them much nearer to the top than the bottom of the Victoria League! 

Tuesday 30th. Mark Moor's men travelled to Ashcombe Templars (W-s-M) for an over-60s triples match. Unfortunately, due to illness and holidays, Mark could only rustle up 12 players to make 4 rinks instead of the usual 6 which meant an automatic 10 shot penalty. Even though Mark went on to win three of the four rinks played, the club still lost by 60-61 shots overall even before the penalty kicked in to make it 60-71. Skip Rob Pudner aided by Jason Kybert and Paul White held off a strong challenge to win their rink 17-12 while Roger Lamprey, Chris Cann and Alan Brooks (skip) gained 7 on the last three ends to snatch a 15-11 victory. Joe Harris (skip) aided by Spike Sharpe meanwhile led from the start and came home 16-14. Mark gained 6 league points for the rinks won while the Templars garnered 14.

Friday 26th August. Mark welcomed our old friends from the the City of Wells club for this men's friendly (although it did feature one Wellsian lady smuggled in to make up the numbers!). This proved a very enjoyable afternoon's play with the result of 2 ends apiece. Aha, you say, a draw... except Wells won the shot total by 59-58. Mark's best rink was skipped by Brian Tagg ably assisted by Glyn Sully and Nick Fuller coming in 22-9. The other winning rink was Roger Lamprey, Chris Cann and skip Brian Haggett who went ahead over the last four ends to ease home by 16-10. A nice afternoon capped by good food, drink and a nice chat.

Tuesday 23rd. Mark's ladies once more came up trumps in this friendly triples against Clarence (W-s-M). They won two out of three rinks and outscored their opponents by 48-35 shots in total. Peggy Fortunati, Mary Watts and Cynthia Wadeley excelled to win by 18-7 while Marion Pudner, Sharon Murphy and skip Shirley Florey chipped in with a solid 21-12 win on their rink. A good game played in friendly spirits which had to be cut short due fixture congestion. Honestly, these big clubs! 

Saturday 20th August. Mark came up against stiff opposition in St Andrews (W-s-M) and only managed to draw on one of the three rinks played. Dave Urwin, Nick van der Bijl, Wayne Richardson and skip John Florey had gone toe to toe throughout their game only to see their narrow lead pulled back on the last end to finish up at 20 shots apiece . The overall shot total went to the Saints by 44-66 and the Somerset County league points 1-11. Not much reward for a good afternoon's effort!

Thursday 18th. Mark came in for a heavy defeat from table-topping Yatton. The only glimmer of light came from Nick Fuller, Barry Salter and skip Andy Kyprianides who came from behind to edge home 15-13. It's best to draw a veil over the other ends. Suffice to say that Yatton won the shot total by 119-55 and gained 18 league points to Mark Moor's two.

Tuesday 16th August. The heavens opened on this Victoria League match against Ashcombe Park. It was rapidly agreed to limit play to 12 ends when the rain started to lash down and thunder rolled in the distance. At that point ,Mark led on one of the three rinks with Shirley Florey, Marion Pudner and skip Penny Glew ahead by 8-5. Ashcombe won on the other two rinks and took the shot total by 36-21, leaving them with ten league points to Mark Moor's two. The green ended up looking like a duckpond... quack!

Saturday 13th. Mark hosted a touring team, Goring-on-Thames (a change from Burnham-on-Sea!), for a mixed triples match. Cunningly, the start time had been re-arranged for 10.30am to avoid the excessive heat but even so the game was then limited to 12 ends to avoid any potential heatstroke. Goring won 3 of the 5 rinks played and also pipped the overall shot total by 50-69. Mark's best rink was Penny van der Bijl, Trevor Difford and Lin Simpson (skip) who scored a couple of fours and a five to cruise home by 20-10 shots. The other winning rink for Mark was skipped by Cynthia Wadeley ably assisted by Nick van der Bijl and David Urwin who won by 13-9. This was a very pleasant game played in good spirits by both teams... but, boy, was it hot...

Friday 12th August. Burnham were again visiting Mark, this time for a mixed triples friendly. Mark claimed a moral victory by winning 3 of the 5 rinks while B-o-S claimed the actual win by out-scoring Mark on the shot total by 45-52. Mark's best score was on the rink skipped by Paul Tatum helped by Nick van der Bijl and Rob Pudner who picked up a six on the way to a 14-8 margin. Dave Sharp, Marion Pudner and John Florey (skip) then came from behind to snatch a 11-8 win on the last end while Cynthia Wadeley aided by Pat McHale and Sharon Murphy also pulled back on the last three ends to win by 13-11. The action was curtailed to 12 ends by mutual consent as players started to wilt in the 30 degrees plus temperature. Still a lovely day's bowling!

Tuesday 2nd August 2022. Burnham-on-Sea visited Mark and dominated proceeding in this over-60s triples match. Mark managed one rink win and a draw but lost on 3 rinks. Brian Tagg, Brian Haggett and skip Alan Brookes won by 19-12  while Joe Harris, Nick van der Bijl and Richard McHale pulled back to 19-19. The shot total was 62-101 to Burnham while the league points went 3-17. 

Sunday 31st July. Mark hosted Wrington in a return mixed friendly. Mark won on three of the four rinks played with a good win for Chris Cann, Suzanne Quinlan and skip Shirley Florey with a late surge to come home at 21-11. John Florey's rink went on to win by 16-13 while Joe Harris' edged it 13-11. The shot total went to Mark by 62-52. This was a solid performance played in very good spirit.

Thursday 28th July. Mark's ladies had another good day in the Victoria League, this time defeating Burnham-on-Sea away by winning on all three rinks. The standout result was by Pat McHale, Penny van der Bijl and captain Shirley Florey who won 20-8. Then Ros Prince, Sue Urwin and skip Lin Simpson stood firm to get home by 17-14. The other rink won by the narrowest of margins with Alison Buckton, Cynthia Wadeley and skip Mary Watts squeezing past the post by 18-17. Mark Moor had the overall shot total 55-39 and gained a maximum 10 league points. There's no stopping 'em!

Sunday 24th. This was the second leg of the annual Moors Shield competition and this, the home leg for Mark, went even worse than the first one! Mark lost five rinks to Wedmore, winning just the one. The overall shot total went to Wedmore by 78-137. The only ray of light for Mark was the sole winning rink skipped by John Florey aided by Lin Simpson, Malcolm Bennett and Rob Pudner who fought back from a poor start to win by 22-12. It was a warm day with a lovely cooling breeze and much enjoyed by all. Mark Moor were very pleased to see several newer members step into the breach caused by illness. In particular, Glyn Sully stepped up at the last moment with only a few weeks of playing under his belt. Thank you, Glyn, much appreciated!

Wednesday 20th July. Mark Moor hosted old chums from Porlock in a mixed friendly. It was a lovely day with Mark winning 2 rinks and Porlock three. The outstanding result went to captain Bill Murphy aided by Brian Haggett and Roger Lamprey. The other Mark winning rink went to Pat McHale, Nick Fuller and Shirley Florey (skip). Mark succeeded in gaining the most shots overall 74-67 and therefore a nominal victory.

Tuesday 19th July. Mark hosted a county game for the first time in years as Somerset took on Warwickshire. While the hottest day in the year in much of the country, the weather seemed to cool slightly for a couple of hours and the match went off without a hitch. This was followed by a lovely meal for about 60 and a good day was had by all! Match report to follow...

Saturday 16th July. It was Ashcombe B that wilted first on a blazing hot day. They had started strongly in this county league fixture and were ahead on all three rinks. Mark's men held firm and gradually pulled them back in, surging ahead as the game wound to a close. Mark won on all three rinks with winning skips Neville Ham (28-13), Joe Harris (23-14) and Bill Murphy (17-9). This was a an excellent result for the whole team achieved in challenging circumstances. So, 12 league points to Mark, nil points to Ashcombe!

Wednesday 13th July. There were smiles all round after a very close win for Mark in the Men's over-60s against table-topping Portishead. Mark had two winning rinks  and one drawing one, while losing on three. The shot difference went to Mark however by 103-100 which meant 13 league points to the Port's 7. Mark's outstanding rink was Roger Lamprey, Brian Haggett and skip Bill Murphy winning by 22-9. Another good rink was skipped by Neville Ham who came from 0-6 down to win by 26-17. Joe Harris provided the draw at 16-16 ably assisted by Malcolm Bennett andRichard McHale. What an excellent effort by the Old Codgers!

Sunday 10th July. Now it was the turn of the club members to see who would go to the finals of the mixed triples competition. It was very close in Group 1 with three of the four teams winning two of the three games played (come on, keep up, it's simple really!). However, Team A, consisting of Nick Fuller, John Florey and Sue Urwin, proved equal to their alphabetical listing, narrowly topping the group stage with a shot of difference of +19. Things were more clearcut in Group 2 as Team F (David Norrell, Wayne Richardson and Shirley Florey) powered their way with three unbeaten performances and a stellar shot difference of 38. 

Thursday 7th July. It was once more into the breach for Mark's ladies as they overcame a powerful Bridgwater BC side. Mark won two of the three triple rinks on offer. Penny van der Bijl, Shirley Florey and skip Mary Watts clinched a close game 20-16 while Penny Glew skipped Sue Urwin and Marion Pudner to a convincing 19-12 win. The overall shot score also went to Mark by 50-46 which meant 8 points  for Mark and two for the BBC in the Victoria League. No, not that Beeb...

Tuesday 5th July. Mark's ladies continue their run of good form with a solid win against the Wyrrall Park (Glastonbury) in a triples friendly. Wyrrall could only rustle up two rinks which meant Mark only needed two cars. Shirley Florey and Penny Glew shared a skip (that sounds bad!) ably assisted by Penny van der Bijl and Sharon Murphy to win their rink by 17-14 while Lin Simpson (skip), Peggy Fortunati  and Marion Pudner eased home by 15-10. Well done, ladies!

Sunday 3rd July 2022. It was a bright and breezy day as Mark's bowlers battled it out for a place in the mixed rinks finals in the club competition due to be held in early September. In essence, it was a bit like miniature World Cup qualifiers but without the penalty shoot-outs. In Group 1, Chris Cann, Neville Ham, Joe Harris and Lin Simpson came top with some steady play while Group 2 was topped by Andy Kyprianides, Rob Pudner, David Norrell and Sheila Bickham, after winning both games. Well done to all who took part. The day was capped by a lovely barbecue cooked by Brian and Joe. Thanks to Sharon for her organisational élan.

14th June This is a late report but the carrier pigeon got diverted over Steart and took the roundabout way home! It is worth the wait however! Mark played Nailsea in the over-60s league and had a very good win. Mark won on four of the 6 rinks played. Winning skips were Joe Harris 20-16, Bill Murphy 18-15 and Brian Tagg 19-13. Top honours went, however, to  skip John White aided by Paul White (no relation that we know of) and Peter Beavan who won by 27-11. The overall shot total went to Mark by 105-94 meaning Mark gained 16 league points to Nailsea four.

Wed 29th June. What was shaping out to be a nice game of bowls for the over-60s deteriorated rapidly when the skies opened, forcing the players to run for shelter. There was no way play could be resumed so those current scores were held to be final. When the damp score cards were unpeeled enough to read, it emerged that Clarence Golds had won on 5 rinks while Mark had won on just one. David Norrell, in his first game as skip for the club, aided by Gerald Durston and Richard McHale, had a convincing win on his rink by 23-9. Clarence however won the shot total by 102-70, bagging 18 league points to Mark's two.

Sunday 26th Mark welcomed old chums Rodbourne Cheney (Swindon) back for a mixed friendly match. Rodbourne proved too good on all five rinks, winning by 114-50 shots in total. Mark's best rink was Christine & Wayne Richardson together with skip Bill Murphy who were pipped on the last end, going down 13-11. This was a really nice friendly match played in ideal conditions followed by a great meal and a good laugh. This is what bowls is all about!

Saturday 25th June. Mark's men hosted Victoria for the second time in a week, this time in the Somerset County League. It turned out in a similar fashion to the previous over-60s match with Mark winning a single rink of the three rinks played. The winning rink was again  skipped by Neville Ham this time assisted by Terry Heasman, Peter Beavan and Rob Pudner who were on level scores going into the last end. The jack was then driven into the ditch to make final score 19-17. The overall shot total however went to Victoria 49-67 which meant Mark gained two league points to Victoria's ten.

Tuesday 21st June saw Victoria W-s-M over-60s visit Mark and win 5 of the six triple rinks that were up for grabs. The only bright spot for Mark was the winning rink skipped by Neville Ham assisted by Nick Fuller and David Urwin, coming home on 19-16. The overall shot total went to Victoria by 87-124, which meant the Weston club claimed 18 points to Mark's 2. This was a lovely game played under a blazing hot sun.

Thursday 16th June. The ladies made a clean sweep of Burnham-on-Sea winning on all three rinks. The largest margin was by 23-8 with Pat McHale, Sharon Murphy and Lin Simpson as skip. The other winning rinks were Alison Buckton, Suzanne Quinlan and skip Mary Watts (25-12), while Peggy Fortunate, Cynthia Wadeley and captain Shirley Florey also did the business, winning by 20-14. The shot total went to the Mark ladies by 68-34 as did all 10 league points. Well done, ladies!

Friday 10th June 2022. The men entertained Winscombe in a friendly triples match, winning 2 of the 5 rinks played. Mark's winning rinks were Nick van der Bijl, Barry Salter and skip John White (19-8) while Dave Sharp, Richard McHale and David Norrell came from behind to win their rink by 19-13 shots. The overall shot total, however, went to the visitors by 62-89. 

Tuesday 31st May. Mark turned up with a rink short at Yatton and made heavy going on a heavy green. Mark's solitary win was Gerald Durston, Wayne Richardson and skip Brian Tagg who seized 2 shots on the last end to win by their rink by 17-16. Another high spot was a first game for the club by Peter Beavan who showed that he can still play well after a long absence from the game. 

Sunday. Wrington could only field three rinks in this mixed friendly. As usual, it took Mark several ends to get to grip with the artificial surface by which time the game had got away from us. We had a very friendly welcome on a lovely afternoon. If only it had been on grass, though...

Saturday 28th May. The men were in action again, this time against Clevedon Prom B in the Somerset County League. It was a close game on all three rinks with Mark prevailing on two of them. Neville Ham's team recovered from an early setback to get home by 24-18 shots while Bill Murphy's rink see-sawed before winning 23-21, picking up 7 shots on one end which certainly helped! The overall shot total was a tie however on 63 shots each with Mark gaining 7 league points to the Prom's 5.

Friday 27th May was our second open day this year and we had a lovely afternoon and evening under sunny skies. Mark welcomed our visitors and signed three new members on the spot, all from Mark, with one of them an experienced bowler.

Wednesday 25th May. Mark's men's over-60s team were in seventh heaven as they overwhelmed Ashcombe Templars in a triples league match. Ashcombe were penalised for not bring a sixth rink and then were outplayed on the other five rinks. Skips Rob Pudner (29-14), Neville Ham (22-12), John Florey (22-14) and Joe Harris (17-15) were all successful. The outstanding result however was skip Bill Murphy together with Roger Lamprey and Chris Cann who pulled away in the latter stages to win by 29 to 11 shots. Mark Moor won the shot total by 119-66 and took all 20 league points on offer, the first time we've done this within living memory. Well done, the lads!

Sunday 22nd May. Mark went to Wedmore for the first leg of the annual Moors Cup. Wedmore won four of the six rinks played with Neville Ham (19-11) and Bill Murphy (19-10) skipping their rinks to wins for Mark. The overall shot total went to the Isle of Wedmore by 117-83. Again a good effort from the whole team with several new players making their debuts.

Saturday 21st May. The men took on Winscombe in the Somerset County League and make a good fist of it. It was W1 D1 L1 with Nick Fuller, Chris Cann, Richard McHale and Bill Murphy (skip) on the winning rink. Joe Harris skipped his rink to a draw while the shot total went Winscombe's way. This showed great effort and an improvement from the lads!

Not only do we have broadband but we now also have a landline phone courtesy of our new Truespeed connection. Woohoo! The new number is 01278 570459. Obviously the phone is only manned when there is someone in the clubhouse!

Tues 17th May The ladies had a very good game against old friends from North Petherton, only spoiled by rain in the closing stages. Mark's outstanding rink was Alison Buckton, Sharon Murphy and Shirley Florey (skip) who came back from a long way down to win by 16-13. The overall shot total went to Petherton by 48-40.

Sunday 15th. Australian Pairs is an enigmatic game, easier to play than explain so I won't even try! We managed three rounds of the five planned before some strange moisture started falling from the sky. A quick search of the collective memory bank came up wth the realisation it was a drop of rain which rapidly turned into lots of drops. Play was abandoned and it is hoped that the group stage of this competition will be completed on Monday. We all agreed that the green needed some rain but that was quite enough for now, thank you...

Monday. Yes, we did manage to finish the Australian Pairs group stage on a lovely spring evening. Group One was headed by Roger Lamprey & Nick Fuller while Group Two was won by John Florey & Wayne Richardson. The final is to be played at a later date. Well done all the competitors and many thanks to Sharon Murphy for organising the whole shooting match

Saturday 14th May. Mark went down heavily in the SCL league against Portishead RBL's second team (of three). Mark suffered a penalty for being short of a player on one rink. Stand-in captain Neville Ham rightly praised the three new Mark players who put up their hands to keep the show on the road. Well done Jason, Spike and Wayne!

Thursday 12th. Well, big news, Mark Moor Bowling Club has entered the 21st century by having its first broadband wi-fi connection. The supplier is Truespeed and the installation was done by two very obliging engineers. We've put up the password on several notice boards. Besides using the internet, If you have a suitable phone you should be able to do wi-fi calling as the mobile reception is so poor in Mark. Hurrah!

Wed 11th May. The morning rain had blown away leaving a vivid blue sky. The men's over-60s team travelled to Clarence (W-s-M) with five triples instead of six and were able to claim a moral victory winning three and a half rinks to one and a half against. The shot total was 81 to 78 but due to us being a rink short a 5 shot penalty kicked in and Mark were awarded only 7 league points to Clarence's 13. The winning skips were Bill Murphy, Joe Harris and John Florey, while Neville Ham steered his rink to a draw with the last shot of the game. Well done, gentlemen, we just need a few more players!

Tuesday 10th May, Mark ladies pull off another win against Bridgwater Parks - even though losing on two of the three rinks. The rink of Alison Buckton, Sue Urwin and Lin Simpson (skip) won by 31-11 which was enough to give Mark the shots total by 59-55 and six league points. Well done, gals!

On Sunday 8th May, Mark smashed their way to their first win of the season under stand-in captain Shirley Florey, winning four rinks out of five with Joe Harris, Neville Ham and Shirley herself among the winning skips. However, Sue Urwin, Nick Fuller and Penny Glew (skip) won their rink by the highest margin of 24-16. Newcomer Wayne Richardson continues to impress with his steady approach. We had a very warm welcome from the Wellington club for this mixed triples friendly.The shot total also went Mark's way by 91-79.

We are looking forward to our next Open Day which will be on Friday 27th May as part of Bowls England's Big Bowls Weekend (you try saying that after a couple of drinks!) Just turn up between 2.00-700pm and wear flat-bottomed  trainers or shoes if you fancy a turn on the green. We will provide the rest and will book you in for a training session if you want to take it further. Don't forget that the first year's membership is free for players new to the club. You've nothing to lose!

Friday 6th May. We made the short journey to Burnham-on-Sea for a mixed triple friendly in 5 rinks. Burnham proved the dominant side winning on 4 of the 5 rinks and winning the shot total by 94-67. Mark's sole winning rink were Rob Pudner, Roger Lamprey and Bill Murphy (skip). It was a good match played in a friendly spirit on a good green. 

On Wednesday 4th, the men's over-60s went on what is probably our furthest trip to play Portishead on their lovely ground. The sun shone but the warm welcome did not extend to the game. Portishead won 4 of the rinks played with Joe Harris skipping Paul White and Brian Tagg to a solitary rink for Mark. The shot total was 101-75 to the hosts. Trevor, our non-playing captain, was forced to eat the last packet of crisps, prawn cocktail flavour naturally, although my suspicion is that no prawns were injured in the making of that particular snack!

Sunday 1st May 2022. The club hosted our old friends from Pratten's BC near Midsomer Norton in slightly damp conditions. It was a friendly game which Pratten's won by 3 rinks to 1 and by 55-47 shots. Everyone was happy to get warm in the bar afterwards.

We were very saddened to learn last night of the passing away of Chris Major, a senior member of the club, much loved for his good humour and sunny nature. Chris was a skilled bowler and a friend to all. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy go to Christine and the family at this sad time.

On Thursday, April 28th, the men's over 60s made the long trip to Nailsea and won on three of the 5 rinks played. Mark's winning rinks were skipped by Joe Harris, John Florey and Bill Murphy, The shot total went to Nailsea, however, who gained 14 points to Mark's six. This was still a promising start!

The ladies will be having a weekly umbrella usually (but not always) on a Wednesday at 2pm. The first session was well attended and enjoyed by all.

We now know that we have 15 applications to join the club which is brilliant news. Several new players came to the Monday evening roll-up and received coaching from Bill. All showed great promise!

The ladies recently played Wyrral Park Glastonbury in a  friendly but went down by two rinks with one rink drawn.

Twenty six members attend the traditional President's versus Captain's match on Sunday 24th April. On the day Captain Bill Murphy led his outfit to victory while birthday boy President Brian Haggett wasn't about to receive an extra present. 

Well, didn't the open day go well? Despite the wet and windy conditions, we had ten new people sign up for membership plus we have had other applications sent in by post. Conditions improved by 3pm and people were able to get a taster of the game. Great stuff!

Don't forget the club's open day is next Saturday 23rd April 11am-4pm. Come and have a look around. If you fancy a quick go please wear flat-soled trainers or similar. The first year's membership (worth £85) is free for players new to the club, whether experienced or novices.

The green finally opened again on Thursday 14th April 2022 after what seems a long winter and a longer pandemic. Captain Shirley put the ladies through their paces in the afternoon sunshine while some of the gents turned up for the evening roll-up. The green looks brilliant and played really well! The evening sessions on Monday and Thursdays will now start at 5.30pm to make use of the evening light. All welcome to both.

Players new to the club can have their first year’s membership free!

Email: [email protected], go to the Contact page or telephone 01278 641744.