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Geoffrey John Reynolds
24th March 1925 - 1st January 2008 |
Newsletter
First Edition to go On Line |
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From Les Owen
I will always remember Geoff for his keenness to play ‘better’
bowlers and especially those with the Surrey Badge.
On one occasion I met him in the Club Pavilion and he came up to
me and said-
‘Les we’ve got a big problem as you are going on holiday and I
am going on holiday the week before you’.
I said ‘What problem Geoff?’
‘Well we are due to meet in the Championship and we won’t be
able to play’
I thought - I’m sure we were not due to meet, and checked the
draw sheet. I discovered we were to meet in a few rounds should
we both win our earlier games. So I told him. ‘Yes’ he said,
‘but it is going to be a problem’.
This was Geoff all over - he was so keen.
Well what happened? Did the situation arise? NO! Why Not?
We both lost in the first round!!!!
Mind you he still had to have the last word - ‘I would not have
given you the game if we couldn’t have fitted it in!’
We had a great laugh afterwards and a drink at the bar where he
always said to me when it was time to pay -’That’s £1.60 FOR
CASH Les’
I will miss his friendship and enthusiasm. |
From Roy Ward
I first met Geoff in the early 1960’s when we were acting as
unpaid Tax Collectors for H M Government, both being purveyors
of the dreaded tobacco weed. I was a retailer in Battersea and
Geoff a wholesaler in neighbouring Wandsworth. In those days
there was a severe shortage of the better quality cigarettes and
a form of rationing was imposed by the manufacturers on their
customers as to how many of the popular brands you were allowed.
When these were all sold it was a case of going to wholesalers
like Geoff for extra supplies and the reply was always the same,
“Yes you can have some Player’s and Senior Service (the best
sellers then) if you take the same amount of Turf and Nosegay.”.
Smokers will remember that nearly all cigarettes were of the
non-tipped variety before the introduction of ‘safe’ cigarettes
with filter tips.
I did not play bowls in those days but after retiring in 1982
was surprised to meet Geoff in a match when I was playing for
Worcester Park and he was at Heathfield, South London. We met a
few times over the next few years and I was delighted during
1987 when serving my first year as Captain of Epsom BC he came
into the club and told me he had moved into the area and would
like to join our club. Of course he was welcomed with open arms
and became a stalwart member of the club. During the 20 years he
spent here he was one of the club’s foremost players and was
respected by all his fellow members and opponents alike.
His passing will leave a huge void in our club and he will be
greatly missed by us all. |
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This is a
summary of the tribute given by Tony Jackman - our President in
the Club Pavilion after the Cremation.
'As the new Club President it is a very sad duty for me to
officiate here today, nevertheless I extend a warm welcome to
you all.
I would like to add some personal thoughts on his time at the
Club.
Geoff joined us from Heathfield B.C. in 1988 as an experienced
and competitive bowler. He won the Club Handicap Singles in
2006, the Two Wood Singles in 1991 and Triples on three
occasions. In his third Triples Final, he could not play as he
had cracked his ribs in a fall here at the Club. He also
represented the Club in numerous outside competitions with
varying success.
He loved his bowls, was very competitive and sometimes when he
lost he was not well pleased, such was his keenness to win.
His other great love was horse racing and it was quite hilarious
for the uninitiated to watch him and his friend, Ray Hallett,
follow a race live here on TV. The excitement generated similar
to that of Dell Boy and Boycey in an episode of ‘Only Fools and
Horses’.
Geoff was Club President in 1998 & 1999. He was Honorary Vice
President, and served as Bar Manager here for 9 years. His
knowledge of that trade and his expertise led to record bar
profits, always a large part of Club finances.
Unfortunately, he did suffer serious illness on occasions over
the years. He knew that he owed much to surgeon John Southam,
now a much respected Club member.
Ironically, Geoff was so looking forward to playing outdoors in
the summer after his recent knee operation, sadly this was not
to be.
He had friends and contacts in so many walks of life and used
them on occasions to benefit our Club. No problem was too great
and we relied on his expertise and advice in many respects - he
will be greatly missed.'
Tony then asked all present to raise their glass and to join him
in a toast to:-
‘Geoff, gone but not forgotten’ |
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From Eric Brown
Geoff was one of the people who
interviewed me when I joined the club. Over a period of time he became a
very good friend to Diane & I and along with Joan we visited each others
homes on a number of occasions. He was a good party man and knew how to
enjoy life. We entered a few of the Surrey competitions together and
with a few others in the Triples & Fours, every game was enjoyable and I
will cherish those moments.
Geoff was a good club member - in a number of ways. He played his part
in various offices within the club including President and Bar Manager
and could often be seen at the ground on the work mornings doing
whatever was necessary. When he was Bar Manager he used to delight, at
the end of the season, in putting on a Bar Stewards v's Kitchen Maids
bowls event with a spread in the evening. I still have a couple of
handkerchiefs with "bowlers" stitched into a corner that he gave out one
year as a souvenir.
Never again will I hear over the bar "I'll have a small Mickey Mouse"
(for the uninitiated- a small glass of The Farmouse Grouse whiskey).
Well I might - but it won't be the same.
It was a pleasure and a privilege to know Geoff. He was a character, and
the world is slightly the darker for his passing.
The size of the turnout at Randalls Park on 18th January tells it's own
story. The choice of music playing on entering the chapel
"Unforgettable" and that chosen for leaving "Bring me Sunshine" could
not have been bettered - that was Geoffrey in a nutshell. |
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From Maureen Trumble
We will always think of Geoff when he was being served tea,
which he liked very strong! On many holidays with him and Joan
we often visited local cafes which always gave us weak tea.
Geoff kept on insisting on “dos tea bags” at the same time
indicating with two fingers until the waiter understood. So it
is a long standing joke with his many friends. |
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Harold Edmund Yates 1920 - 2008 |
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Harold was born in Fulham, London in 1920.
Within a few months of leaving school he joined the RAF on 3rd
September 1939 for war service. He spent almost 7 years in
uniform before, in 1946, resuming training in the Quantity
Surveying profession to attain the professional qualification of
MRICS (Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors).
During his career he lived for 4 years in Germany attached to
the Works Department supporting the British Forces. He and his
wife were keen Tennis and Badminton players until in 1979. Prior
to his retirement in 1982, he joined the Epsom Bowling Club. |
![](Player%20Photos%20Men/Harold%20Yates_small.jpg) |
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The
following stories on Harold have been given to us by Geoffrey
Collins (Harold’s cousin).
I remember when he was in the RAF and based at Uxbridge when he
told me there was an air raid and they thought it might be an
attack on the base. Harold was ordered to take a Lewis Gun up an
observation tower to defend against low flying aircraft. He got
halfway up to a balcony, but there was an external staircase, he
felt he would be safer on the balcony half way up and remained
there for the period of the air raid. On conclusion he returned
to the ground (with the gun) and was commended by the officer in
charge!
On another occasion whilst based in Scotland he came home on
leave with his hand heavily bandaged and his arm in a sling. We
told the girls it was a bullet from an M.E.109. They were very
impressed. Sadly it was just that Harold had cut the top off his
finger off in a bacon slicer when on cookhouse duty! |
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Epsom lose in the quarter finals of the Jubilee Cup
Epsom played Supreme 'B' on Friday night 14th March and
lost match narrowly by 2 shots. Epsom reached the quarter finals
by winning the group stage, but after a very close game lost on the very
last few ends.
In all 13 players represented the Club.
To reach the quarter final Epsom beat -
Malden & Coombe, Chessington Ladies & Surbiton. In
the group stage they lost to Raynes Park.
Epsom have won the Jubilee Cup on two occasions - 1995 &
1999. |
Nobby’s Triples
The winner of Nobby’s Triples in 2007 was Geoff Purrott. Well done
Geoff.
Ironically John Southam, last years winner was recipient of the coveted
‘Wooden Spoon’ for the lowest score. You really must do better this year
John.
Many thanks must go to John Hart who despite his busy commitments in
club competitions always finds time to organise this popular event on a
weekly basis - come rain or shine.
Let’s have more participants next year please.
Thank you - Ken Rogers |
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East Surrey League
Report of 2007 League Season - Men
Epsom, once again, had a very good season in the East Surrey
League. Unfortunately it was not quite as good as the 2006
Season and this report will show were the Club slipped up.
Figures in brackets are for the 2006 Season
Played 13 (13) Won 8 (10) Lost 4 (3) Drew 1(0) Position 4th
(3rd) Points Scored 48 (59)
Shots For 1072 (1059) Shots Against 967 (799)
Vital points were dropped as the Club did not win one game 6
points to 0 in 2007 (there were 5 6 - 0 wins in 2007), and there
was a big reversal in the score against Chipstead - 1 - 5 in
2007, but 6 - 0 in 2006.
Below are some trivial facts and figures extracted from the 2007
Season.
28 players represented the Club in the League.
John Hart, Brian Kenyon & Graham Pilbrow played in all 13 games.
Bill Lawrence 12, Les Owen & Roy Ward 11 Geoff Purrott & Pat
Buckley 10
Martin Harbottle, Peter Miller, George Sperring & Jim Scott 9
Derek Hoffmann & Ron Snow 8 Clive Allum, Bill Ellis, Len
Philpott, Jim Robson,
Dave Sowdon, & Stefan Tomm 7 John Warren 6 Sid Bailey & Cyril
Newman 3
Laurie Garrett & Geoff Reynolds 2 Duncan Lamond, Dave Ruston &
John Southam 1
Len Philpott, in his 7 games, did not lose once in the rink he
was in, and was involved in 6 out of 7 match wins.
Brian Kenyon was involved in 8 out of 13 rink wins in the 9
overall match wins.
Roy Ward was involved in 8 out of 11 rink wins and was involved
in 8 match wins.
Two players made their debuts in the East Surrey League in 2007
- John Southam played lead at Dorking and Duncan Lamont played
three at Godstone.
Overall leading appearances since the League started in 1987.
Laurie Garrett 121 Martin Harbottle 109 Peter Miller 136
Les Owen 103 Len Philpott 123 Graham Pilbrow 170 George Sperring
130
Three players reached 50 matches in 2007.
Brian Kenyon 51 Bill Lawrence 51 Cyril Newman 51
In 2007 9 different players played Skip, 14 at 3, 12 at 2 & 11
at lead. The most successful Skip was Roy Ward who won 4 out the
5 games he skipped.
In all 52 players (current membership) have represented the Club
in the East Surrey League.
Clive Banderet, Ted Emmett, Laurie Garrett, Ron Perkins, Graham
Pilbrow, Vic Shrosbree & Roy Ward played the very first League
game on the 6th June 1987. This was against Old Coulsdon and
guess what the Club lost 70 - 82 (we continue to struggle
against them to this very day).
Although it is disappointing to drop a place in the League it
must be stated that this was the second most successful season
Epsom have played in the League since 1987.
Hopefully, Epsom can pick up a few more points in the 2008
Season. |
Surrey County
Bowling Patrons Association
As
a result of efforts made in the past by former delegate to
recruit new Club members we now have 38 Patrons comprising of 27
Life and 11 Annual. There is still room for improvement
and it would be very much appreciated if non members would give
the matter further consideration. Membership Subscription
remains at £1 Annual and £10 Life. New or existing members
need only to enter the appropriate amount on their Club
Subscription Form.
During the season there is an attractive Fixture List of ten
matches which is open to every Patron.
David Ruston (Patrons Delegate).
Visit to the Houses of Parliament
On a cold, but dry day we parked our cars in the Club car park and made
our way down to the end of Worple Road to pick up our bus for the
afternoon’s outing to the Houses of Parliament.
With John Huxford as the driver we set off to London. It was so funny to
be travelling in one of the old type double deckers again, reminiscent
of my working life in London when we used to jump on and off at will!!
We also had our own conductor and it was lovely looking down from the
bus. It made a nice change from car level height.
We arrived in good time and with about 45 minutes to spare we all went
looking for refreshments. I was one of the lucky few who followed Gill
and George. After some enquiries from a jovial policeman Gill steered us
into an “Office Building!!” Inside was quite spectacularly modern and
had a restaurant/café in the basement which served excellent pots of
tea. A visit followed to what must be the best “loos” in London then we
were well set.
The party was divided into two and after being searched our guides took
us through the Houses of Commons and House of Lords. We were shown the
Speaker’s Chair and the Queen’s Throne. Some of the palace absolutely
shone with the gold leaf patterns in the roofs. There were statues of
various Prime Ministers including Margaret Thatcher and of course
Churchill, whose toe we all rubbed for luck.
We were shown the voting systems and some immense, but incredible
paintings. These included a wall sized picture of the Battle of
Waterloo, which had hooks above it so that curtains could be hung across
it so as not to cause offence to the French visitors!
We ended our tour in the huge Westminster Hall with its incredible high
beamed roof and then, being tired, we all flopped into the bus for a
restful journey home.
Our thanks go to John for his expert driving and care, and also to Betty
Day for organising the outing. It was well worth it.
Maureen Trumble |
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From the President
I welcome you all to this Club’s 99th year and feel very honoured to
have been elected Club President at this time in the Club’s history. I
promise to serve the Club to the best of my ability and with Maureen
Trumble as Senior Vice President, I am sure we will work together to
uphold the good name of the Club.
It is now 30 years since I was President of the Medway Bowling
Association. Since then having joined Epsom Bowling Club in 1983 I have
completed 22 years as Men’s Secretary then Club Secretary and I am
especially thankful that John Warren has taken over from me. Please give
him your support.
From the Fixture Book you will see that we have a full programme of
matches planned. Prestige, League and Friendly. Your Captains would
appreciate your support for all these matches.
Friday Club Nights have been a great success and an opportunity for
everyone to play and get to know each other, especially new members. The
mention of new members prompts me to remind you all of our need to
recruit more members.
Betty Day and her Committee have arranged a programme of Social Events
including a visit to the Bluebell Railway by coach supplied and driven
by John Huxford, following trips to Leeds Castle and the Houses of
Parliament. Thank you John.
Over the winter months Short Mat Bowling proved very popular and was
well supported, so too the Whist Drives. Thank you Ken, Peter and Cyril
for organising these events and to Diana Taylor and Jan Allum for their
continued efforts on behalf of the Bridge Section.
During the past year we have set up a ‘Centenary Committee’ with 2009
very much in mind endeavouring to make it a year of celebration for all
Club members to enjoy. With special social events and hopefully,
prestige matches against Bowls England, Men and Ladies’ Surrey County
teams, Sutton & District B.A., L.S.C.B.A, Scribo and the Medway B.A.
We must increase the tempo, to use this coming season as a rehearsal for
2009 and finalise a programme of events worthy of the occasion.
The change of status to a ‘Community Amateur Sports Club’ has again
brought benefits to the Club which has pleased Arthur, in particular the
100% Rate Relief this coming year. In times past Colin Hunt and I had to
badger the Council for Discretionary Rate Relief, some year we got 50%,
others nothing. There were usually delaying questions put forward
relating to the Club Rule Book, which we had to amend, or what
percentage of members lived in the Borough and so on.
In recent months we have received donations to Club and Centenary Funds,
in some cases the Club have been able to claim Gift Aid Tax Relief of an
extra 28p in the pound.
Sponsorship by the National Counties Building Society has increased to
£300 this year.
As usual I thank the Officers I have had the pleasure of working with
and, for their assistance over the years. To Bob Brennan and George for
providing an excellent bowling green, the envy of many a visiting Club.
To the maintenance volunteers whose efforts save the Club thousands of
pounds. To the coaching staff and all those who undertake every day
tasks on behalf of the Club, I thank you. To Les Owen for editing and
printing the ‘Club Newsletter’ also for the updating of the Web Site.
www.epsombowlingclub.co.uk. It is truly amazing the amount of historic
Club information Les has mustered and transferred to the Web Site, some
of which Derek Barnes can use in the planned ‘Club Centenary Handbook’
for 2009.
Unfortunately, we start the season without much respected members Cyril
Godwin, Geoff Reynolds and Harold Yates. They will be sadly missed.
Last, but not least I wish you all good health, months of good weather
and good bowling.
Tony Jackman (Club President). |
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From the
Men’s Captain
On behalf of the Men’s Bowling Committee, welcome to the 2008 season.
The big change this year is in match meals. We have no caterer this
year. A “ploughmans” will be provided by the men or by men and ladies.
Suggested menus and quantities of food to purchase will be provided. A
chart has been put up in the veranda to enable you to volunteer for your
duty. If each member helps with one meal then we will be fine. For
special matches we will have more help from Nancy and the ladies.
Obviously if you are preparing a meal and playing in the match you will
need to have the meal in the fridge at least 30 minutes before the start
of play. The match fee for home and away matches has been set at £3.50
this year.
We will again have a duty rota for home matches. Those setting up the
green or tables should report to the Captain at least 30 minutes before
the start. As the Captain, Treasurer, Bar staff and those on meal duty
have other work to do before the match it would be appreciated if you
would all lend a hand where necessary.
Cyril Newman will be overseeing the Friday Club Night this year. I hope
you will continue to support this very enjoyable evening.
As before you will need to sign-in or telephone at least 20 minutes
before the start time. No price rise - still 50p in the pot.
Special Competitions
Yonwin Cup, Past Times, Top Ten etc.
Please sign up on the sheets, which are on the Men’s match notice board,
for members who wish to be considered for any of these special
competitions. Please put your name down by the 4th May 2008.
I look forward to seeing you at the Pre-Season get together on Friday
18th April 2008 at 7.00pm
Best wishes for an enjoyable and successful season.
Derek Hoffmann (Men’s Captain).
100
Club
February Draw
1st Mrs M Trumble No.117 £32
2nd
Mrs M Lamb No. 50 £19
3rd Mr E Brown No.23
£10
100
Club March
Draw
1st Mrs B Grant No.36
£32
2nd
Mrs J Jackson No.123 £19
3rd Mrs H York No. 38
£10 |
From the
Ladies’ Captain
Welcome to the 2008 season. I hope it will be a good one for you all.
Good health, pleasant bowling weather, enjoyable company and of course
successful bowling.
Many of our ladies have played indoors for Epsom in mixed matches and in
Leagues. As Epsom Ladies we entered a team for the Mole Valley
Invitation Day and also played against King George Field Ladies.
Over the winter there have been regular meetings of the Ladies’ Bowling
Committee and we have also met with the Men’s Bowling Committee. I hope
this will ensure the smooth running of all Ladies and Mixed events.
You will see from the Fixture List that we have added three more Mixed
matches - Banstead Neville, Cheam Sports and Reigate Priory.
Worcester Park have had difficulties in bringing a team of ladies to
Epsom so rather than lose the fixture we have agreed that we would be
happy for them to include men in their teams. As last year Mixed match
sheets are in the verandah and Ladies match sheets are either in the
green ring binder or on the board in our changing room. I hope you will
sign up for as many matches as possible. If you have not played in a
match before do not worry, those of us with a bit more experience will
give you lots of support. In order to cover our commitments we do need
everyone to play as often as possible.
For Club Competitions we need to have as many teams as possible in order
to have a successful competition, so even if you have not done so
before, please enter. We use handicaps to even out a team’s skill level.
A player with a low handicap could be an advantage to the team!
The green opens, weather permitting, on Saturday 19th April and a mixed
game is planned for Sunday 20th April. Do come along.
Ladies’ Open Day is Thursday 24th April. Let us hope we get on the green
this year! Following the game will be tea and cakes and all ladies are
welcome.
The Club is holding an Open Day on the afternoon of Saturday 1st June
and you are invited to come along to help.
Following last year’s successful event, we have planned another ‘Be a
Better Bowler’ day for the afternoon of Saturday 5th July.
This year we will also have a visit from the Surrey Coaching Team on
Wednesday 16th July starting at 9.30am. There will be a charge of £3.
Bowlswear Direct will be at the Club on Monday 5th May.
Friday Evening Club Night starts on May 2nd.
It was suggested that it would be useful to carry the telephone number
of the club we are playing away. A list of telephone numbers of all the
Clubs on the Ladies’ and Men’s Fixture lists have been included with the
paper work distributed to all members.
Finally, if you have a problem or need advice please talk to a member of
the committee. We are here to help where we can.
Best wishes for a great season.
Anne Hoffmann (Ladies’ Captain). |
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Francis Drake Fellowship
The Fellowship offers financial assistance to
bowlers and/or their dependants who have fallen on hard times.
The Annual Membership Donation is £2 and Life Membership £20.
The Life Membership Subscription to the
Fellowship can be treated as a Gift Donation, which is a
Government initiative to make donations worth more to the
recipient charity. We would encourage all new Life Members
to sign up to the Gift Aid Scheme. If they are U.K. tax
payers we can claim relief on the donation at no extra cost to
the members and, this can be put to good use in our charity
work.
David Ruston (Fellowship Delegate). |
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Property & Maintenance 2008
Firstly I would like to welcome you all to another season at Epsom
Bowling Club. We are very fortunate having the Club House and facilities
situated in these ideal surroundings. However, the maintenance of the
property overall requires voluntary effort from the membership in order
to keep costs to a minimum.
I would like to appeal to you all, to see if you would consider giving
up some of your spare time to carry out minor duties around the Club.
You can come along on Monday or Wednesday mornings to help in many ways.
Please refer to the list included in the paper work distributed at the
beginning of the season.
As we approach our Centenary Year it would be good if we could improve
the appearance of the property possibly painting buildings inside and
out, tidying flower borders and maintaining the car park.
One of the projects outstanding is relocating the shed which houses the
green iron, another is the paving of an area outside the dressing rooms
facing the green and to site a new bench seat donated by Cyril Godwin’s
family.
If you can help please contact me.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank all those members who have
maintained the Club and green during the winter months.
Cyril Newman (Property Manager). |
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Events to come
Friday 18th April Get Together 7.15pm
Monday 5th May Bowlswear Direct 12 Noon
Monday 26th May Plant & Produce Sale12 Noon
Wednesday 11th June 2008 Trip to Bluebell Railway
TBA
Friday 18th July 2008 B.B.Q. & Games 7.00pm
Saturday 30th August 2008 Finals Day 11.00am
Sunday 31st August 2008 Finals Day 11.00am
Saturday 20th September 2008 Awards Evening T.B.A.
October/November T.B.A.
Saturday 6th December 2008 Christmas Celebrations
7.00pm
Friday 13th February 2009 Valentines Night 7.00pm
Friday 13th March 2009 T.B.A. |
At the Zipper's AGM on Saturday 29th
March the members agreed grants worth £14.500.00 to seven hospitals
around the country (this was money raised during the 2006/7 season).
Epsom, Kingston and St. Georges Hospital Coronary Care Units received
£4,140.00. Our thanks once again to Epsom Bowling Club and ALL the
people who supported the Zipper's Charity Day in 2007 in whatever way.
Your generous support does get to the right places - in the past twelve
months at least three members from Epsom Bowling Club have been through
Epsom CCU. |
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Mole Valley
Cup 2008
Regrettably we did not do very well in the cup this year
We won 2 & lost 2. Better luck next
time.
The semi finals were:-
Ashtead v Bookham &
East Horsley v Epsom Park.
In the final Bookham beat East Horsley 34 - 6.
Happy bowling season to you all and I look forward to
seeing you on the green (in fine
weather I hope).
Thank you - Pat Felloni |
Social News
We have our usual events this season. We have Bowlswear Direct,
Plant & Produce sale (both on Bank Holidays) & the B.B.Q. in
July.
The awards evening will be held at the Club again in September,
and of course there will be a Christmas Celebration.
We will only have one event between September and December, and
it is hoped to have this late October/early November.
On Wednesday 11th June we are organising an outing to the
Bluebell Railway as I know there are a few railway enthusiasts
in the Club.
Please watch the notice board for times & dates - they will be
up during May.
Thank you to all who made our last seasons events enjoyable, and
a big thank you to the Committee who always work hard on your
behalf.
Thank you - Betty Day |
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Get Together Evening
The Get Together Evening was well attended by members on Friday
18th April 2008. The President, Tony Jackman, said a few words.
He welcomed everyone to the new season, and welcomed new
members. He thanked Betty Day and her team for laying on food
for the evening.
Anne Hoffmann, the Ladies’ Captain, welcomed everyone and asked
for names to be put down for matches especially for the Past
Times match against Croydon on July 6th July and the Top Club
game against Bookham on 11th May.
Derek Hoffmann, the Men’s Captain, also welcomed everyone and
ran through procedures for the season to come including names
for matches and the very tight schedule at the beginning of May
especially with respect to outside competitions. Derek also
mentioned that the green would be unplayable this first weekend,
and that the Club would open for play on Thursday 24th April.
Roy Ward volunteered to be the representative for Epsom for
Sutton & District Bowling Association.
George Sperring reminded everyone of the Rink Booking procedure
and reported that the green had some problems with crows.
Betty Day mentioned the Social Events and particularly the event
arranged for 13 November 2008. This
being a trip to the Albert Hall to see 'Best of Broadway'.
Details published in the Club. |
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Memories of Harold Yates
From a fellow member
To write a few memories of Harold I find very difficult. Taken
individually so many of the memories may sound unflattering but
take them collectively and you have a wonderful personality.
Harold wore his heart on his sleeve and said what he felt.
Unfortunately what he said could often be the last thing that
people wanted to hear particularly at Club meetings. Usually
though there was a lot of truth in what he said which perhaps it
was why at times his comments were unwelcome.
Also at times one Harold could give the image of one of the
grumpy old men. I'm sure he liked create that image. Fortunately
he had a great sense of humour and it was always a pleasure to
sit alongside him of an evening watching bowls. Conversation was
never dull. One could greet him with “Harold it's great to see
you so cheerful today” (he never was) and he would always have a
response which led to a lot of fun and banter. He thrived on it.
Whether it be Indoors or Outdoors he can be pictured when
skipping sitting on the bank the epitome of gloom and despair
and shaking his head. This was just Harold. You needed to know
him. These eccentricities were his charm.
Harold was as you found him, straight as a dye, and when you
knew him a true friend.
Finally he was a fine bowler. Not many other players will win
the pairs in their 80's.
We will never have another Harold. He brought colour and
character to the Club. He will be irreplaceable. |
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From Graham Pilbrow
It is sad that during the winter we have lost three of our
valued members, namely Cyril Godwin, Geoff Reynolds and Harold
Yates.
Cyril joined the Club from Epsom Park in the mid nineties. What
a nice man, friendly, courteous and quite a reasonable steady
bowler. In his quiet way Cyril contributed to Epsom Bowling Club
frequently helping out Captains when they were short of players
for matches.
Geoff contributed to the Club in many other ways, managing the
bar for many years, forever being part of the working parties.
What a character he was. I will always remember Geoff for being
‘Del Boy’, his hatred of Rink 2 and for being a great President.
Harold was a man I knew very well as he was a work colleague of
my father. Harold became a very good bowler frequently being
picked for the premier games - e.g. Yonwin Cup & Past Times
Trophy. Harold contributed to Epsom Bowling Club not only on the
green, but off the green as well, being part of the working
party. One year he painted all the men’s changing room. What
Harold will be remembered most for will be his cries of ‘OH NO!’
on the green.
All three will be sadly missed. |
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