HISTORY OF OVERSTRAND BOWLS CLUB

The history of the club is unfortunately not well documented. There is an old photograph in the clubhouse that would indicate that the club may have been formed in the late 1920’s. If so of course that would mean that a centenary year would be imminent? (How exciting that would be…time to prepare a celebration perhaps?)

The club is blessed with a beautiful location overlooking the village cricket ground with its listed building being a rare thatched pavilion. This is all thanks to Lord and Lady Battersea who bequeathed the sports ground to the village of Overstrand in the early part of last century. Our bowls club is tucked away in the corner of the sports ground in a south facing position. (Ideal for topping up a sun tan while enjoying a few hours of bowls?)

NEW MEMBERS

New members are always welcome at the club. Like many organisations our membership has unfortunately dwindled a little over the past few years, not least of course due to the pandemic. One of the key aims of the club is to now return the membership to its former level.

Yearly subscriptions are currently £65 per member. This includes affiliated membership to Overstrand Sports Club and all local and national bowling registration fees.

If you are new to the game of bowls we have a dedicated coach who will happily give you initial tuition regarding bowling techniques, the rules of the game, and matters of etiquette on the green, all by prior arrangement and free of charge. This helps new members quickly get to grips with the game and improve their confidence before participating in club ‘roll ups’ or even matches.

THE GREEN

Our club takes great pride in its green and have recently carried out extensive work to improve its quality. The club pays for a programme of professional treatment and maintenance throughout the year, as well as having a team of dedicated volunteers that help with the grass cutting and ground maintenance. This has led to a marked improvement concerning the green’s quality. As with most greens however, it still has a few quirks here and there. All monies raised from members annual subscriptions go toward green maintenance.

With our beautiful  green in mind, flat soled shoes must of course be worn at all times!

INTERNAL CLUB COMPETITIONS

The club organises a Men’s Single, Women’s Single and Pairs and other competitions during the second half of the season and all members are welcome to join in. We also organise the occasional fun competition event during the season. All club competitions are free to enter for our members.

CLUB ORGANISATION

The club is run by an elected committee that makes decisions on behalf of all of the members. There is a club constitution that all members must abide by. Our A.G.M is held at the end of the year, usually around December time.