Suddenly, it is June, and for the Bowling Club in Ottery St Mary, that can only mean one thing - Presidents Day.

This is an afternoon hosted by club president, Terry House, to bring the whole club together, play bowls and then enjoy a meal together, a fabulous tradition that highlights the fabulous camaraderie of bowls.

It is also a golden opportunity for The President to publicly thank all those club members who give so freely of their time and energy in assisting with the smooth running of the club, ensuring that it is a welcoming and well cared for place for anyone to be – a fact reinforced by anyone visiting the Ottery club.

After his initial speech, the traditional spider was played for, which involves all players bowling together at a target set out in the middle of the green. A bottle of Whisky was the prize and was duly won by Sue Thomas, which created a slight problem - she doesn’t drink Whisky, but the delight could be seen on her husband’s face!

The players were then divided into two teams - The President’s Team and The Chairman's Team, as is usual on such occasions. At the end of the afternoon, it was The Chairperson’s Team that came out the winners, thereby ensuring a year's bragging rights for Chairperson, Sharon Kenny.

The top team of the afternoon consisted of David Rose, Gerry Brighton, Moira Griffin and Ryan (fireman) Seers. It was so good to see members who have only been playing the game since April taking their full part in the afternoon’s activities, and not letting their team down.

After the games were completed, the catering team really pulled out the stops to provide a barbecue and salad supper, with a choice of puddings for afters. The fine weather definitely played a part in ensuring that the whole afternoon was a great success, despite the failure of the Red Arrows, who were due to fly in around supper time. Not even The President, on his own special day, could arrange for that to happen!

By Clive Russell