In spite of the weather, the club’s Open Weekend proved to be a great success with newcomers braving the rain and cold to try their hand at bowls, writes Michael Smith.

Sidmouth Herald: A sporting handshake between Gail Hawke and Steve Hall at the conclusion of the Ottery St Mary Bowls Club's annual meeting bwteeen the match secretary's team and the club secretary's team.A sporting handshake between Gail Hawke and Steve Hall at the conclusion of the Ottery St Mary Bowls Club's annual meeting bwteeen the match secretary's team and the club secretary's team. (Image: Archant)

At the end of the two days some 17 would-be bowlers have shown an interest in joining the club on a full-time basis; a great effort by our coaches and members who helped.

It was not a good week for Ottery in their two friendly fixtures. They travelled to Sidmouth and Seaton, but returned empty handed, suffering defeats at both venues. Sunday saw the annual secretary versus match secretary contest take place.

This season, it was a case of club secretary Gail Hawke’s team taking on match secretary Steve Hall’s team, both of whom are very competitive players in their own right, but this time they were relying on their respective teams to gain the victory. It was the match secretary and his team that took the honours, ending as convincing winners, enjoying success on all four rinks and by an overall score of 90 shots to 39.

The best rink was that of Eric Richardson, Charlie Griffin, Shirley Fewtrell and skip Peter Jones, who were impressive 32-8 winners.

Prior to the match, Leighton Burston won the traditional Spider competition and a very fine bottle of whiskey – thanks to Gail and Steve.

Friday club nights continue to attract new as well as our established players. If you would like to try your hand at bowls, just come along from 6pm, where coaching will be provided; flat soled shoes or trainers are the only requirement.

For more information on the club nights and, indeed, all things Ottery St Mary bowls, please contact Mike Smith on 01404 811195.