January, the first month of the year, is named in honour of the Roman god Janus. He is the god of beginnings and transitions, thence also of gates, doors, doorways, endings and time and is usually depicted as a two-faced god since he looks to the future and the past. So, let’s take the opportunity to take stock of the last year and look forward into the new year.
2019 was an eventful year for Retford Bowling Green. Early in the season the club was promoted with a leaflet and poster campaign backed up by an open day, free coaching sessions and a taster session in Kings Park on Charter Day. Overall they signed up 21 new bowling members; an astonishing result. Through the season many of the new bowlers joined in internal competitions, friendlies and league matches, which was encouraging to see. An innovation for the closed season was the introduction of Friday evening social gatherings and another innovation was canasta sessions during the bowling season, thus broadening the offering to their members.
The club plays in a number of leagues and their team were Division 2 winners in The Retford and District Bowls League, which includes teams from Retford and Worksop bowls clubs. Over the course of the season they won eight out of 10 matches and ended as division winners, with 79 points out of possible 100 and a 12 point margin over the second placed team. The result was particularly satisfying as they had been relegated from Division 1 in 2018.
Once the bowling season came to an end the club’s autumn programme continued with a social programme and short mat bowling sessions in the clubhouse. A group of members also play indoor bowls at Worksop. There are 12 of them who formed a team called The Crofters three years ago. Over the three years they have finished mid-table first year, second the following year, but this year the games have become more difficult as they are playing against more experienced players. They have played seven games, only won one game and are currently bottom of the league — but they still enjoy playing!
Moving into the new year, the social calendar will continue. The Friday socials will kick off on 10th January with another fish and chip supper and the first coffee morning will be on 17th January. Canasta, games afternoons and short mat bowls will also continue. Following on from last year’s campaign it is hoped that this year’s will again result in signing up a similar number of members. Watch these pages for more information in the coming months.
As always for more information you can visit the club website, www.retfordbowlinggreen.co.uk, email info@retfordbowlinggreen.co.uk or call Geoff Evans on 01777 948194.