A Special Treat For You All

The thing about the closed season is that Ian seems to have rather more time on his hands than he does during the bowling season. This is lucky for us because he has put his logical and arithmetical mind to good use.

Firstly, he poses us all with a question for our consideration: Which members (male and female) played in most LEAGUE matches both Home and Away, whilst just representing Vardre Deganwy bowling club, between April & October 2023? The Answer will appear here on the website in due course.

Secondly, he has taken an analytical look at the green in relation to actual usage during 2023. Just Click Here to read his study on the fortitude of our marvellous bowling green.

Ian & Vardre Deganwy Bowling Green

Crown Green Bowls in Wales

The Wales Crown Green Bowling Association (WCGBA) unites crown green bowling clubs in Wales. If you think there is anything that could be improved or changed to make crown green bowling in Wales even more enjoyable and effective, then it is possible to encourage change. Each club that is a member of the association sends representatives to the WCGBA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). Those clubs are able to submit Notices of Motions/Proposals in advance (closing date 11th January 2024). The date of the next AGM has been set for Saturday 10th February 2024 at The Beaches Hotel, Prestatyn.

Riddle

Barbara: “Gwyneth, tell me, when do sheep become stationery?”

Gwyneth: “Well, Barbara, that’s a difficult one. What is it?”

Barbara (left) & Gwyneth

Barbara: “When they are turned into pens”.

Source: “A Thousand and One Riddles, With a Few Thrown In”, a Victorian book Published by George Routledge & Sons Ltd., London.

Poetry in Teamwork

At last week’s AGM, Ian recited a poem that he had written about his Saturday Team’s performance in 2023. If you weren’t there, or if you’d like to read it again, just Click Here.

Ian recites his poem at the AGM

Hedging Our Bets

It has been a busy period for donations. Recently, one of our Members, Sue Sutcliffe, who joined the Club last summer, very kindly donated a battery powered Husqvarna extendable hedge cutter with a chainsaw attachment. This is an excellent piece of kit and the maintenance team used it last week to cut the very highest of our hedges. It did a great job and will save the Club a considerable amount of money. Many thanks Sue.

Sue S

Appreciation Gratefully Received

Gary Roberts won this year’s Alun Jones Memorial Trophy, held for the 2nd year running on our Vardre Deganwy green. He has kindly made a donation to our Club. He has also written a very generous and heartfelt letter, explaining the family loss that affected him at the time of playing the final, and how grateful and appreciative he was to the Club in making the event so successful.

Gary also reminisces about his own time as a member of the Deganwy Club because his first 30-years of bowling were spent playing for Deganwy. He even mentions the best Junior player at that time who beat Gary’s hero. Who was that Junior player? Only a young lad called Ian Wilson! (See item at bottom of this post).

Thank you Gary for your donation and for your kind & thoughtful letter (letter available in the clubhouse)

Gary Roberts after he won the Alun Jones Memorial Trophy 2023, held at Vardre Deganwy green in August. He beat John Bailey in the Final.

P.S. Talking about Ian, Click Here to read his latest update on maintenance of the green. A further update will be available later in the week so remember to keep checking back.

Care and Share

Our Social Committee has made a great suggestion for us all to consider. Instead of sending Christmas cards this year, why not spend the money instead on food for local people who are in great need? St. Michael’s and All Angels Church runs a “Care and Share Scheme” for the Aberconwy Mission Area.  They seek and collect donations of food in the Aberconwy Area for people who are in desperate need of help and support: families; single persons; people with disabilities; older people; and, generally, anyone who is struggling. 

If you would like to make a donation, just leave your food parcels in the clubhouse for Hazel or David to collect. They will call in regularly. The food parcels are then either collected from the church, or delivered, once a month unless there is an urgent need.

The types of food that you could include in your parcel are: teabags; coffee; long life milk; squash; pasta; rice; tinned potatoes and other vegetables; instant mash; pasta sauce; tinned steak/mince; tinned chicken curry/chilli; tinned ham/corned beef; tinned fruit; soup, either tinned or packet; packet desserts such as angel delight; rice pudding; breakfast; cereal; biscuits; multi bag crisps; jam; sanitary items; nappies; washing powder, etc.

For all of you who will participate, thank you for giving your support to local people who are in need. This scheme is run every month of the year, so do also think about a regular donation of food.

Hazel & David

Christmas Fun Has Begun

Santa’s Enchanted Grotto and Elf Academy: Gwrych Castle’s popular Christmas event is set to be even more magical this year as Santa Claus and his elves will be joined by Mrs Claus! The Elf Academy will be ready to enchant visitors with an immersive, unforgettable experience: 2 Dec 2023to3 Dec 2023 Open 10:00 – 17:00; 9 Dec 2023 to10 Dec 2023 Open 10:00 – 17:00; 16 Dec 2023 to17 Dec 2023 Open 10:00 – 17:00; 22 Dec 2023 to23 Dec 2023 Open 10:00 – 17:00.

Colwyn Bowls Festival 2024

Next year’s bowls festival, held at local greens over a week in the middle of the crown green bowling season, is well advanced in the planning. The organiser has set up a Facebook Page where information will be provided in due course and entries to the competitions can be made. If you are a member of Facebook you can Join the Group.

Metaphor

Everyone at the Club’s AGM this week will recall our Chairman – Marina’s – metaphor involving geese in a V-formation. You may be interested to know that geese on the ground in a group are referred to as ” a gaggle”. However, when flying together in the air they have the collective noun of “a skein”. Why? Well the word comes from the Old French word for “V-formation”.

The moment captured on film when Marina goes in for the practical V-formation demo.