Welcome to the Website for Clockhouse (Upminster) Bowling Club

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The Club welcomes  new members, either existing bowlers or beginners. Our green is situated in Clockhouse Gardens, St Marys Lane, Upminster, close to Waitrose, in delightful surroundings. We play in competitive leagues for both men and ladies. There are also friendly matches with other local Clubs and, if you so wish, just some social bowling. We are a friendly social Club and run several social events throughout the year.
National Championships at Leamington
Womens Junior Pairs -
​Saturday 17th/18th  August

At 1pm on Saturday, Hayley Kenny of Clockhouse teamed up with Jasmine Wilson of the Radwinter Club to represent Essex in the Junior Pairs event where they took on Hannah Smith and Abbie Ward of Warwickshire in the 1st round. In the closest of finishes Hayley and Jasmine came through 16-15. At 4.30pm, in round 2, the last 16, they took on Rosie Jevons and Megan Hunt from Middlesex and off to a brisk start, Hayley and Jasmine went 9-0 up after 2 ends, which gave them a good cushion to win the match 20-11. 
​On Sunday 18th at 9.30am Hayley and Jasmine played the Buckinghamshire pair, Abby Elliott and Megan Higgins, in the Quarter-Final and won 19-13. They then played the Semi-Final against the Devon pair from the strong Kings Club, Emma Cooper and Harriet Stevens.  In a closely fought game it was all square at 14-14 after 16 ends. With 1 shot on each of the last 2 ends the Essex girls sealed the game to give them a Final tie against the holders of the title, Devon Cooper and Rachel Tremlett from the Baldock Town Club in Hertfordshire who had a comfortable 22-6 win over Hampshire.
In the Final Hayley and Jasmine had the bit between their teeth and stormed to a 12-0 lead after 5 ends, they scored well and after 13 ends had a comfortable lead of 23-5. This was enough to take the title from the current holders.
Roger Burton Final - Saturday 17th August
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On Saturday morning at Brentwood, Clockhouse men took on the power of the Romford men in the Roger Burton Final.
The "Barmy Army" Clockhouse supporters turned out in strength to cheer the underdogs, who by no means disgraced themselves against such strong opponents.
​In the singles, it was nip and tuck to 16-16, before Peter Lowe was beaten to the post over the last 3 ends. Doug Baxter and Roger Tallentire lost their unbeaten record, going down 13-19. The triples of Terry Robson, Ray Walker and Mike Long lost 8-19 to the strong Romford side led by the very experienced Frankie Abbott. The one Clockhouse success was in the rink, where the team of  Derek Churchill, Malcolm Tidbury, Bob Pearce & Geoff Carvosso held on firmly against a very strong side to win 23-20.
On shot difference, the final score was Romford 79 - Clockhouse 60.  A great all round effort.

​National Womens Pairs -
​Wednesday 14th August at Leamington
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After a morning of heavy rain and delayed play, Hayley Kenny and Rebecca Smith took on a Cornwall pair in the afternoon preliminary round of the Pairs event. Taking an early loss of 4 shots on one end, the Essex pair stayed within striking distance and on several ends were holding enough shots to recover their losses only to be thwarted by the Cornwall skip. Needing 6 shots to level on the last end was too much to ask, with only 3, the Essex pair went down 16-19.

Ladies 2 Wood Club Competition -
​Saturday 10th August

This years Ladies 2 wood Club Competition was held as a one day knockout event on Saturday 10th August. The event attracted 13 entries with cakes and biscuits provided by Beverley. The final was contested between Debbie Walmsley and Rebecca Smith, with Rebecca the eventual winner by 17 shots to 10.

​Mens Stanford-le-Hope Open Triples - Thursday 8th August

Following on from the successes of our more experienced players, the ‘ class of 2019 ‘ wish to record their success today in the Stanford-le-Hope Triples Open Day
Playing against 22 experienced teams from several parts of the county the teams of Chris Baker, Rob Crabb, Eric Mitchell, Bernie Finch , Barry Churchyard and Gary Robinson played three triples games of 9 ends and in true Clockhouse traditions did not come back empty handed.
Ok, so we never won the contest, finishing in a very commendable mid table position but we did win the spider contest (money) and the raffle, (lots of beer).
A great deal of experience was gained and more importantly everyone had fun.

​Ron Plews Challenge Trophy and Memorial Cup - Sunday 4th August

​The annual Ladies v Men challenge was held on Sunday, resulting in the closest of finishes at 60 shots each.
Joyce Plews attended the event with her family with Joyce presenting the trophy to Mens Captain, Peter Galloway and stand in Ladies Captain, Hazel Pudney.
Ladies Albert Crabb Competition (Double Rink) - Tuesday 30th July
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On Tuesday evening Clockhouse Ladies won their Albert Crabb Semi-Final match against Castle Point of Thundersley. Both teams had convincing wins, battling against the light, wind and rain to win by an overall total of 24 shots.
This now takes them to the County Final on Saturday 24th August at Chelmsford BC with a 1.30pm start.
This is a fantastic result for the Clockhouse Ladies following the Top Club Trophy win on Saturday and a big achievement for one club during a single season.
Roger Burton Semi-Final - Sunday 28th July 2019
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Not to be overshadowed by Clockhouse Ladies achievements, on Sunday morning the men played in the Roger Burton Semi-Final against Haynes Park.
The competition combining Singles, Pairs, Triples and Fours with the result based entirely on total shots. The Singles and Fours were at home and the Pairs and Triples played away. The home matches finished with a 13 shot deficit, 6 in the Singles and 7 in the Fours, but was counteracted by an excellent 14 shot win by Terry Robson, Ray Walker and Mike Long in the Triples, leaving Clockhouse just a 1 shot lead. The ongoing Pairs match of Doug Baxter and Roger Tallentire against Joe Blackhall and Graham Killington reached the final end with Clockhouse just 1 shot up and in a nail biting finish, 2 lead woods from Doug, protected by a run of blockers from Roger, ensured a 2 shot win.
The performance of the day was achieved by Peter Lowe in the Singles, who came back from 2-18 down after 14 ends to one of the opposition stars, Eddie Fancourt, to be defeated only by 6 shots at 15-21.  An amazing recovery, which set the seal for eventual success.  So an overall 3 shot win takes the Clockhouse men to the Final at Brentwood on Saturday 17th August.
Pre-match warm up helped
Top Club Victory for Clockhouse Ladies
County Top Club Final - Saturday 27th July 2019

Clockhouse Ladies had the short trip to Aveley on Saturday afternoon to contest the Final of the County Top Club Competition against Buckhurst Hill. With the weather unpredictable, wet gear was on the packing list, however this did not deter the dedicated band of supporters who have followed the Ladies through this years successful run. During the morning session Buckhurst Hill had won the County Fours Final, so their players where in fine form and their supporters were in fine voice.
The same Clockhouse team who have played in all rounds got off to a favourable start with Hayley Kenny taking a commanding lead in the Singles and Margaret Tinton and Rebecca Smith leading 17-3 after 11 ends in the Pairs. The triples were only 6 shots down and the fours were fairly evenly matched at the same stage. Looking promising for Clockhouse, the rain came and a nail biting finish was to follow. The rain and subsequently the change in the green seemed to benefit Buckhurst Hill.
Hayley completed her excellent Singles win 21-10, giving the rest an 11 shot cushion. The Triples of Patricia Heather, Sandra Ringshaw and Stella Briton struggled with a 12-25 loss with the Fours of Val Hayes, Debbie Walmsley, Michelle Carlin and Hazel Pudney losing 14-19. This left the Pairs needing to win by 8 shots, and after a Buckhurst Hill comeback, Margaret and Rebecca came up trumps winning 24-11, making it a draw on rinks with total shots of 71-65, the overall  difference of 6 shots meant victory for Clockhouse.
Clockhouse will lift the coveted Trophy at the County Luncheon being held on Wednesday 23rd October at Stockbrook Manor, Billericay.
Hetty Foster Mixed Triples - Sunday 21st July 2019
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Clockhouse held their Hetty Foster mixed triples competition on Sunday 21st July. The competition held in memory of past members Hetty and Sid Foster was introduced in 2003 with the donation of trophies by their daughter. With 24 members taking part the competition consisted of 8 teams of triples, each playing 4 rounds of 6 ends. There were 2 teams with 6 points, so the result was calculated on shot countback. In 2nd place with a shot difference of +13, was Veronica Wells, Syd Stubbs and Ken Smith and the winners, with 2 wins and 2 halves, on a shot difference of +19, were Jenny Bullock, Alan Jenkins and Beverley Plank.

Ladies Albert Crabb Competition (Double Rink) - Thursday 18th July & Monday 22nd July
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On Thursday evening 18th July, Clockhouse Ladies won their Albert Crabb 3rd round match against Elm Park by an overall 9 shot difference.
The home team lost their game 14-22 but the away team won their game 28-11.

Then on Monday evening 22nd July, they won their 4th round match against Liberty of Havering by an overall 34 shot difference.
This result makes them the Area 'A' winners and they now meet Castle Point BC in the County Semi-Final on Tuesday 30th July with a home and away start at 6.00pm.​

​Ladies County Fours Finals - 20th July 2019
The Clockhouse Ladies Fours team, Sandra Ringshaw, Michelle Carlin, Hayley Kenny and Rebecca Smith lost their County semi-final to Hadleigh 18-26 at Great Baddow on Saturday 20th July. In the afternoon they played the 3rd place play off against the home team of Great Baddow, winning 19-16 and earning themselves a place in the Fours National Championships at Leamington taking place from Monday 5th to Thursday 8th August.​
Ladies County Pairs Finals - 21st July 2019
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Hayley Kenny and Rebecca Smith lost their County Pairs semi-final match at Great Baddow on Sunday 21st July against Arclight BC. In the afternoon they fought Emma and Elaine Score from Springhouse BC to a nail biting 16-15 win on the last end in the 3rd place playoff to book another trip to Leamington for the National Pairs Championships as well as the Fours which they secured the day before. The National Pairs Championships take place between 14th and 17th August.

Presidents Day - Sunday 14th July
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A good turnout on Sunday afternoon for Jack Briton's Presidents Day match against Vice Captain, Beverley Plank's Captain's team. 40 members took to the green with 4 triples and 2 rinks and in his last year as President, Jack's teams managed an overall win by 4 games to 2.
The match was followed by a salad meal and wine

Ladies Albert Crabb Competition (Double Rink) - Monday 8th July
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Both teams galloped away in this Albert Crabb 2nd round tie against Rainham played on Monday 8th July, following their Top Club Semi-Final win the day before.
Patricia Heather, Sandra Ringshaw, Stella Briton and Hazel Pudney won the home tie 35-13, Margaret Tinton, Michelle Carlin, Hayley Kenny and Rebecca Smith won the away tie 21-11, with a concession, an overall 56-24 win and a shot difference of 32.
The next round is against Elm Park on Thursday 18th July.

​County Top Club Semi-Final - Sunday 7th July
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The Ladies had an excellent win against Thorpe-le-Soken in their County Top Club Semi-Final on the neutral green at Stock and Buttsbury B/C on Sunday 7th July winning 3 out of the 4 disciplines and by 31 shots overall.
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In a tight, well fought battle Hayley Kenny lost her singles by just one point 20-21, Margaret Tinton and Rebecca Smith won their pairs 26-13, Patricia Heather, Sandra Ringshaw and Stella Briton won their triples 28-11. 

The fours of Val Hayes, Debbie Walmsley, Michella Carlin and Hazel Pudney won 21-19.

​The Final of this competition will be played at Aveley, the Essex President's home Club, on Saturday 27th July 1.30pm start.





A tense last end on the fours rink.

​Alvera Plate Mixed Pairs - Sunday 30th June
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The Alvera Plate 2 wood mixed pairs event on Sunday 30th June is a competition held in memory of past members Alan and Vera Clark, introduced in 1995 by Vera following Alan's death. With all rinks in use, this years competition consisted of 4 rounds of 8 ends each and ended up a close run event. There were 3 pairs who won all 4 rounds, making the result being calculated on shot countback. In 3rd place with a shot difference of +10, was Margaret Tinton and Syd Stubbs, 2nd was Jane Legge and Geoff Carvosso on +15, with the winners, on a mighty shot difference of +39, were Patricia Heather and Tony Hayes.
Ladies Top Club - Saturday 29th June
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On Saturday 29th June, the hottest day of the year so far and in temperatures reaching 30 degrees or more Clockhouse Ladies battled their way through the Area Final of the County Top Club competition, beating arch rivals Aveley on three out of four rinks and by 16 shots overall to earn themselves a place in the Semi-Final against Thorpe-le-Soken at Stock and Buttsbury Bowling Club on Sunday 7th July commencing at 10.30am.
Match results:
Singles player Hayley Kenny won 21-20, the pairs, Margaret Tinton and Rebecca Smith won 17-15, the triples, Patricia Heather, Sandra Ringshaw and Stella Briton lost 14-16 and the fours team of Val Hayes, Debbie Walmsley, Michelle Carlin and Hazel Pudney won 25-10.
Ladies County Pairs - 28th June
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The pairing of Hayley Kenny and Rebecca Smith won their Area A Final match against the Upminster duo of Christina Allen and Jennifer Spearman-Adkins on Friday 28th June by 26 shots to 13 to land themselves yet another County Semi-Final at Great Baddow on Saturday 20th July.

Ladies County Fours - Tuesday 25th June
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The Ladies Fours team of Sandra Ringshaw, Michelle Carlin, Hayley Kenny and Skip Rebecca Smith had a very close game just pipping a competitive Aveley team to the post with a 21-20 win in the Area A Final. They now go on to compete in the County Semi-Finals and hopefully the Finals which are being held on the same day at Great Baddow on Saturday 20th July. ​

​BDBA President's Challenge - Sunday 23rd June
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Clockhouse hosted the Brentwood and District Bowling Association annual President’s Challenge match on Sunday 23rd June.
​The honour fell to Clockhouse as Secretary, Mike Long, is this years President of the Brentwood Association.
The match, consisting of 5 rinks, was a close fought affair that was enjoyed by all 40 players from participating clubs of the Brentwood League. Although Clockhouse won 3 of the 5 rinks, it was Brentwood Association who outscored the hosts by 93 to 87 shots.
County Top Club 2nd Round - Saturday 15th June
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Clockhouse Ladies played their second round match in the County Top Club competition away to Rainham on a fairly heavy green and had excellent wins across all 4 disciplines.
Hayley Kenny won her singles 21-14, Margaret Tinton and Rebecca Smith won their pairs 24-6, Patricia Heather, Sandra Ringshaw and Stella Briton had a convincing 49-2 triples win with Val Hayes, Debbie Walmsley, Michelle Carlin and Hazel Pudney winning their Fours 13-11.
A total of 107-33  making a winning shot difference of 74 overall. A great result.
Round 3, held on a neutral green, is against Aveley BC, who beat Elm Park in the second round, and will be played at Haynes Park on Saturday 29th June 10.30am start.
Albert Crabb 1st Round - Tuesday 11th June

The Ladies played their first round in this competition on Tuesday night with a comprehensive win over Haynes Park. The home team of Hayley, Val Hayes, Michelle and Becky won 22-16 and the away team Patricia, Sandra, Stella and Hazel won 28-12, a shot total of 50-28 making a difference of 22 overall.

​Welcome Drive - Saturday 8th June

Current members came along to welcome into the club some of the 35 new bowlers that has been recruited this year.
Throughout May they have attended The Bowls Development Alliance and Bowls England’s Learn to Bowl course, run by Trevor Plank.
​Following an afternoon of bowling and a buffet everyone of the new bowlers received certificates as acknowledgment of their successful completion of the course.

Essex County Badge for Clockhouse
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Doug Baxter was presented with his Essex County badge by Terry Mizen, County President, at the Essex v Berkshire match at Wanstead Central on Thursday 30th May. Doug said that it was a great end to an extremely pleasant 5 years playing Ashford Cup matches. He hopes this will put Clockhouse well and truly back on the Mens County scene as in addition Clockhouse also have Dennis Mills, Mike Long and Peter Galloway competing in these County matches.
County Top Club 1st Round - Saturday 25th May
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The Ladies took on Haynes Park in the 1st round of the County Top Club competition at home on Saturday 25th May.
This competition involves 4 teams combining singles, pairs, triples and a rink.
Hayley Kenny, the Club's youngest member, had a resounding 21-2 victory in the singles.
The pairing of Margaret Tinton and Rebecca Smith triumphed 24-16 and the triples, Patricia Heather, Pat Flood and Stella Briton ended all level at 14-14. The rink, Val Hayes, Debbie Walmsley, Michelle Carlin and Hazel Pudney had a comfortable 36-13 win.
The 3½-½ win earns Clockhouse a 2nd round tie against Rainham on 15th June.

Welcome Drive
8th June
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1.30 for 2.00pm
  till approx. 5.00pm.

For the new bowlers, you will split you into three groups, two will bowl straight away, the third group will do the admin stuff in the clubhouse, then we will rotate one group at a time.
Dress is grey  and white where possible, otherwise as you have been.
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Current club members will be invited and a small finger buffet is available.
Should be great day.
 

The Earls - Sunday 19th May 2019

​Winners - Debbie Walmsley, Paul Vine & Hazel Pudney (pictured)
Runners Up - Trevor Plank, Patricia Heather & Catherine Bull

On a fine sunny Sunday afternoon, it was a second trophy for Paul this weekend, partnered by Debbie and Hazel in The Earls mixed triples. With 3 wins and a draw, 7 points was enough to take the trophy by 1 point from the runners up.
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​Mens Selected Pairs - Friday 17th May 2019
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Winners - Mike Long & Paul Vine (pictured)
Runners Up - Charles Rolph & Malcolm Tidbury
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It was a very closely fought final going right to the last bowl. Charles and Malcolm were holding shot and Mike Long having one bowl left with the score at 7 all. All waited with baited breath as Mike delivered taking out Charles bowl to take shot and win the match 8-7.

​Open Days "What happens next"
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All new bowlers interested in joining the club will be offered four free bowls sessions during which our qualified coach will work with them to understand how to bowl. The sessions will cover enough for them to be able to bowl confidently and enable them to take part in club roll ups and fun events.
Trevor has set up a new bowlers facebook page called ‘Learn to bowl at Clockhouse’ to enable the new bowlers to keep in contact and be made aware of coaching sessions.

Club Open Days

At least 60 people responded to the advertising campaign by coming along to one or other of the Open Days and out of that number 40 have signed up for coaching.
The next step will be coaching during May followed by the gradual integration into the Club for those who wish to become members.
Any further enquiries to: coachbowls@clockhousebowlingclub.co.uk

Sunday 28th October 2018
- Presentation Lunch

​Once again the Presentation Lunch was held at Orsett Hall. Although the numbers were down from previous years this years event was another social success, arranged and hosted once again by Brian Samuels.
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The photos taken on the day can be seen on the "Presentation" page.
Saturday 29th September - Fancy Dress Drive

What a fine day it was for the final event of the summer bowling calendar. A good turn out in fancy dress terms with a very jovial session of bowls followed by wine with biscuits, cheese and sausage rolls. The drive was won by Veronica Wells (Gnome/Smurf/Nod) with +20 points. The best Ladies fancy dress was awarded to Sally Emes (Cleopatra) and the Mens fancy dress to Peter Galloway (Superman).

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Link to all of the photos on the 'Fancy Dress' page.
​Sunday 16th September - ECBA Group 4 Finals at Kings Chase

​Unbadged Two Wood Pairs Final
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Played at Kings Chase, Clockhouse pair Doug Baxter and Charles Rolph overcame the Romford pairing of M Quinton and R Hutchinson 21 -15, to win the Group 4 Unbadged Two Wood Pairs title.
A great result for 91 year old Charles and for Doug who has now won this trophy for the 2nd time in the last 3 years.​
​Unbadged Triples Final - Colin Morton Trophy
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Clockhouse entered 2 teams this year in the Colin Morton Trophy. The ‘B’ squad reached the final, sadly losing both rinks 25 - 17 & 18 -15 to Haynes Park. This was a superb result considering our two teams of triples consisting of Tom Newton, Brian White, John Acreman & Syd Stubbs, John Carter, Terry Robson had never bowled as a team before. Several changes had to be made to the original teams owing to all sorts of unforeseen circumstances.

Club Finals Weekend
​8th & 9th September
 
Thanks to the Captains and assistants, the Club Finals weekend went smoothly and provided some good matches without to many surprises.
Thanks to the refreshment providers and catering team the weekend was a gastronomic success which  was most appreciated.

Click here to see a summary on the 'Finals' page.

Click for all of the Finals Day photos in 'Gallery'​


​Friday 31st August -
​Warley Woods Finals

The Warley woods Finals took place at Haynes Park on Friday afternoon with Clockhouse represented by Rebecca Smith, Michelle Carlin and Margaret Tinton in the triples final, against the Ingatestone triples team of Jean Palmer, Sue Harrington and Jenny Paternoster.

​After a slow start, our ladies fought back to lead after 10 ends, but a 6 end winning streak by Ingatestone was enough to hold off a late rally, with Ingatestone taking the title 18-15.
Saturday 25th August - Essex County Unfinished Finals

​Clockhouse were represented at the Essex County Unfinished Finals on Saturday by Rebecca Smith in the Champion of Champions and by Hayley Kenny in the Unbadged Singles.

​Hayley progressed through the semi-final of the Unbadged Singles with a 21-18 win over Frances Hill of PML to meet Cynthia Lee of Fairwood in the afternoon final.

​Getting off to a slow start in the final, Hayley eventually clawed her way back to take the title 21-18.
Rebecca had a hard fought Champion of Champions semi-final game, going down 14-21 to the eventual winner, Brenda Bowyer of Essex County.
Friday 17th August - Ladies Day
Hartswood League Triples Final
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Sandra Ringshaw, Stella Briton and Michelle Carlin played the final of the Hartswood League Triples at Liberty on Friday 17th August and had a convincing 27-3 victory, conceded after 15 ends, over Mary Bryant, Diana Pennell and Christina Allen from Upminster.
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​The trophy will be presented at the Hartswood League Presentation Day hosted by Brentwood Bowling Club on Monday 10th September.​
Aveley Ladies Open

Hazel Pudney, Jenny Bullock, Val Hayes and Debbie Walmsley entered the Ladies Fours Open Day at Aveley Bowling Club playing 3 games of 9 ends during the days event.

With an entry of 24 teams, they progressed with an unbeaten run against Orsett 16-4, Ingatestone 8-6 and Rainham 10-5, taking the second place prize of £150, only one point behind the winners Corringham.

​Needless to say they were pleased with their days work.

Coming up

Monday 26th August
Crazy Drive / Whist

​This will consist of a Bowls Drive (Club Members only),  BBQ, Social afternoon/evening. Members can invite guests along to the BBQ and evening social event.
Full details will be posted on the notice board in the club.
Saturday 12th October 2019
10.00am sharp

Club AGM
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Note: This is a change of date from that shown in the handbook
Saturday 12th October

Clockhouse social committee  presents
 The Runaways

A long established Shadows Tribute Band playing hits from the 50's, 60's and vocal Rock 'n' Roll music.
 
£20 per person inc. ploughmans
 
At All Saints Church
​ Ardleigh Green Rd. Hornchurch
 
(Entry by Ticket Only!!!)
 
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM SOCIAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Presentation Lunch 2019
Sunday 20th October

​Once again we look forward to our end of season Presentation lunch at Orsett Hall.
The price this year is £22 per person this includes 3 course meal, tea/coffee, tip to Orsett Hall Staff.
The maximum number is 90.  Members can bring along 1 guest.
See emails for further details of payment arrangements.
Sunday 1st December
Mulled Wine and Mince Pies

 (In aid of Essex Air Ambulance) 
Tuesday 3rd December
Ladies Christmas Lunch

Contact Val Nice for further details.
Other upcoming events include:

​Club BBQ
Race Afternoon
Film Afternoon
Quizzes
Bingo