Ormskirk Bowling Club

Please note that the maximum number of games should be no more than 4 at any one time, apparently there were 6 on at one stage on Friday.

Please be conscious of members waiting to play when you are on the green.

OBC are potentially looking to enter a Team into the Bootle Vets Bowling League which plays on a Thursday Afternoon during the summer; if we have sufficient interest from our members. The League is formed from Mixed gender Teams of 10 players each, with matches expected to commence early APR23 and stretch into SEP23.

Opposition Teams would be located around the Formby, Maghull, Crosby & Bootle areas, so a certain amount of travel would be necessary.

Would those bowlers over the age of 55 who are interested in taking part within an OBC Team please contact Martin Roberts  BY 31NOV22 (roberts.martin@btconnect.com or 0779 693 8600). Additionally, if you would like further (limited) details please contact Martin directly.

Once we have a firmer idea for the amount of interest, we can make a decision whether to submit an application to join the League.

Many Thanks

Just a polite reminder that our club is members only and whilst we encourage you to bring friends and family who want to try it out for a couple of times, we would expect them to join if they decide to play on a regular basis.

Thanks to Martin Roberts and Eric Barklem the debris has now been removed and the green is open again.

Please note that the artificial green is closed until further notice. Last night’s firework display has left the green unplayable due to debris and will only become playable when we can get a dry spell to hoover it. We will keep you informed.

To end a successful year for the club we are holding the above event and we would like to see as many members as possible attending.

Tickets will be £5 payable on the night which will enter you into a draw for 2 superb meat hampers plus many other prizes. We will start the evening with Heads & Tails Bingo followed by an open discussion regarding the club’s financial position ahead of the AGM, where we will seek your input and views.

To follow there will be the Chairman’s Quiz and some fun & games from Ian Gill (although he doesn’t know this yet!). Please bring some coins with you for the games and obviously the bar will be open.

Any additional raffle prizes will be gratefully received on the night.

Please can you e-mail back if you intend to come along indicating number of attendees, just so we can advise numbers, and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.

Winter Pairs Knockout Draw

We have had a lot of interest in our first winter pairs knockout, with 15 teams entering. The draw for round one matches has been made, see below. 

I hope I’ve included everyone who contacted me. If you did contact me and I’ve missed you out, please let me know and I’ll include you. 

Play By Date: 

All games to be played by the end of November.
Please let me know if there any issues with keeping to that timescale

Arranging Games:

Pair One are responsible for contacting Pair Two.  Most members are contactable through the WhatsApp Groups. If you don’t have any contact details for anyone in Pair Two, please contact Dave Roper or me.

Recording Results:

A results sheet will be put on the noticeboard in the clubhouse. Please write your results on. 

Format:

A reminder that this is a straightforward knockout competition. The winner goes through, the loser is out. Once all the games have been played, we will draw the fixtures for round two. 

Queries: 

Any questions, please get in touch

Enjoy your bowling and hope to see you on the green shortly

Steve James

OBC Chair

Congratulations to Ormskirk BC on winning Division 2 and Ormskirk Academy who were runners up. Both teams will be in Division 1 next year.

Also many congratulations to Alan Bellis who had the best average in Division 2. Some photos below of the presentation event.

Winter Social Bowling Ladder and Winter Pairs Knockout Tournament

Winter Singles Leagues:

Thanks to everyone who registered for our Winter Singles Leagues. Two divisions were created and matches have now commenced. We hope everyone enjoys this new format. 

Winter Social Bowling Ladder:

As mentioned, the Winter Ladder will be continuing, but in a slightly different format to previous years. The rules are largely the same as those set out on the ‘Winter’ section of our website. The main ones being:

1. You can challenge anybody to a game. If you win you go 3 places up the ladder. 

2. In March, you can only challenge people 1, 2 or 3 places higher than you. (The website has a section specifically for the rules that apply in March.)

Ladder Winner:

The main difference this season is that the ladder will not culminate in a play-off morning for the top 8 players, as in previous years. Instead, the person at the top of the ladder at the end of March will be the winner. 

Recording Results:

Results should be recorded immediately after the game on the Winter Social Bowling Ladder Results form on the clubhouse’s noticeboard. (It will be pinned-up early next week). Members will be asked to record the date, time the match started and result. The ladder results will be updated periodically on the website and more frequently in March. Monthly updated ladder positions will be printed off and put in the clubhouse. 

Arranging ladder games:

Games are arranged through a specific ‘OBC Winter Ladder’ WhatsApp group. If your phone number is still on this group from last winter, and you want to remain on it, you do not need to do anything else. 

Please note this is a different WhatsApp group to the ‘Winter Singles Lge Div 1’ and ‘Winter Singles League Div 2’ groups. If you are on either of those groups but have not previously been part of the ‘OBC Winter Ladder’ group and wish to join, please text Dave Roper on 07962 014149 and ask him to add you to it. The club is very grateful to Dave for organising this for us again. 

When can we start arranging matches?

You can start arranging matches right away. You can play anyone else in the group until the end of February, regardless of ladder positions. 

Enjoy the ladder, it is a great way to bowl against new people and meet new members. 

Winter Pairs Knockout Tournament:

Last year we piloted a Winter Pairs Tournament and it was quite successful, but rather ‘fell away’ with a number of matches unplayed. Ultimately, it was not concluded. The Committee have taken this into account and also the fact that we have an additional club winter singles tournament. As such, our proposal this year is to run a pairs knockout tournament. 

Format:

As an example, if we get sixteen pairs who wish to enter, we will randomly draw out the First-Round games, i.e. 8 matches. The pairs will be given a timescale to play this game by, e.g. end of November, but arrange the date themselves. The losing team will be knocked-out, the winners will progress to the next round. We will update progress via the website and draw out the Second-Round Fixtures and set a date, etc. If there is an uneven number of entrants one team will get a bye to the Second Round. We will build up to a final or possibly a ‘Finals Morning’ with both semis and the final.  

Please let me know if you wish to enter and who your team is by Sunday 23^rd October, please. Contact me on: stevej2330@gmail.com, 07768092236 or via any of the club’s WhatsApp groups (I am in all of them).

I hope you are all enjoying your winter’s bowling and that these multiple formats offer ‘something for everyone’.

Best wishes and hope to see you on the green soon.

Steve James

OBC Chair

Please note due to weather delays the help requested for 13th and 14th October will now be required 17th and 18th October. Please do not attend this week.