When we play
We have friendly roll-ups (which is bowls-speak for “playing for fun and open to all”) on Saturday mornings at 10am, Wednesday afternoons at 2pm, Thursday afternoons at 2pm, and Saturday afternoons at 2pm. In winter the afternoon sessions start at 1:30pm (so we can play for a couple of hours before it gets dark).
There will almost always be a group of players on the artificial green and, from late April to early September, some players will opt to play on the grass surface instead.
For roll-ups, teams are drawn randomly, so there’s no need to pre-arrange a game or to know anyone beforehand. If you’re there fifteen minutes before we’re due to start, you’ll get a game.
Planning a visit
If you’re interested in giving lawn bowls a go then give our club captain, Kevin Bates, a call on 07757 303332 and he’ll make sure somebody looks out for you. Or just turn up fifteen minutes before any of the start times above and talk to the first person you bump into in the club and say you’re interested in having a go.
We’re located inside Lloyd Park, opposite the skateboard park and cafe. We have detailed directions on the contact info page.
What you’ll need
We have sets of bowls in the club for new players. Although you’ll need shoes with completely flat soles to play on the grass green (which we use in summer), we play on the synthetic surface all year around so any soft-soled shoes without a hard heel will do.
What to expect
When of the best times to come is before 10am on Monday morning when there’s always a casual game being arranged (apart from the odd day of torrential rain).
Shortly before 10 o’clock we’ll split into randomly drawn groups, usually of 2 or 3 players per team. We’ll play for an hour, stop for tea and biscuits for twenty minutes (or maybe a bit more…), and then play again until somewhere either side of 12:30.
If you’ve never played you’ll be found a set of bowls (or “woods”) and shown the basics – and they really are very basic. Nobody will expect you to be an expert and there’s a whole range of abilities and experience, from people who’ve been playing to decades to other new members who may have only started a few weeks or months before.
Becoming a member
You can come along to individual sessions and pay a small fee for as long as you like, but if you decide to join then membership is only £50 per year, or £30 if you’d like to play over the winter months and at another club during summer.