We have three time slots per week set aside for the “roll-up”, which is bowls language for a casual game. Teams are drawn randomly from whoever turns up, aiming to put three players per team (or “triples”), but depending on numbers some rinks might have two teams of two (or “pairs”).
Roll-up times are:
- Monday mornings, 10am.
- Wednesday afternoons, 2pm (or 1:30pm in winter when the clocks change)
- Thursday afternoons, 2pm (or 1:30pm in winter when the clocks change)
- Saturday afternoons, 2pm (or 1:30pm in winter when the clocks change)
As there are sometimes matches happening either at home or away on Thursday and Saturday afternoons in summer, the best time to turn up if you’re a new member is Monday morning. Plan to arrive around fifteen minutes before the start time. There’s also always tea and biscuits halfway through the Monday session.
As we have the synthetic surface this run nearly every day of the year except Christmas day, or the rare day when nobody can face the weather.
In the summer, from early May until mid September, some prefer to play on the grass green so roll-ups will happen simultaneously on both greens.
Playing Through The Winter
WBAP is unique in the area in having both a grass green and a synthentic surface, and the latter allows us to enjoy outdoor bowling all year around – assuming the weather would make it enjoyable. In practice this means unless it’s torrential rain you’re likely to find someone at the green on a Monday morning. Playing on ice is something everyone should have at least once.
If you’re a member of another outdoor club then we offer winter membership, meaning you can keep bowling outdoors throughout the year. The thought of playing in winter might might send a shiver through you, but December 31st 2021 was fifteen degrees centigrade and beautiful playing conditions – which is more-or-less exactly the same temperature as it was on June 22nd of the same year. If it’s nice outside, then why not play!