News

Opening Hours Update

From 1^st & 2^nd May, we are opening on weekends from 10am-2pm initially. As restrictions are eased we will return to being open all day every day, but we will be operating these hours at weekends in the meantime.

Club Bar Update from Kevin Robertson

“Having watched how the bar is being used over the last couple of days I will be revising our opening times slightly. Starting from Monday we will stay open at lunchtime for another 30 minutes – 11:00am to 1:30pm. Also effective from today the evening session will start 30 minutes earlier, so 6:00pm to 8:30pm. 

The change to lunch hours is to help Lynn cope with the volume of customers and the evening change is to allow the people who bowl from 4pm to 6pm to get a drink when they finish bowling.”

Online Club Handbook

This year there is no printed handbook as per usual. However the handbook file has been uploaded to the Members Area of the Club website – find it under the ‘Outdoor Section’ tab once logged in. If you require a printed version please just ask Ed in the Club Office.

Wheelchair Section

The wheelchair weekly bowling sessions will be recommencing on Thursday 20^th May at 10am and each Thursday throughout the Summer season. We have some vacancies for more players currently, so if you know of anyone please let them know to get in touch with the Club!

Southend & District Friendlies

There is a full slate of S&D friendlies planned for the season – the list is up in the corridor of the Club. If you would like a copy please ask Ed.

Affinity Catering

Finally, please continue to support out new caterers. Initial feedback is great, especially considering we cannot eat inside the Club as yet! Their success is important to the Club moving forward.

A few things to update members on regarding this Outdoor season:

Club Leagues

The Friday morning league is scheduled to commence on Friday 30^th April and run right through to the final week of the season. Team sponsors should expect their team schedules to arrive imminently by e-mail.

Whilst restrictions are still in place we are forced to keep an empty rink between each league fixture, meaning no rinks will be made available for roll ups on Friday morning from 30^th April until restrictions have eased sufficiently.

The Tuesday morning league is scheduled to commence on Tuesday 18^th May and run for 15 weeks – further details nearer the time.

Disc Games

The 2 disc games – the Lionel Clarke mens 2-wood Triples and the Newman Norman mixed game are scheduled to commence from the 17^th May.

Club Friendlies

We have various friendlies scheduled throughout this season and we hope they will be well supported as always.

Club Competitions

Forms will be out in the very near future for the internal Club competitions. In the meantime, the season-opening Roaming Jack Singles is currently up to 65 entrants, amazing support and many thanks to all who have entered. Entries are continuing to be accepting until Thursday 22^nd April.

Handbook

This year there will be no printed Club handbook but there will be a downloadable ‘virtual’ one on the Members’ Area of the Club website – under ‘Outdoor Section’.

One of our members, Maurice (Mo) Arkus, takes us through his journey of contracting CoVID-19, via the NHS Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust...

Roaming Jack Singles

Following a successful maiden competition last year we will be running the Roaming Jack Singles once again.

ENTRIES OPEN NOW.

Direct to Ed Morris in the Club Office, simply contact Ed by e-mail or phone.

Deadline for entries Monday 19^th April.

£5 entry fee, cheque/BACs, open to all members. If you have no option but to pay by cash or card please contact Ed to arrange.

Competition provisional start date Monday 26^th April, running for at least 2 weeks on weekday evenings or earlier by mutual consent.

For those who entered last year, the format will be EXACTLY the same this year.

Other Club Competitions will be held later in the season – the forms will be out in due course.

Competition Rules:

-        No marker to be used.

-        Jack must be cast to a minimum distance of 23m from the front of the mat, however it will not be centered at the start of each end.

-        Strictly no touchers in play, a byproduct of having no marker, ie. the jack stays live in the ditch but all bowls are dead.

-        Players to carry their own measure.

-        If any queries in play cannot be settled by players the end will need to be replayed.

-        Strictly a maximum of 1 visit to the head each end. Forfeit all remaining bowls yet to be delivered if this rule is broken.

-        Winner will be first to 21 shots.

-        There will be a group stage, guaranteeing entrants a number of games, followed by a knockout. Details will be confirmed after entries are received.

-        Needless to say, social distancing to be maintained at all times, handshakes not required!

Our new Club shirts (provided by Henselite) are now ready for order.

The first shirt will be discounted to just £10 thanks to generous sponsorship from our main Club sponsor Stibbards and Sons. Subsequent shirts are £25 each.

Click HERE to see the design.

Contact Ed in the Club Office if you would like to order.

In time, these shirts will be used for all Club representative matches.

Club News – March

Outdoor Season

Following the good recent news from Boris, we are planning on opening as early as possible this coming season. Of course this is entirely dependent on Government guidelines and most importantly the weather, so lets hope for some warm and dry weather!

Regardless of when exactly we open, we are planning a full season to be as close to a normal (what is normal these days?!) schedule as possible – we hope you will join us for it!

Club Shirts

Our new shirts are ready to order!

The design and further details can be found in the ‘News’ section of the Club website.

The cost is subsidised for the first shirt at £10 each, with any other subsequent shirts costing £25 each.

Please order these via myself in the Club Office.

Charity Bike Ride

I am taking part in a bike ride to raise money for Disability Bowls England – a very worthy cause indeed in a year where their expenses will be stretched with the upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2022. Please click the link below to read full details and donate whatever you can! Thanks in advance.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/tour-de-group-6-bowls?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

Finally, I hope you are all well and many of you will now be ‘jabbed’ which will lead to increased confidence in a return to bowls and the Club, starting with the Outdoor season some time in April.

Hopefully see you soon, Ed

As with the Club News from January there is very little to report whilst we remain closed. Management, Indoor and Outdoor Committee meetings are continuing via video conferencing so please keep up to date with the minutes that have been added to the Members’ Area of the Club website.

Club AGM

The Management Committee agreed that we simply cannot hold an AGM currently, for obvious reasons. Instead a pack will be sent in the post to all Full members including a motion to alter the Constitution slightly taking into account situations such as this where the Club cannot open or be run in it’s usual manner. We will also include draft accounts which many members will be interested to see no doubt and a few other items.

If you have moved address recently and not informed the Office, now would be a good time to do so!

Indoor Competitions Update 2020 / 2021 (From the Indoor Competition Secretaries)

Margaret and I in consultation with the indoor committee have taken the decision to cancel all club competitions planned to be played this season due to the club closure.

With regards to monies collected we propose that as no cheques or cash have been banked at this time that all cheques will be destroyed. All cash will be held. All fees paid by card to be held also.

It is our intention to hold card payments already received and cash for entries to be used for next year as appropriate. However, should you require a refund for any card payments please enquire to the office and advise me also. Any cash refunds can be organised by myself as and when we can should you require a refund.

When the club next opens I shall produce a list confirming entries that each individual has made and detail fees received so that hopefully we can move forward in the 2021 / 2022 season. Obviously the few that have paid by cheque will be asked for payment in the next season.

Please do not hesitate to contact Margaret or myself if you have any questions or require further clarification.

Stay safe,

Margaret Shillitto and David Dar (Indoor Competition Secretaries)

We hope that by now a lot of our members will have been for their jab, which is one step forward to the Club re-opening and us all getting back together again. In the meantime, be assured that the Club will be here when we get out of this mess!

Club News – January

Sadly as the Club continues to be closed by government restrictions there is not a lot of news currently to share with members.

However, there are a few (bowls related) ideas to temporarily halt the boredom of another lockdown:

Wrong Bias Bowls Podcast

Bowls talkshow with hosts David Bolt and Richie McKie covering a variety of topics either locally, national or worldwide. Guests, competitions and updates. www.buzzsprout.com/692521

You can find all episodes here dating back to the podcast’s inception. The most recent 2 featuring yours truly (Ed)!

Bowls England Youtube Channel

Bowls England have their own podcast – The Extra End – with all episodes on their YouTube channel. They also have ‘bowlers exercises’ for those stuck inside during lockdown – these will help with both physical and mental health.

Bowls England - YouTube

Phone Call

If anyone is suffering with loneliness, boredom or their general mental health and needs a chat, whether bowls related or otherwise, please feel free to contact me on my mobile phone (which can be found in the members' area of this website) at any reasonable time.

Stay safe everyone and hopefully see you all back at the Club sooner rather than later,

Ed

As our region of the country has been placed within ‘tier 3’ for COVID restrictions the management committee have decided that the club will be closed with effect from Wednesday 16^th December until further notice and certainly for the rest of 2020.

The management committee will continue to monitor the situation and will take advice as necessary from the EIBA, local authority and government in making further decisions regarding the running of the club and when and how it can reopen.

All existing bookings made up to this point for the remainder of the year are, therefore, cancelled and will be removed from the diary in due course. All league games and competitions are also postponed at this time.

The office will be manned for a couple of hours from 10.00am on Wednesday and Thursday morning to answer any questions you may have, but please do not come to the club under any circumstances.

ECBC Management Committee – 15thDecember