It's been all systems go at Chew Stoke Bowling Club since the outdoor season has started. The green opened with Captains' Day, when the green was running fairly fast and true for the time of year. The result was a victory for the Lady Captain's mixed team over the Men's Captain's team.

The following Sunday was very busy, as there was a combined Open and Charity Day. The charity which the club will support this year was chosen by the Captains and is 'Winstone's Wish', a charity which supports bereaved children. During the day, there were several fundraising activities in the clubhouse and refreshments were served all day. The total raised on the day was £1,140, but this amount will increase over the outdoor season.

During the afternoon, club members played a 'yardstick' match, which was preceded by a 'spider'. At the same time, the Coaches were kept busy encouraging a steady stream of visitors of all ages to have a go at playing bowls.

Recently, the accent has been very much on youth at the club, as fifty primary school pupils from the Chew Valley came for a skills day on the green. They appeared to have a lot of fun bowling, eating cake, drinking squash and going away with certificates which were provided by Charlotte Foley, of Chew Valley School, who worked very hard to make the day happen. The children will be returning on 15th July for a 'Finals Day' and the club look forward to that.

The club's very popular 'Team Challenge' was a great success, with teams of four, mostly from pubs in the area, taking part and filling the green to overflowing. After a few minutes tuition, all the players were obviously enjoying themselves, judging by the laughter and noise on the green and afterwards in the bar. The eventual winning team was the George and Dragon, from Pensford, which beat the Red Lion, of Bishop Sutton, in the final. The winners were given a cash prize for a charity of their choice, which was the Air Ambulance. The evening was such a success that another such evening will take place on 6th July .

In the Somerset County Leagues, the results of the few matches which have been played have been mixed, but the club have seen considerable success in the Top Club National Competition, which is played in five formats.

In the First Round, Chew Stoke played away to Victoria, Weston-super-Mare, in the Bowls England Five Rink competition. Martin Tibbs played the Two Wood Singles and won convincingly. Tony Whitmarsh played in the Four Wood Singles against a formidable opponent and won. Chris Morgan and Richard Doughty played in the Pairs and after 21 ends were all square on 18–18 shots.

The Triples and Fours lost, so the match result depended on an extra end, which was played by the Pairs. This was a very close tussle, with Chew Stoke holding the shot and the one wood to be played by the opposing Skip clipped one of their woods towards the jack, but just not far enough and Chew Stoke won.

In the Second Round, Chew Stoke played at home to Congresbury and overcame a very strong visiting team to win 3–2. Martin Tibbs once again pulled out another great win in the Two Wood Singles, followed by a Triples team win, led by Roger Hill and supported by Graham Jacobs and Alun Hillier. We had a nailbiting win in the four player contest that went to the wire, with a team consisting of Richard Tovey, Des Moore and Pete Collins and Skipped by Brian Sage.

Chew Stoke were also successful in the Two by Fours away to Clevedon Prom and are our next opponents in this competition are Frome Park away.

Bowls is becoming a popular game amongst all ages and, if you would like to try your hand at this very sociable game, just turn up at the green on any Sunday morning at 11 a.m. It's all free and you may well enjoy it. For further information, please contact Robin Leach on: 332465.