Newsletter Issue 297 31/08/2026
Hi there!
Did you spot the deliberate error last time? It was entrry. Look out for this issue’s deliberate error.
Let’s go.
BOWLS STUFF
Honours boards:
The Bowls Committee plus many of our members, have long thought it a shame that our prestigious bowls history as evidenced by the Honours boards, has been shut away in the Cooper suite and hardly ever seen.
On Monday, 10th August, Vince Wilks got together a team consisting of Vince, Clive Shaw, Jason Wade, Dan Prosser, Dave Wiggal, Noddy Holder and Rob Smith to reposition them all where they should be, at the rink side.They did a brilliant job and the boards look amazing in their new position. Thanks to the team from all of us.
Singles draw competition:
Once again Graham Whiting organised a brilliant competition on Saturday 22nd August. This allowed much needed draw practice prior to the Winter season. Results were
1st Dave Owen 33, 2nd Bev Sayers 26, 3rd Greg Marsh 22. Many thanks to those who gave up their time to do the marking, run the bar and produce the excellent breakfast baps.
Look out for the next one.
Dates:
Please note that the dates for the Winter season Top Club, Egham, Yetton and Mason competitions are up on the men’s and ladies’ noticeboards.
Changing rooms:
Surplus clothing items from both the men’s and ladies changing rooms, have now been placed in the small meeting room. Please reclaim anything you want to keep. If you can’t come into the club please email Sally at s.overthrow@live.com. During Septemeber, we will be donating any unclaimed garments to charity.
Coach needed:
With one of our coaches having moved away, we urgently need a replacement. If you are interested in becoming a coach your training is free as the cost is covered jointly by the club and the EIBA. If you would like to put your name forward please contact our Head coach, Dave Giles or let the office know.
Youth Bowls:
Our own Finley Williamson has won the Men’s Junior Singles Championship played from the 18th to the 21st August at Leamington Spa. A National outdoor event, this was an amazing achievement, especially since he recovered from 8-12 down to win by 21-13. Well done Finley, national champion!
As if that wasn’t enough, he then teamed up with Louie Hodges, Nig Cansdale and Lee Williamson and played in the Men’s Fours reaching the final played on 23rd August. They won this comfortably by 20-5 to become National Champions again.
Absolutely amazing!
BOARD STUFF
Annual Subscriptions
We are looking forward to welcoming you all back to MidGlos for another Autumn/Winter season of bowls, and much, much more. There’s plenty being planned for the new season, so watch this space. Meanwhile, it’s that time of the year again when we start asking for membership renewal, the 1st September. We have already informed you that we won’t be providing you with papers to complete. If you use on-line banking you can make a bank transfer (BACS), simply phone the club to confirm how much your subscription payment is and check you have the relevant MidGlos Bank details to make the payment. If you prefer not to make your payment in this way, you can come into reception and pay by credit or debit card, or cash. As a reminder, if you’ve recently moved house, changed your phone number or changed your email address, please let us know, we do like to keep your details up to date. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Marketing
You may well see members of the club out and about promoting MidGlos over the next few weeks. We will be in some well-known supermarkets around lunchtimes, inviting people to come along to our open weekend on the 26th/27th September. More about the weekend later. If anyone would like to take some of our new fliers to put in shops, libraries, doctors surgeries, or anywhere else in your local community, please ask at reception for these. There are new marketing materials and you will be able to see these as we will have them in the club from time to time when we’re not out and about with them.
Volunteers
Volunteers are the life blood of our club and we need more! On Tuesday 22nd September we are having a special day when you can come along for roll-ups at only £1 per hour but also find out more about volunteering. You will get a chance to meet other volunteers and find out what is involved and what you might like to help out with. Just come along in the morning or evening to find out more. There will also be a chance to see behind the scenes, parts of the club which you normally wouldn’t see. We hope to see you there.
SOCIAL STUFF
Summer cribbage is on alternate Wednesday mornings from10-12, with the next being on Wednesday 9th September.
The next quiz night is on Saturday, 19th September with Jill Whiting as the quizmaster. Cost is only £6 per person, £7 for non-members including a buffet. Enter on the notice board by reception.
Yoga is held every Wednesday from 12.30 – 1.30p.m. The cost is £10. Please bring your own mat.
We hold a whist drive run by Rachel at 7p.m. on the first and third Friday evenings. The next is on the 4th September.
There will now be a Summer Bingo break so it will restart on Sunday 20th September. Please bring a raffle prize.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
This has proved to be a very popular feature. Please let me have your headshot photo with a bio and you will be in the newsletter. – Tony Letts
I’m Trevor Bartlett (not as a lot of you believe Tony Letts). We both started at Mid Glos in the same introductory session. Tony, being Tony, told me off for not wearing flat soled bowling shoes not realising that once upon a time ALL bowling shoes were made of brown leather and also not knowing that I actually started playing bowls in 1976 at Suffolk Square Cheltenham.
Born in Finchley London in 1947 to a naval father and an ex Wren my early years were spent in and around naval bases, Trincomalee in Sri Lanka Portsmouth and Plymouth. When Dad retired from the navy he joined HM Coastguards based in East Yorkshire until health problems forced a move to Cheltenham. I finished my senior schooling there and joined Midland Bank at a start of a varied career based in Finance. Various jobs took me to different parts of the country, Bristol, Hampshire, Lincolnshire Nottinghamshire, Cambridgeshire eventually moving back to Gloucestershire and Barnwood where i now live with Linda my wife.
My bowling career started again after a 40+ year layoff when I joined MidGlos as previously mentioned. My hobbies apart from bowling include cooking, singing and gardening .
I do often get called Tony and people often ask if we are brothers or even twins. I love other people’s sense of humour!!!
See you on the green.
200 Club results for August
1st Anne Hesling – £75
2nd Bruce Gavaron – £25
3rd Rachel Corish – £15
PUNNY ENDING:
I got an email saying ‘At our Sat-Nav company, we can read maps backwards’. I thought, ‘That’s just spam!’.
IN CLOSING…
The next issue is out on Monday 14th September. Unfortunately one of our quizmasters has had to drop out. If you are interested in becoming a quiz master, please let me know as soon as possible.
I’m always contactable at the email address below.
Bye for now, Tony Letts. chairman@midglos.co.uk
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