On the Jack – Blog #5(New Season)

🟢 On the Jack – Blog #5 (New Season)

“Bowls Weather: Four Seasons in One End”

There are many skills required to become a successful bowler: touch, patience, concentration, and tactical awareness. But perhaps the most underrated skill of all is the ability to survive the British weather while pretending it’s perfectly normal.

Only in lawn bowls can a match begin in glorious sunshine, continue through sideways rain, pause for a rogue gust strong enough to move the jack, and end with everyone applying sunscreen. Sometimes all in the same afternoon.

🌦️ Reading the Conditions

Experienced bowlers don’t just study the green, they study the sky.

A gentle breeze? Manageable.
A strong crosswind? Suddenly your bowl behaves like it’s following sat-nav directions from another county.
Light drizzle? Fine.
Heavy rain? Now everyone’s discussing whether the green has become “a bit heavy,” which is bowls language for “your bowl may stop sometime next Tuesday.”

And yet somehow, despite the conditions, there’s always one player calmly drawing onto the jack as though they’re bowling indoors. Every club has one.

🎯 The Great Clothing Debate

The start of any outdoor match involves at least three people saying:

“I don’t know what to wear today.”

Waterproofs come off. Waterproofs go back on. Jumpers are tied around waists. Sun hats appear out of nowhere. One optimistic soul arrives in shorts and spends the afternoon the colour of the jack.

Bowls may be a precision sport, but dressing for it remains complete guesswork.

🤝 Etiquette Corner – Good Humour Wins

Weather affects everyone equally, which is why good humour becomes essential.

A smile after a bowl blown offline by a gale says far more about a player than any scorecard ever could. The best bowlers adapt; the best club members laugh about it afterwards over tea and biscuits.

☕ Clubhouse Chatter

• Roll-ups continue despite the “interesting” changes in the weather

• Several members insist the green plays differently depending on which clouds are overhead

• No scientific evidence has yet confirmed this

🌟 Final End Thought

Bowls teaches patience, resilience, and the ability to remain cheerful while standing in a waterproof jacket holding a cup of tea during unexpected hailstones in June.

And honestly?
That’s part of the charm.

Because no matter the weather, there’s always another end to play, another laugh to share, and another bowl heading gently towards the jack.

Hopefully.

See you, “On the Jack.”

Your Rink-side Rambler, Norman Deegan.

THIS WEEK ON THE GREEN – Club News and Activities

🗞️ Marine Gardens Bowling Club Weekly Report

Week Ending Sunday, 24th May 2026
Alan Paterson, Press Officer.

A quieter week on the fixture list brought no shortage of success for Marine Gardens bowlers, beginning with a superb opening WSBL victory against Middleton, a side who came close to promotion last season. Marine Gardens delivered a commanding performance across the board, securing a 3–1 rink win and an impressive 73–45 aggregate, earning 8 of the 10 available league points.

Top Rink honours went to Rod Smith, Trevor Punnett, Duncan Gayler and Graeme Poole, who’s outstanding 22–5 triumph set the tone for the afternoon. Even the sole losing rink fell by just two shots, underlining the strength of the team effort.

The momentum continued in our friendly against Lancing, where Marine Gardens again claimed three of the four rinks. Although the aggregate margin was narrower at 65–63, the home side showed great composure throughout. Congratulations to Roger Parrish, Julian Oglesby, and James Albon for steering their rink to a fine 20–13 win.

The week finished on a high with our annual President’s Day, a fun afternoon of inventive two‑set play across different rinks. Tactical mat movement became the order of the day, and the rink of Valerie Conway, Robert Wenman, Albert Leatham and Jim Gray rose brilliantly to the challenge, winning by 20 shots and collecting the President’s prize.

The ever-popular Spider competition was won by Angela Neale, who took home a bottle of whisky courtesy of President Norman. A free raffle and a superb spread of refreshments, thanks to the wonderful efforts of Gill Stannard, brought the day, and the week, to a warm and cheerful close.