On the Jack – Blog #2 (New Season)

🟢 On the Jack – Blog #2 (New Season)

“Finding Your Line”

There is a moment early in every season when reality gently taps you on the shoulder and says, “You might need a bit of practice.”

The first few ends are always a voyage of discovery. The green looks perfect, the sun is shining, and confidence is high… right up until your opening bowl glides serenely past the jack and keeps going as if it is late for an appointment in the next county.

Welcome back — you are officially bowling again.

🎯 The Eternal Puzzle: Line and Length

In bowls, everything comes down to two simple things:
line and length.

Get the line wrong, and your bowl politely curves away from the action.
Get the length wrong, and it either charges through like an express train or stops short like it has hit an invisible wall.

Get both right?
Well, that is when your skip suddenly starts calling you “star player” and your teammates nod approvingly like they knew it all along.

🌱 Early Season Reality Check

The truth is no one quite has it dialled in yet. Greens are different, pace varies, and even the most experienced players need a few ends to recalibrate.

So, if your first few bowls are… let us say exploratory, do not worry. You are not alone. Half the club is quietly thinking the same thing:
“I’m sure I was better than this last September…”

🤝 Etiquette Corner – Patience Pays

Early season is the perfect time to show a bit of extra patience:

• Give players time to adjust.

• Keep encouragement flowing.

• And remember — everyone is rediscovering their touch.

A kind word after a wayward bowl often does better than a technical lecture (especially when that lecture comes from someone who is just put one in the ditch).

☕ Clubhouse Chatter

• Roll-ups are gathering pace — a great mix of familiar faces and new recruits.

• The tea is flowing; the biscuits are disappearing at record speed.

• And there is already talk of “this being our year” (we admire the optimism!)

🌟 Final End Thought

Bowls is a game of inches, patience, and quiet persistence. The line will come. The weight will follow. And before long, that satisfying moment returns — the bowl tracking in, slowing gently, and finishing…

…right on the jack.

Or at least somewhere respectably close.

See you on the jack.

Your Rink side Rambler, Norman Deegan.MBE

THIS WEEK ON THE GREEN – Club News and Activities

🗞️ Marine Gardens Bowling Club Weekly Report

Week Ending Sunday, 3rd May 2026
Alan Paterson, Press Officer.
It has been a quieter week at Marine Gardens, with just one friendly and one Brodie Tray fixture to navigate, but both matches provided plenty of talking points.

Storrington were our visitors for the friendly 4‑triples match and clearly enjoyed their afternoon by the seaside, securing wins on all four rinks and finishing with an impressive 79–49 aggregate. The closest contest came from Jim Masters, Alan Paterson, and Leon White, who fought hard to avoid the whitewash and scored four on the final end, narrowly losing 22–21. Storrington were deserved winners on what was a warm and good‑spirited afternoon of bowls.

The Brodie Tray match against Worthing Pavilion proved a tighter affair, with the honours shared at two rinks apiece. Pavilion, however, edged the overall shot count 69–59, earning themselves six of the ten league points. Top Rink for Marine Gardens went to Jenny Ashman, Perry Cairns, and Duncan Gayler with a well‑crafted 17–10 win. Credit also goes to Terry Ashley and James Albon, who held their nerve superbly to secure an 18–17 victory after a high‑quality, hard‑fought game.

Attention now turns to the start of our Club Competitions, which promise to bring plenty of activity — and friendly rivalry — to the greens over the coming weeks.

This coming Saturday we host the Supreme Champion match, followed by a club roll‑up and tea. On Sunday we welcome visitors for the first of our Open Days, where we hope to attract new members and highlight everything Marine Gardens has to offer.