News from the Club
Singles
The Singles Competition took place on 28th March 2026 for the second round onwards. After some very tight matches, the competition was won by Tony Manton. Full details of the rounds are shown in the members page, short mat, short mat competitions.
Pairs
The pairs will take place on 11th April
Peter Howitt Autumn League
Great Expectations (formerly known as Merrow) played Ripley in the final of the Peter Howitt Autumn League and were victorious by 24-15. However that score is misleading, because it was a much tighter match than it suggests. During the match, both sides had runs of winning 5 ends in a row and most other ends were won (or lost) by one shot.
Keith Best
The AGM held on 10th October 2025 had a bitter sweet moment.
It was bitter, because it was Keith Best’s last meeting as Chairperson, a position he had held for 18 years. Keith, along with other members who are no longer with us, was instrumental in building the club up to the well respected, dynamic club it is today. His hard work during his tenure will be long remembered.
On the other hand, it was a sweet moment, because the members approved his appointment not only as a life member, but also as vice president. He has been succeeded by James Pasfield, a current member who also works hard in the interests of the club.
It was also sad for Jenny Reigate to resign as Outdoor fixtures secretary, for personal reasons. She has been succeeded by Brian Crosby.
Tony Hill Memorial Cup
Each year at the AGM, the chairperson presents the cup in memory of Tony Hill to someone in the club who has contributed a significant amount to the well being of the club.
This year, it was presented to myself for my contribution on this website, but also both indoor and outdoor competitions.
I feel very honoured to be chosen and to be counted among such luminaries as Keith Best, Eric Staines, Lawrie Harris, Iain Abbot, and James Pasfield.
Thank you very much from Norman Ford
Outdoor Competitions
Singles
The singles competition was held on 16th July. With 16 entries, it was split into 4 groups of Four, who played a round robin. The 2 semifinals were contested between the winners of Group A & Group B and Group C & Group D.
The final was contested between John Hill and His son Lawrence, with the latter winning 10 – 5.
Congratulations to Lawrence in winning his first competition and to all participants. A successful afternoon.
Lawrence Hill with the cup and the runner up John Hill and club captain Lawrie Harris, who presented it.
Pairs
8 pairs competed in 2 groups of 4 in a round robin competition, with the top 2 in the group progressing to the semi-finals; the winners of these matches contested the final.
The winners were Mike Jordan and Paul Bateman, who beat Mick Hughes and Lawrie Harris in a competitive match. Congratulations to Mike and Paul.
Peter Howitt Summer League
As with the Peter Howitt Spring Competition, the Summer competition was won by Staines. It was played against Odds&Sods with Staines winning 27-10. It is fair to say that the score did not reflect the bowling, which was much closer than the score suggests. There were many very tight heads. Odds&Sods had a lot of luck, nearly all of it bad. Congratulationds to Staines
National Over 55’s Qualifying
Short Mat Competitions
Rob Stalley and Brian Finn were presented with the trophy for winning the over 55 national pairs qualifier by Dennis McGuiness, President of the Surrey County SMBA. They beat Steve and Sue Tuttle (Lions SMBC) in the final.
Huddleston 4’s at WeyValley – 22nd March 2025
Ripley entered 2 Teams, captained by Tony Manton & Rob Stalley.
Both teams made it through the Round Robin groups to the Knockout stage.
Tony’s team (Tony Manton/Lawrie Harris/Martin Head/Roma Manton) were beaten by Albury in the Quarter Finals but Rob’s team (Rob Stalley/Brian Finn/Geoff O’Dell/John Phillips) got through to the Semifinals where they were beaten by Knaphill the eventual winners.
Visit to Potters
From February 3rd to 7th, several members visited Potters Leisure Resort to partake in a short mat bowls competition.
This photograph shows 3 club members (Tony & Roma Manton and Rosemary Matthews) along with Greg Harlow (former World Indoor Bowls Champion)
Torquay
Approximately 26 members and 4 from other clubs visited the Toorak Hotel in Torquay from the 13th to 17th of January, to participate in the very friendly bowls tournament between our group and other clubs from around the country.
As is usual, some teams did very well and other teams did not rise completely to the occasion, but overall, the reputation of the club was maintained (or even enhanced)
In the evening, people were left to their own devices. Some opted for the entertainment on offer, some were known to ‘cut a rug’ on the dance floor (boogieing on down with the best), while others opted to remain in the bar playing cribbage, with Keith Best winning the (very) informal championship that took place.
Overall, the week was a great success, due mainly to the skills, of the organisers, Norma Davis and Jenny Marshall. You have both worked extremely hard and deserve a great vote of thanks.