It is my privilege to take over as President, however I do have very big shoes to fill. I would sincerely like to thank Brian Heath our past president for 16 years and hope that I can follow in his capable footsteps.
Our club has practically been transformed over the past few years and this work has been down to lots of hard work and dedication from a brilliant team of people. Thank you.
2023 looks to be an outstanding year for us. We have lots of things to look forward to. We are hosting a Friends of Bowls English Bowling game. This game has been delayed following Covid. The game honours the “Story of the Year” competition that we came runners up with in 2019. Furthermore, due to our superb facilities and friendly atmosphere we have been selected to host a County Game on Wednesday 28th June when Berkshire County Bowls Club will be playing 6 rinks of bowls against Warwickshire.
During the winter we played Short Mat bowls in the club house. This has been an enormous amount of fun. Nevertheless, I know that we are all looking forward to the summer season of outdoor bowls. This year will see new committee members who have taken new responsibilities at all levels to ensure a smooth running of the club. We are all volunteers dedicated to Trentham so the membership can enjoy the sport, facilities, social aspects that have included Race nights, Cribbage, Quizzes and more including our annual presentation evening. We must also not forget the Licence Bar! Anyone feeling they would like to be involved please do not hesitate to speak to myself or any member of the committee. There are never too many helpers!
In July our Club Captain Keith Maplesden has organised what looks like a fantastic bowls tour to Weymouth. These are always so great fun. We usually have 3 or 4 games of bowls with other clubs in the area as well as free time to explore. The evenings are always super with lots of laughter.
Signing on nights for the 2023 season will be held in the club house on 12th and 19th April from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m. You will also be encouraged to enter a variety of informal inhouse competitions. I for one am getting very excited as the outdoor season is almost upon us. There is nothing I like better than having a game of bowls outside in the fresh air, meeting new people, joining in the competitions both inhouse interclub friendly and county games. This is all possible because of our admirable Green Keeping Team who work tirelessly all year through. Our green is amazing and often Trentham receive complements for the splendid condition of the playing surface. Thank you all for your hard work especially the greenkeeping team. Have a great season!
Best wishes to you all.
Shirley Bampton
President
March 17th 2023.