Yeovil YBC

Newsletter January 2008

for all bowlers (and their parents)

Well Done Megan and Craig!

Yes indeed, they did it again!  Megan and Craig have both retained their championship status for the second year of our clubs existence.  Megan looked pretty well in control for most of the season but Craig definitely went a bit wobbly in the middle of the year and at six weeks before the end, the boys shield could have gone to one of three different bowlers.  Well done to both of you for two very well deserved wins.. 

What a great season we’ve had as a club, what with Megan taking the overall girls title in the South West Challenge as well as all those other mini success stories from the prelim rounds – not to mention the further successes at the finals day in July.  And then we go and cap it off by wiping the board at the Plymouth singles in November. Just you keep it up you lot, I’m proud of you all!

So What’s in Store for 2008?

Our first day back will be on January 5^th when we will have our prize presentation event followed by an eight-pin-no-tap competition - just to get you warmed up for the new season.  Please do not be late on this day as there are a lot of awards to give out - and some of the prize winners don’t even know they’ve got a trophy or two coming!  I will also try to sort out a picture or two for the Western Gazette so don’t miss out.  Andy has asked me to remind you that he would like to update our website with a newer group photo to show off how big our club is getting, SO DON’T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR YBC SHIRTS!

On January 12^th we will be have a “banker” day.   This is where we will keep a note of your scores and put them on hold for any time that you are unwell, or just not available to bowl.  There are two reasons for this new addition.  Firstly, it makes Andy’s life easier if we have spare games in hand ‘just in case’.  Secondly, we are doing it to give you a greater chance in the doubles round of the Southwest Challenge on 2^nd Feb. 

I will explain why.  Under competition rules, once you have played 9 games (3 weeks) of the new season you must adopt these games to work out your latest average score.  This new average is then used to calculate your handicap for that event.  So if we have only bowled two weeks of the new season beforehand then we must use the old seasons scores!  And that gives the vast majority of you a real bonus.  I know it’s a bit crafty but what the hell! If you need a further explanation of how this works to our advantage then come and see me at the bowl and I will tell all.

South West Challenge

As mentioned above, we will be going to the pairs round in Bristol on 2^nd Feb.  This is held in the Hollywood Bowl at Bristol Avonmeads.  The cost is once again £7.00 per bowler and this can be paid to me at any time before we go.  For those of you that did not make it to Plymouth do not miss out on this event.  To qualify for the finals in July you have to have bowled in at least two out of the three prelim rounds.  And for those of you that think you didn’t do too well at Plymouth, then there are still two rounds in which to redeem yourself, so let’s go for it.  If any of you know who you want to partner up with for the pairs then do let me know and I will keep a note of it for Bristol. 

Now a word about the team event.  Just as we did last year, we are hosting the team event here at Yeovil on April 26^th.  However, there may have to be limits on how many teams can be entered from each centre.  This year we have been joined by Torbay Bowl who used to be involved in the South West Challenge in it’s early days.  Now last year we had 15 teams enter this event, but this time we will be expecting more entries because of Torbay joining us.  So there could be a problem.  We may have to limit the entries from each centre, which could result in us only being able to put through those who merit a place in one of the teams.  Priority will be given to those bowlers who have supported the event in the past or whose performance deems them worthy of a place in one of the teams.  One thing is certain though – we will not be allowed to enter every Yeovil YBC bowler just because we are hosting the event.  So lets get out there in the doubles and bash out those scores!

What Else is New?

As you know last season a weekly first place gained you 24 points with second getting 23 etc.  This was the level chosen at the start of the year when we had 11 bowlers registered - and we never imagined for one minute that we would have got above the 24 threshold.  Well we did!  Right at the end of the season we reached a total of 26 bowlers registered with our YBC, so this year we have decided to make two changes.

From the start of the 2008 season you will be awarded 40 points for a win and 39 for second - all the way down to 1 point for 40^th place.  Because there is a rule in our constitution that states you must have bowled at least one third of all available games to qualify for any prizes (not including the performance award badges) we will introduce a second tier to the league for those that join late in the year.  In 2007 that would have been twelve weeks before the close of the season.  This will ensure that the newcomers can still see where they are improving but will not impede the established bowlers as they race to the end of the season.

You may have noticed a couple of new “Greyshirts” floating around lately.  Michelle Bennett (Jonathan and Matthews Mum) and Adam Woodyatt (Louies Dad) have agreed to join us as official helpers for 2008.  So thank you to both of them.  As our league grows, we are always grateful of any additional helpers (it takes many eyes to watch over you lot) so if any other parent wants to take a more active role in the league then please come and see us.  You will be welcomed (especially if you can bowl as well!!!)

Thank you to all of you for your support throughout 2007.  We now have a healthy end of year bank balance (just under £200 carried forward) and a strong level of membership to go on into 2008.  And for anyone who didn’t get enough to drink over Christmas, Shaun will have a few packs of beer available to purchase on Saturday with all proceeds going to the YBC as usual. 

Finally, for anyone who would like to see a copy of our accounts for 2007 just let me know. 

Happy New Year to you all 

(and always keep it between the grey bits of course!).

Sherbie