Hello to the 2023 season
Welcome to Barton Bowls Club
We as a Club are very proud and grateful to have received a bench in memory of our late FML Captain Meta Greenfield who passed away in May 2022. It was presented on 4th August 2022 by her family, husband Hugh, daughter Kirsty and son William with his wife and young son. The family are pictured left on the bench.
Our Supporter for 2023/24 season is once again Wallis & Son
This season proudly supported by Wallis & Son Ltd
The sunny weather is being enjoyed on the green now. We are active in all three leagues and doing well. The club competitions are well underway and racing toward semi finals now. Our Lord and Lady of Barton for 2023/24 were declared on 10th August as Steve Fordham (3rd win for him) and Margaret Seymour (2nd win for her). Congratulations and may the membership treat you with the reverence your titles deserve!!
Welcome to Barton Bowls Club. We held an open evening on Thursday 4th May 2023 6-8pm for anyone who wanted to have a go at this great sport. This year we restricted to Barton residents only and sadly we were disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm on the night. We had a Bowls England coach on hand to show newbies the ropes, but luckily his time was not wasted as our members took advantage of his valuable time. If anyone wishes to come along to have a go then call 07577 638480 and speak to Margaret Seymour (Captain FML) who will arrange a suitable session.
2023 season kicked off on 19th April with an away match against Foxton bowls club. A lovely game in fabulous sunny weather. Sadly we lost the match by just 5 shots but that did not matter. Great company, lovely to be out on the green again and exercising..
The season is now well underway and we have some very talented novice players coming through the ranks. Our members are participating in the Cambridge & District competitions and you can see progress in the members only section of this website.
Historical
10th September 2022 saw us host the Finals Day of the Cambridge & District Bowls League. Our Chairman Ken Gifford is President of the Cambridge & District League for 2022.
It was a hugely successful day for our Club and we witnessed some excellent, close fought bowling from all the finalists. The weather was glorious in the morning, but we did have rain stop play for a short while in the afternoon when the heavens opened. Click on this link to view the copyrighted photos of the days events. If you want copies please contact them direct to order (opens on the click) https://julespix.smugmug.com/Journalism/Photojournalism-galleries/Cambridge-and-District-Bowls-Finals-at-Barton/
We were very happy to receive lots of compliments on our planning and delivery of this Finals Day, which acknowledged the huge effort of our committee and club volunteers to ensure it all went smoothly.
On top of all that we have of course the usual busy schedules of C&D league matches to play and the Foxton Afternoon League (FAL) matches and the new BHL (Business House League) - not to mention the friendly matches we have planned, social events with other clubs, the internal club competitions for our members and the external C&D competitions that some of our members have participated in. GOOD LUCK TO ALL BOWLERS IN ALL COMPETITIONS.
The 2023 outdoor season for bowls is due to start in late April and if you would like to join our busy club you are more than welcome. We had an open day in 2022 that was very successful and was covered by the BBC on both radio and television. 25 People came along to have a go at bowls and a good proportion of them (14) have joined the club. You are always welcome to drop by to our open day in April 2023 (see fixtures/social page) or to one of our club sessions recommencing on Thursday evenings to have a go but we recommend that you book a place by calling 07577 638480 or email margaretseymour79@gmail.com and speak to Margaret (Captain FML league).
Wallis and Son Ltd of Barton www.wallisandson.co.uk have very kindly offered to support the Bowls Club once again for the coming season (2022) We look forward to our great partnership and some fun along the way!
All our members pulled together in 2022 and did us proud in the leagues. We did our best in C&D in our 2nd year of competition there. Good news is we are not relegated in 2023 ending in 8th position in the table! The FML league fared better and we ended up in 5th position. BHL fared very well ending in 4th place, which is pretty good in their 1st season there. Well done to all the players and their Captains.
Our grounds team have continued their hard work on maintaining the green and surround over the winter months. Last year we hosted a Groundsman Forum open to all clubs in the Region as a gathering place to discuss the issues arising with greens care and the problems and solutions available. The first meeting was very well attended and was a great success.
We play in three divisions - C&D (Cambridge & District) for more experienced players played in the evenings, the Foxton Afternoon League which is a platform for beginners and those who cannot play in the evenings and the Business House League in the evenings (2022 season being our first venture in this league and currently we are doing quite well)
We are a busy club with a busy social life combined with lots of opportunities to play bowls.
We are located in the village of Barton, just outside Cambridge on the recreation Ground by the Pavilion. A warm friendly club environment where bowls is played in a safe environment. We welcome all ages from 11 to 100 and are happy to provide coaching. Check out our Facebook page "Barton Bowls".
NEWS:
19th September 2023: Sad to report the death of Philip Seymour, a valued member of the club who passed away this evening following a 10 month battle with ill health. His funeral will be on 11th October at 2pm at the West chapel of the Cambridge Crematorium (Madiingley) followed by drinks and nibbles at the White Horse pub in Barton to celebrate his life. All are welcome to attend the service as well as the wake afterward. Please let his wife Margaret know if you are attending the wake (for catering purposes). margaretseymour79@gmail.com
4th May 2023 : OPEN EVENING 6-8pm
This year we restricted advertising this event to just Barton village and had a very disappointing turnout by the locals. Not one person came along. Therefore the club has opened the doors to non Barton residents again. If you would like to try the sport then call 07577 638480 to speak to Margaret who will arrange a training session. Simply wear flat shoes to protect the green. All equipment will be supplied by the club.
SEPTEMBER 2022
5th September
FML final league table issued and Barton managed to hang on to 5th place. A slip from last years 4th placement but we played some new novices this season who performed well. Hopefully we have some social members moving through the ranks now who may wish to play in 2023 season. Let the Captain (Margaret Seymour) know by end of the year please.
BHL final league table has been issued and for our first season in that league we did very well coming in 4th position. Well done Captain Ken Jones on a great performance.
C&D final league tables are now out and good news is we are not relegated! We came in at the end in 8th place. Well done to Captain Hugh Greenfield and his team for keeping us up in Division 2.
3rd September saw a great finals day. Results as follows:
Ladies Singles Winner: Margaret Seymour
Runner up: Laureen Wesley
Mens Singles Winner: David Jennings
Runner Up: Hugh Greenfield
Novice Winner: Sheelagh Killen
Runner up: Richard McLean
Open Winner: Ken Jones
Runner up: David Jennings
Pairs Winners: Margaret Smith & Ken Gifford
Runners up: Phil Seymour & Ken Jones
Lord of Barton Champion: Margaret Seymour
The last FML match was played on 2nd Sept and happy to report it was won 49:44 (4:1). We await to see where we get placed in the final table, but getting 10 points from our last 3 matches has boosted us. C&D league table also awaited but at least we are not relegated this season.
AUGUST 2022
The Lord of Barton competition was held on 4th August with all members, both social and full allowed to participate. We had a wonderful evening of bowls. This year our Lord of Barton (person who scored the highest score on the night) just happened to be our FML Captain Margaret Seymour. The last female to win this trophy was Meta Greenfield back in 2008 so it was fitting that Margaret (who was Meta's pairs partner) won it back on the evening that Meta's family presented a bench in her memory to the club!
JUNE 2022
The internal club competitions have been drawn. See lists on side of shed - top draw contacts their opponent and pop the result on the sheet. Leave score cards in shed for Competition Secretary to verify results. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE, especially the new novices who have a great competition ahead.
25th June
Happy 50th Birthday to Anna Jennings our Treasurer
TELEVISION APPEARANCE
The long awaited edited video was published today (14th June) by the BBC. See the links on our members corner page. The link is also on our FB page and the Bowls Cambridge FB site.
4/5th May Jubilee weekend
The bowls green opened to the public for the celebrations and many people had a go at bowls and the kids enjoyed our newly built target game (built by John Boocock and David Hodge). It was lovely to see so many happy faces all celebrating Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne. See our photo gallery for memories.
MAY 2022
25th May
What a cracking game we had over at City ground tonight in C&D. Captain Hugh Greenfield led his team to a 7 point victory on all 4 rinks winning 89:41 shots. It has to be noted that City were one player short which was to our advantage on one rink. However, an enjoyable game with the public spectating that makes it all the more enjoyable!
BBC interview
On 19th May BBC Cambridgeshire came along to interview the club members following our successful recruitment drive . The audio was broadcast on 25th May on the morning show and we are hopeful that the video will be accepted by BBC Look East for broadcast in due course. A link to the radio interview is below for those who missed it..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0c8ywr4
22nd May
Presidents Day was held at Barton where our team played against the creme de la creme of the C&D League. We are very happy to report that Barton won the match overall 83:79 but in the tradition of these games declared a draw! Ken Gifford played for his C&D team (as he is President) and put up a mighty fight but met the wall of Anna, Margaret and Hugh who held him and his team off on their rink (18:13). It was a lovely game played in great spirits and a new term was created for bowls - "smash it" - which Hugh did on several occasions! The whole green enjoyed action on all five rinks and afterward a sit down meal was enjoyed. Huge thanks go to Pat Gifford who prepared the meal for the 30 participants with her team.
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The C&D individual competitions are
well underway now and several of our members are moving up through the legs. We wish everyone taking part all the very best in their journey and hopefully we will be cheering on a Barton player at the finals in September!
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The club were recognised by local media this month following our recruitment drive. We were filmed and interviewed by BBC Cambridgeshire on 19th May so watch this space for broadcast dates.
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Meta Greenfield, lost her fight against Motor Neurone Disease on 7th May 2022. Meta was and still is to this author, a legend in the bowls club and around the village of Barton. She was always willing to help out whenever and wherever she could. She was ladies champion many years over in the club and, with her ladies partner Margaret, managed to get to the final of the C&D Ladies Pairs competition in 2018 - the first members to get that far in the competition. We will always remember Meta's red bowls being on or very close to the jack as she played in number one position. An ACE player. She will also be remembered fondly for her wit and keen eye on the green!
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The first league tables of the season for the FML have been issued and very happy to report that Barton have remained in the no. 1 slot for three weeks running.
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The Club opened its doors to welcome beginners to the sport at our open day and 2 open evenings. 22 people came along to trial and several of them have now joined the club, the youngest at just 13.5 years of age. Clinton Tweed, England Bowls Coach came along on 5th May and coached 6 of them, whilst our FML Captain and other committee members took a further 6 under their wings. It was a great night to see all 5 rinks fully occupied and fun across the whole green. We look forward to Clinton returning on 19th May.
APRIL 2022
April 2nd we have our annual social luncheon where the committee provide hot food, dessert and coffee to members and local people. A way of spreading the word!
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We hosted the first ever Groundsman Forum, brainchild of our groundsmen Ken Jones and Bill Hollins, this month. It was a well attended event offering the opportunity for bowls groundskeepers from around the region to discuss issues relating to the job and possible solutions.
MARCH 2022
The Club Committee (picture at top of this page) met to finalise plans for the coming season and our busy year ahead.
January 2022
Well the grounds team have been hard at work through the winter. Back ditch board has been completely replaced and the green is looking lush. Your committee have their first meeting of 2022 later this month to discuss the upcoming season and social events, amongst other topics.
November 2021
Club presentation dinner
4th September 2021
FINALS DAY
Winners
Novice Cup: Jean Watson
Men's Cup: Ken Jones
Mixed Pairs: Margaret Seymour & Hugh Greenfield
Ladies Cup: Margaret Seymour
Open Cup: Ken Jones
Runners Up
Novice Cup: John Watson
Men's Cup: David Jennings
Mixed Pairs: Ken Jones & Claire McGowan
Ladies Cup: Claire McGowan
Open Cup: John Watson
We had a lovely day at the above with a great luncheon provided by the ladies of the club and Chairman. Hot and cold beverages were on hand all day and I think the finalists gave a good show to our visitors.
July 2021
Our Lacon Cup triples team are doing extraordinarily well in the competition. They played in the quarter final against Isleham this week and managed to beat them in a close fought match over 18 ends, winning 18:17. Congratulations to Ken Gifford, Ken Jones and Steve Fordham and good luck in the semi finals in the coming weeks.
May 2021
Our FML Captain Margaret Seymour is doing another charity fundraising activity for Diabetes UK. This year she has taken on two challenges for the Charity: Swim 22 and One Million Steps. The swim is the English channel (21 miles) and the Steps is to take One Million Steps in 12 weeks (average of 10000 steps per day. If you would like to sponsor her great efforts please go to her web pages on Diabetes UK :
or Walk :
Any donations to her great cause would be greatly received. Click on, or cut and paste the addresses above, to access donation pages.
April 2021
Our first match of the season on 21st April resulted in a good win for the FML team. Well done guys battling against the odds and winning through on all three rinks.
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Our preparations for the upcoming season were rained off in the early part of the month, but not to be deterred we had another bash at it and the place is looking like a bowls club again!
Covid is still a threat so we are making it as Covid safe as we can for the upcoming season.
We look forward to welcoming guests to our Open Day on Saturday 1st May from 10am. Due to Covid you must register by emailing philipjdiver@gmail.com and book a reserved time slot. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee time on the rink if you do not book in advance.
Sierra Bridgman (16) and her pairs partner Jordan did well in New Zealand. Sierra joined our Club at the age of 12 and we were very happy to have been involved in her early training. She moved back to New Zealand with her family and has done very well in her bowls. Last week (April 2021) she won, with her pairs partner Jordan, the Judy Howat Cup at the College Sports Wellington Championship. The Cup was presented by Judy Howat herself, the Gold Medal Winner for New Zealand in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Aukland. Huge congratulations Sierra - we follow your bowling progress back here in Barton.
February 2021
We are forever optimistic at Barton Bowls Club and as such we have set a date for our annual Open Day. Keep Saturday 1st May 2021 free to come have a go and meet the members. If you can't make that date, or want to come and have another go to be sure you like the sport we have open evenings on Thursday 6th & 13th May also. Places must be booked in advance this year so let the organiser (Philip Seymour) know if you want to reserve a place via email philipjseymour@gmail.com
Obviously this is all subject to the Covid regulations being eased by that time.
January 2021
We are seeing some changes in personnel this season. Our FML Captain Meta Greenfield has stepped down for health reasons. Meta has led this team over many years and in 2019 we ended up 4th in the league, a vast improvement on the previous year! Thank you for all your hard work Meta.
The new Captain of FML is Margaret Seymour who has big shoes to fill. Good luck to her and the team in 2021 (hopefully if we get back on the green)!
Changes in the committee are as follows:
Chairman - Ken Gifford
Secretary - Laureen Wesley
Treasurer - Anna Jennings
Hon Pres: - Hugh Greenfield
Grounds - Ken Jones
without portfolio ; John Page & Meta G
5th September 2020 - FINALS DAY
Despite Covid we managed to get most competitions played this year. Finals day was played in the sunshine. A great day with quite a few spectators turning out to watch through the day. See picture to right and caption above for the results.
Our Lord & Lady of Barton cups were not played this year due to Covid restrictions.
28th August 2020
Our new shed extension was officially opened by the Committee. All work was undertaken by two wonderful chaps; John Boocock and David Hodge, who did a wonderful job. The extension has doubled the size of the shed and makes storage far easier. They also rebuilt our side access gate and built a ramp to make access easier.
Summer 2020
We have been active despite Covid - 19. Club internal competitions are well underway and finals are rapidly approaching. Social distancing on the green has been adhered to throughout as well as good hygiene practice. Watch this space to hear who are our 2020 Champions.
1st June 2020
We are opening up the green tentatively for practice sessions on 1st June. The rinks will be on a bookable system. Only 6 persons allowed on the bowls club grounds at any one time. No visitors or spectators allowed. Social distancing will be adhered to at all times and sterilisation of all equipment used will occur before and after each session by the user.
28th March 2020
Presentation to Elliot Wallis in recognition of his company's support to the bowls club over recent times. A framed first day cover to include "Little Nellie" from James Bond film You Only Live Twice. Elliot's grandfather had great involvement in the development of Little Nellie and our member Philip Seymour who studies philately felt it an appropriate gift for Elliot to place on his Wall of Fame at the garage!
26th March 2020
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak sweeping across the country, the bowls green will be closed with immediate effect. Our grounds team will continue to maintain the green and surround so it is ready for us all when we recommence bowling.
22nd February 2020
The C&D Presentation Dinner for 2019 trophies at Girton Golf Club. Hugh Greenfield (Club Captain & President) will collect the trophy on behalf of Barton Bowls Club for Division 3 Runner up, and Margaret Seymour will collect her trophy for Runner up in the C&D Ladies Singles. Our Chairman Ken Gifford will also be present as the new Junior Vice President of the C&D League.
15th February 2020
We had a very successful social luncheon in the pavilion which was well attended and the committee served up a wonderful meal. A great start to our year. We welcomed a new member to the fold, Jane Whibley, and know she will be a great asset to the Club!
January 2020
All hands on deck to get the green ship shape. Contact Ken J, Bill H or Philip S to see where your offer of assistance can be best utilised !
December 2019
Although we are all concentrating on our indoor bowls at present, spare a thought for our groundsmen Bill, Ken and Phil who are beavering away through the autumn and winter to get the green and surrounds in tip top shape for the coming season. New boards will be needed so be prepared to get a call to help dig and replace some of the boards!
November 2019
We had our Annual Presentation dinner on 9th November which was well attended. Our thanks to guest Alan Clarke who assisted on the evening! We had a wonderful hot meal followed by the presentations and raffle. It was nice to see so many ladies receiving prizes this year! Well done to you all (see photos in our gallery).
October 2019
Busy month fundraising this month with our jumble sale and quiz night both well supported. Thanks to everyone who attended and helped on the events to earn a nice little profit for the club.
August 2019
We had a great end of season
July 2019 social BBQ and bowls game with the staff from Wallis & Son. (see picture opposite)
July 2019
We are having a cracking month in both the FAL and C&D leagues this month. On 28th we won the semi final of the Kenzie Cup and then, on 29th, we beat the league 3 C&D champions at their home ground, convincingly. We are slowly creeping up the league and if we play like this we could be in 4th position by the end of the season. Not a bad effort again. Keep it up team. We also have a member of the club (our secretary) through to the Ladies Singles Semi- final on 14th August at Girton.
June 2019
Our season is going very well with more wins than losses under our belt. (See match results page). Keep it up team. We are through to the next round of the Kenzie Cup and look forward to the first round of the Gilbert Cup (rearranged due to the bd rains). Many of our members are participating in C&D competitions this season and fairing okay. Our internal club competition matches are well underway and we look forward to a great finals day on 7th September. Our Lord of Barton Cup was won this year by Steve Fordham and our Lady of Barton is Anna Jennings - well done to you both.
May 2019
Unfortunately, we have been the victims of an apparent theft. Last season we loaned a visiting lady team member a set of our 00 woods, as she had forgotten her own. Trustingly we assumed she would replace them in the shed. However, unfortunately these woods have not been returned and we are now short of a set of 00 woods. These were purchased at a cost of over £160 from grant money received for our youth project and were specifically purchased for the youth members of the club to train with. It is a very sad day when bowlers cannot trust that a good deed is rewarded with honesty.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of our woods please contact us, as we are struggling to keep on top of training our youngsters with inappropriately sized woods.
February 2019
C&D Ladies Pairs Runner Up trophy awarded to Barton BC at the recent Presentation Dinner in Bar Hill. Margaret & Meta accepted their shields and the Lingham Trophy Rose Bowl. See photos in the gallery.
Sponsored swim 21st November 2018
Margaret Seymour, our Secretary, undertook the sponsored swim at Royston Leisure Pool and successfully swam 2500 metres (100 lengths). A fantastic £317 was raised by this effort. Thank you to all who dug deep in their pockets and to Philip for being the length scorer on the day! This money has already been spent on the upkeep of the Green. Anyone else fancy doing something fun to raise money for the Club?!
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Our ladies pair got through to the FINAL of C&D Ladies Pairs Championship 2018 at Great Chesterford Bowls Green. Margaret & Meta came second on this occasion against very stiff opposition from Comberton Bowls Club. Next year perhaps?!
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The BBC interview the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) sent along a reporter to interview members of the Barton Bowls Club (BBC) following the successful recruitment drive of 2022, including youth members. The radio interview aired on 25.5.22 and the TV interview is to be broadcast soon. Pictured left are some of the members present:
Back row L-R: John Chance, Philip Seymour, Margaret Seymour, Ken Jones, Martin Yeadon, Jean Yeadon, James Sadler
Front Row L-R: Clinton Tweed (England Bowls Coach), David Jennings, Ken Gifford, Sandra Fernand, Sandy Fernand
We continue with our 10am roll up on a Tuesday for those of you who wish to get in some practice or just pop along for a social cup of coffee. Let's hope the weather this season will be kind to us!
Of course our normal club night on a Thursday evening runs from 6pm throughout the season.