Club News

Leagues

Neither of our teams played this week after last night's City Division "B" match against Portsmouth Water was called off because of the incessant rain. The Combination side had no game because of Naismith's withdrawal from the league. Because of Naismith' s withdrawal, it is extremely unfortunate that it has left the combination side with only 1 match scheduled to be played in this 3-week period as they were also due to play the Swordsands team on 30th June. Not a good situation to say the least.

Team Selection

The next 2 matches in City division B are against Cosham Park one of which is the rearranged postponed away game. Teams selected for these matches are:

Cosham Park (home) on Friday 25th June starting at 6.00 pm:

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserve
D Boulter	R Philbrick	S Greenwood
B Weaver	P Willis	P Willoughby	A New
R Durham	P Whiffin	G Dyer
S Filippi	R Dennison	S Sprake

Cosham Park (away) on Monday 28th June starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserve
D Boulter	R Philbrick	S Greenwood
B Weaver	C Lihou	A New	P Willis
R Durham	P Whiffin	G Dyer
S Filippi	R Dennison	S Sprake

County Singles Results

It was a mixed bag for Simon Filippi in the singles. In the 4-wood competition he bowed out after losing at home to Bryan Cherry (Milton Park)
15-21. He had better luck in the 2-wood singles winning 14-10 however it was unfortunately at the expense of team mate Stephen Greenwood.

Posted Saturday 19/06/21

Team Selection

The team selected for the City Combination match against Priory Black (home) on Monday 21st June starting at 6.00 pm is:

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserves
B Banfield	T Portch	A Lord
J Bell	C Lihou	T Nutland	D Boulter
B Weaver	P Willis	R Diamond	R Dennison
P Whiffin	G Dyer	A New

Re-arranged Match

The re-scheduled date for postponed City Division Division "B" match against Cosham Park (away) has been confirmed for Monday 28th June.

Posted Wednesday 16/06/21

City Combination Division "C" Result

Star & Crescent 32 (0) Priory Black 51 1/4 (12). What a dismal result & performance, losing on all rinks against a depleted Priory Black team who could only muster 10 players. Ron Diamond's rink were within a whisker of winning their game when holding match point on the final end only to see the Priory skip burn the end and then win the replayed end to take the rink points winning 12-13 . Ted Nutland's men were 11-9 up at the 12th but then lost the final 6-ends and 15 shots to lose 11-20 1/4 after the mandatory 25% was deducted. Alan New's rink also had a chance at the halfway stage but they again faltered badly over the final ends to lose 11-18.

City Division "B" Result

Waverley 52 (10) Star & Crescent 42 (2) It was a much better performance from the first team when they took on the league leaders Waverley. After the 12th end with Star in front, it appeared we might pull off a memorable win against our "landlords". However, unfortunately it wasn't to be. Steve Sprake's men quickly found themselves 0-8 down but then held their own (could have worded that better) for the rest of the match before losing 16-23. Simon Filippi's rink were ahead at the 8th but then lost 9 tight ends on the trot before losing 9-14. Robbie Dennison's four saw their good lead reduced but hung on to win 17-15 and have the satisfaction of being the first rink to take any points off Waverley this season.

Team Selection

There is only one match scheduled this week following Naismith's withdrawal from the Combination "C".

The team selected for City Division "B" match against Portsmouth Water (Home) on Friday 18th June is:

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserves
D Boulter	P Willoughby	S Greenwood
B Weaver	P Willis	A New	C Lihou
R Durham	P Whiffin	G Dyer	A Lord
S Filippi	R Dennison	S Sprake

Re-arranged Match

The postponed City Division Division "B" match against Cosham Park (away) has been provisionally scheduled for Monday 28th June. We are still waiting confirmation from Cosham but please put this date in your diaries.

Bowls Hampshire Pairs

The club's interest in this competition ended today when our remaining pair Robbie Dennison & Steve Sprake were beaten at home by Keith Gerrard (Rowner) 10-18

P&D Competition

The draw for the P&D competitions have been made. The relevant web page has been updated to show those matches related to our players.

Posted Saturday 12/06/21

City Combination Division "C" Result

Star & Crescent 58 (10) Milton Park "C" 49 3/4 (2) The first win of the season was very welcomed though it did come with a hint of controversy. Alan New's rink let an early lead slip but recovered well to win 20-14. Paul Whiffin's men were playing against a rink with a man short (the controversy). They were never in danger of defeat though losing a 7-count on the penultimate end narrowed the final score to 22- 15 3/4 after the mandatory 25% was deducted from the opposition's score. A close match on Geoff Dyer's rink ended in a defeat when Milton Park had the better of the final ends to snatch a 16-20 victory.

City Division "B" Result

Pembroke Gardens 41 (2) Star & Crescent 42 (10) The first team took inspiration from the combination side and also won their first match of the season on a green that has been historically difficult to win on. It looked very much on the cards that Star were heading for yet another defeat at 12-ends when they were 20-shots adrift of Pembroke. Thank goodness for the tea break. Geoff Dyer's rink led the fight back with a super effort after finding themselves 3-13 down on the 11th, they won all but one of the final ends to win 16-14. Steve Sprake's rink were not far behind, they were also behind 5-11 but then only lost only one more shot to gain victory on the final end 14-12; incidentally the only time we were in the lead - never a better time. Robbie Dennison's rink struggled throughout their match (especially the skip) but managed to stay in touch with their opponents and keep the score down before losing 12-15.

Teams Selection

Teams selected for next week's matches are:

City Combination League Division "C" Match v Priory Black (Home) on Wednesday 9th June starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserves
T Portch	B Banfield	P Willoughby
R Wallbridge	A Lord	J Bell	G Dyer
P Willis	S Filippi	S Sprake	D Boulter
A New	R Diamond	T Nutland

City League Division "B" Match v Southsea Waverley (Away) on Friday 11th June starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserves
D Boulter	R Philbrick	S Greenwood
B Weaver	P Willis	P Huntley	J Bell
R Durham	P Whiffin	G Dyer	A Lord
S Filippi	R Dennison	S Sprake

Bowls Hampshire Singles

Unfortunately, Steve Greenwood bowed out of the competition when he lost at home to Andy McKain 7-21 whilst Bob Weaver had an excellent win over the Waverley captain Phil Drewball 21-8. He will now play either Dorian Bishop (Fareham) or Dave Scarborough (Bridgemary) away in the next round.

Security

If any members are having a roll-up during the day time, can they ensure that when they leave the changing room doors are locked and the front gate locked & secured with the latch down, please?

Posted Saturday 05/06/21

National Double Rinks Result

Fareham "B" 25 Star & Crescent 22. Unfortunately the team lost at the first hurdle when they were defeated 22-25 by Fareham. In the unusual format of 15-ends (!), each side won on 1 rink; Steve Sprake's rink lost 7-14 whilst Robbie Dennison's men won 15-11. There wasn't much between the two sides for most of the match but it came down to whoever won the last end of the match; unfortunately it went the way of the home team when Robbie was unable to secure the shot.

Bowls Hampshire Competitions

County Singles: Bob Weaver had a relative easy win against Jim Ward at Leigh Park 21-8 and now is away in his next match when he has to make the long trip to Waverley to play Phil Drewball.

County Pairs: It has been a mixed bag for our 3 entrants in this competition this weekend. Russell Durham & Simon Filippi lost on an "horrendous green" at Rowner 14-15 to Keith Gerrard not helped by a last end calamity. The winners now have to face Robbie Dennison & Steve Sprake who had a surprisingly easy win of 26-4 over Steve Prior & Peter Robinson of Leigh Park. Paul Willoughby & Geoff Dyer also lost in a close encounter 15 -17 against their opponents from Fareham skipped by Danny Russell.

Posted Monday 31/05/21

City Combination Division "C" Result

Pembroke Gardens 61 (10) Star & Crescent 41 (2) In a disappointing match on a disappointing green (surprise surprise) Star suffered their second defeat of the campaign when losing to Pembroke Gardens 41-61. Ron Diamond's rink found themselves in difficulties from the start and never recovered before going down 10-19. Whereas, Bob Weaver's quartet came from behind to win 18-12 and gaining our only points on the night. Where can I start on Alan New's rink? In an extraordinary game, and not in a good way, they contrived to lose their lead of 13-9 by amassing 21 shots against without reply (17 shots lost in the last 4-ends) resulting in losing 13-30. Room for improvement!!

City Division "B" Result

Star & Crescent 38 (2) Alexandra 51 (10) Star got underway last night in the league against Alexandra but unfortunately the match went the way of the visitors. Simon Filippi's rink were never in the lead when losing in a tight match 14-19. Steve Sprake's men had a torrid time against the formidable Steve Feilder before being out bowled 6-21 winning only 3-ends. Robbie Dennison's rink found themselves lagging in the early stages but had much the better of the second half of the match to win 18-11 helped by some excellent leading by Robin Philbrick

Teams Selection

With some players not available for the "first team" next week it provides a good opportunity for others to be given a chance to play in the team whilst continuing the rotation process for the combination team. Therefore, the teams selected next week are:

City Combination League Division "C" Match v Milton Park "C" (Home) on Wednesday 2nd June starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserves
T Portch	B Banfield	P Willoughby
R Wallbridge	A Lord	T Nutland	P Huntley
R Dennison	B Weaver	J Bell	P Willis
A New	P Whiffin	G Dyer

City League Division "B" Match v Pembroke Gardens (Away) on Friday 4th June starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserves
B Banfield	S Greenwood	P Willoughby
R Diamond	A Lord	P Huntley	T Nutland
R Durham	P Whiffin	A New	B Weaver
S Sprake	R Dennison	G Dyer

Posted Saturday 29/05/21

Cosham Park v Star & Crescent

Unfortunately, the eager return to first team league bowls was halted last night when the weather intervened resulting in the postponement of the opening City B match against Cosham Park.

Teams Selection

The following teams have been selected for next week's matches:

City Combination League Division "C" Match v Pembroke Gardens (away) on Wednesday 26th May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserves
B Banfield	T Portch	D Boulter
J Bell	R Wallbridge	A Lord	R Dennison
S Greenwood	P Willis	T Nutland	P Huntley
R Diamond	A New	B Weaver

City League Division "B" Match v Alexandra (Home) on Friday 28th May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserve
D Boulter	R Philbrick	S Greenwood
B Weaver	P Willis	P Huntley	A Lord
R Durham	P Whiffin	A New
S Filippi	R Dennison	S Sprake

National Double Rinks v Fareham (Away) on Sunday 30th May starting at 10.30

Rink 1	Rink 2	Reserve
S Greenwood	R Philbrick
B Weaver	P Willis	P Huntley
R Durham	A New
S Sprake	R Dennison

Bowls Hampshire Competitions

It's been a good week for our entrants in the county competitions with an 100% success rate:
County Singles: Stephen Greenwood beat Alex Linter (Priory) 21-14 after being 12-14 behind.
County Pairs: Robbie Dennison & Steve Sprake were never in trouble when beating Mick Jinman & Rich Smalley (Priory) 21-13. Russell Durham & Simon Filippi had a similar match against T Fitzjohn & Ken Reilly (Vospers) winning 22-11

Posted Saturday 22/05/21

City Combination Division "C" Result

Star & Crescent "B" 49 (3) Portsmouth Water 51 (9) The first match of the season ended in a narrow defeat for the home team. Things were going well for Star who seemed to be heading for a victory until disaster struck on the 15th end when Star lost 10 shots and their lead in the match. Geoff Dyer's rink did very well to come back after being behind to win 17-15. The other 2-rinks, on the other hand lost good leads. Alan New's foursome were 12-6 to the good but ended up drawing 18-18 and a share of the points despite only losing 6-ends. Paul Whiffin's rink led 12-5 at 10-ends but a very disappointing finish saw them going down by 14-18.

National Double Rinks

The match against Fareham (away) has been scheduled for Sunday 30th May starting at 10.30.

Posted Tuesday 18/05/21

Teams Selection

After a 21 month absence, the Team Selection Committee (TSC) have met to select the rinks for the first games of the season. Selection of teams at any sport or level will not satisfy all players and that is no difference to Star & Crescent BC. Selection hasn't been made any easier with only 3-rinks per match required rather than the 4-rinks as previous years. Inevitably, there will be players who will be disappointed not to be in the "A" team with that we can sympathise with them. Also, it is unavoidable that some players will be getting 2-games a week but it is the policy of the selection committee to rotate players as much as possible so everybody gets the same chance. It would be hoped and most appreciated if members could show understanding with the team selections which are made in good faith but most of all enjoy your bowls it's been a long time coming.

The teams selected for the first two matches are:

City Combination League Division "C" Match v Portsmouth Water (Home) on Monday 17th May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserves
T Portch	P Willoughby	B Banfield
R Wallbridge	T Nutland	A Lord	P Willis
J Bell	R Diamond	B Weaver	D Boulter
A New	G Dyer	P Whiffin

City League Division "B" Match v Cosham Park (Away) on Friday 21st May starting at 6.00 pm

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserve
D Boulter	R Philbrick	S Greenwood
B Weaver	P Willis	P Huntley	A New
R Durham	P Whiffin	G Dyer
S Filippi	R Dennison	S Sprake

Posted Thursday 13/05/21

City Combination Division C

The club fixtures have been dealt with a body blow after Naismith have had to withdraw their "C" team from Combination Division "C". Unfortunately, their decision has come too late for the P&D to redraw ALL of the Combination Divisions and rebalance them to have 6 sides per Division. As the City Comb "C" fixtures were set up for each of the teams to play the other clubs thrice, the withdrawal of Naismith means that instead of playing 15 games this season, we will now only be playing 12. Naismith apologise to all of their opponents in that division; they had hoped that they would have enough members to fill 2 sides, which they do, but not enough were willing to play in the evenings.

Naismith Result II

In the scheduled third friendly match, the return home fixture against Naismith C, unfortunately ended in a defeat 46-58. Steve Sprake's rink came from 9-15 behind at 15-ends to completely dominate the last few ends with Steve drawing the shot with the last wood of the match to win 18-16. It was a similar situation on Simon Filippi's rink who also came from behind to win 18-17. Things didn't go so well on the other rink skipped by Geoff Dyer / Peter Willis who experienced the other half of the spectrum when losing 10-25 after being in a good position when the sides were 10 shots apiece.

Parking Permits

Thanks to Alan New, our President, the club is now in possession of visitors parking permits for Zone MD, the area surrounding the bowls green. Costs for a single permit is £1.15. If any member require any permits please let me know.

Posted Wednesday 12/05/21

P&D League Fixtures

The club has just received the fixture lists for the 2021 P&D City Leagues which can be seen in full on the relevant pages of this website. The B Team have the honour of holding the first match in the relaunch of the league progamme when they entertain Portsmouth Water on Monday 17th May. The A Team visit Cosham Park for their opening match on Friday 21st May. As previously reported, in each division the teams will play each other 3 times.

Priory Result

Our second friendly match against Priory ended in similar fashion as the first friendly with Star winning 50-48. Geoff Dyer's quartet lost in a close encounter 12-16 whilst Steve Sprake's rink lost by the slightly bigger margin 11-26. This was compensated by the 27-6 score line achieved by Robbie Dennison / Paul Whiffin's foursome in their match.

Posted Saturday 08/05/21

Correction to Naismith Match

The starting time for the friendly against Naismith on Monday is 6.00 pm and not 5.30 pm as previously shown. Sorry for the confusion.

Posted Friday 07/05/21

Friendly v Naismith Home

The team to play Naismith at the Waverley next Monday 10th May starting at 6.00 pm is:

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserve
D Boulter	T Portch	P Huntley
T Nutland	R Diamond	R Wallbridge	B Banfield
R Durham	P Willis	J Bell
S Filippi	G Dyer	S Sprake

As this is a home match green fees are required to be paid which is £3.00 the same as previous seasons.

Posted Wednesday 05/05/21

Friendly v Priory

Sorry about this late notification regarding the naming of the team to face Priory (away) on Friday 7th May; there were a couple of issues that needed sorting out. The team to play Priory starting at 5.30 is:

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3	Reserves
P Willoughby	R Philbrick	S Greenwood
B Weaver	P Willis	P Huntley	R Diamond
R Durham	P Whiffin	A New	D Boulter
S Sprake	R Dennison	G Dyer	A Lord

As Priory are likely to be making changes during the match, Star would also take the same opportunity and also give our reserves half a game.

There are a couple of important things to note regarding the game:

The area south of Milton Park is now in a residential parking zone with restrictions between 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm. The recommended parking areas for bowlers is Priory Crescent, Goldsmith Avenue & Milton Road.

The only entrance to the bowls green is in Priory Crescent.

P&D League Structure

The structure of the P&D Leagues have now been finalised. As previously stated the leagues have been set up to include those clubs in the same geographical area to minimise travelling. Star have been placed in the town section.

In the main league there are 12-clubs split equally into 2-leagues. In each division the teams will play each other 3 times. The P&D Officers performed a blind draw, which resulted in the following divisions:
City A: College Park, Gas Social, Milton Park, Naismith, Priory and Vospers
City B: Alexandra, Cosham Park, Pembroke Gardens, Portsmouth Water, Star & Crescent and Waverley

In the combination league there are 19-sides which have been split into 3-divisions consisting of 7, 6 & 6 sides. Again, the P&D Officers performed another blind draw, with the proviso that clubs with multiple sides would be in different divisions, which resulted in the following divisions:
City Combination A: Alexandra Red, College Park White, Eastney, Gas Social B, Naismith B, Vospers B and Waverley Blue
City Combination B: Alexandra Blue, College Park Red, Cosham Park B, Milton Park B, Priory Silver and Waverley Red
City Combination C: Milton Park C, Naismith C, Pembroke Gardens, Portsmouth Water, Priory Black and Star & Crescent
So, sides in City Comb A will play each other twice, whilst City Comb B & C will play each other 3 times.

It is hoped that the actual fixture lists will be available by the end of this week with the first matches commencing week beginning Monday 17th May

Posted Tuesday 04/05/21

Naismith Result

For the first time since August 2019, we were able to return to the bowling green last night in a friendly match against Naismith at Swordsands. As would be expected after the long lay off both teams were a little ring rusty. Nevertheless, there was some good bowling with Star running out 57-53 victors in a close match. Alan New's rink did very well to pull back an 18-6 deficit by only losing by 2-shots 17-19. Simon Filippi's four scored 5-shots on the last end to clinch the win for Star though going down 16-20. Robbie Dennison's men led from start to finish to win comfortably 24-14.

Portsmouth Open Bowls Tournament

The P&D have been informed by the organisers that the 2021 Portsmouth Open Bowls Tournament has been cancelled.

County Centenary Dinner

As two years have passed since the County's Centenary Year, the County Executive has cancelled the special Celebration Centenary Dinner which was due to have been held later this year.

Posted Friday 30/04/21

Friendly v Priory

A friendly match against Priory (away) has been arranged for Friday 7th May starting at 5.30 pm. This will again be a 3-rink match.

Posted Thursday 29/04/21

Friendly Matches v Naismith

It has been an excellent response from the members to the request for players for the two friendly matches against Naismith; unfortunately only 12 bowlers per match can be picked. So to be fair to every one, those players that haven't been selected for the first match away at Swordsands on Thursday 29th April are guaranteed to be selected for the home fixture on Monday 10th May.

The team for Thursday 29th April at Swordsands starting at 5.30pm is:

Rink 1	Rink 2	Rink 3
P Willoughby	R Philbrick	B Banfield
A Lord	T Nutland	J Bell
B Weaver	P Whiffin	S Greenwood
S Filippi	R Dennison	A New

Reserves D Boulter & G Dyer

Posted Saturday 24/04/21

Hants County Competitions

The draws for the County competitions have been made. The relevant web page has been updated to show those matches related to our players.

Affiliation Fees

You should all have received your forms regarding the finalising of affiliation fees for this season following the ratification of the Waverley BC membership fees. It would help the treasurer if you could forward your subscriptions to him by Sunday 25th April.

Ground Rules

The green is now open for bowls. The ground rules for bowling at the club have been sent to all members. Please observe these rules.

Posted Monday 19/04/21

P&D Leagues

Following a meeting, the P&D Officers discussed what the P&D could offer clubs with regards to competitive bowling.

The Officers agreed that they will be running the following League formats:

·         League: 3 rinks of 4 bowlers per side, maximum of 24 bowlers, played over 18 ends.
·         Combination: 3 rinks of 4 bowlers per side, maximum of 24 bowlers, played over 18 ends.
·         Midweek Triples (MWT): 3 rinks of 3 bowlers per side, maximum of 18 bowlers, played over 18 ends.
·         Each rink to be played on alternate rinks.

In addition, all these Leagues will be played by region as per current MWT:
·         City based clubs
·         Havant & Waterlooville based clubs
·         Gosport & Fareham based clubs

Where “based” means where the club’s home green is situated. This is to cater for the travelling restrictions that are still in place.

The hope is that the leagues will be able to commence week beginning 17th May, which is in-line with the Government’s Road Map Step 3 date.

P&D Competitions

The P&D committee are cautiously optimistic that they can run the following competitions this season. Competitors must be mindful and aware that with a shorter window in which to run these tournaments there won’t be as much flexibility as normal but hope to run them all as ‘play by’ rather than ‘play on’ competitions.

Competitions open
·         Men’s singles
·         Men’s over 60’s
·         Men’s pairs
·         Men’s Triples
·         Ivan Robb (Secretary's Singles)

Competitions NOT running this year
·         Men’s Fours
·         Mixed Pairs
·         Mixed Triples
·         Mixed Fours
·         Rowland Cup
·         All junior competitions

The relevant entry forms have been received which need to be returned with entry fees (£1.50 per head) by Sunday 30^th May. The draws will be made within a few days of this. If any one is interested please let me know

County Club

Due to Government restrictions as to when more than 24players can be on a green and fitting in with P&D combination fixtures, the County Club this year won't start until July when we should be able to play 4-rinks matches under the Government's Roadmap. The matches will be played on a weekend, either Saturday or Sunday. Also, games will be played on a weekly basis; a weekend has been scheduled as the weekday dates will be filled for other competitions and P&D Leagues.

The drawn has been made and we have to play either Milton Park or Leigh Park (away) on the weekend of 17th / 18th July .

National Double Rinks Competition
In this competition we have been drawn to play Fareham (B) away. Tie to be played by Sunday 6th June.

Posted Wednesday 14/04/21

County Competitions

The good news is that County Competitions for 2021 are going ahead. However, due to Bowls England's COVID Bowls Resumptions Guidelines, BE have made changes to the formats of the 2021 BE National Championship Competitions that are run by the County. These are as follows:

1) No Changes:

2 wood singles: Still played over 21 ends

4 Wood Singles Still the first to 21 shots

2) Changes:

Pairs: Each Player now only uses 3 bowls, and match length is now 18 ends.

Triples: Each Player now only uses 2 bowls, and match length is still 18 ends.
Fours: Each Player still uses 2 bowls, BUT match length is now 15 ends.

The draws for these competitions will be undertaken shortly.

Waverley Fees

Following a preliminary bowls meeting, it was agreed that the arrangement that was made last year regarding half price season tickets for this year should be honoured. That is, those members who paid the full price fees for 2020 will only need to pay half the cost this year (£45.00 or £40.00). However, those members who only paid the social membership fee of £15.00 last year must pay the full rate of £90.00 or £80.00 this season. This proposal has to go the full Waverley Committee Meeting for acceptance on Tuesday 13th April.

Posted Wednesday 07/04/21

Bowls Shorts

Bowls England have finally got rid of the crazy rule that only Bowls England Shorts are allowed in competitive play! This means from now on any Bowls Manufacturers Shorts can be worn at anytime throughout the season including National Championships as long as they are in grey, black or white.

Bowls England - Back to Bowls - Step One

The government’s roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions in England consists of four steps, and lawn bowls as an outdoor sport may resume from Monday 29th March (Step 1). From this date, the rules on social contact will change. People will not be required to stay at home, and will be permitted to meet outdoors in groups of up to six people, or as a group of two households, for exercise or recreation.

At Step 1, outdoor lawn bowls for adults and children is permitted in larger numbers, provided it is formally organised and follows COVID-secure guidance. Where bowls activity is not formally organised, it can only take place within the rules on social contact – in groups of up to 6 people, or two households

Format of Play for Organised Matches
         Singles – Use of every rink and marker permitted if required
         Pairs – Use of every rink
         Triples – Play on alternate rinks
         Fours – Play on alternate rinks

Any combination of formats may be played under the ‘organised sport’ exemption, however the maximum number of participants on a six-rink outdoor green at any one time should not exceed 24.

Changing rooms cannot open, although toilet facilities can be accessed. Wherever possible, people should come ready to play.

Posted Saturday 27/03/21

Peter Aldridge Funeral

Pete’s funeral has been set for Friday the 26th of March at The Oaks Crematorium, Havant at 13.45. Waverley BC are giving Pete the best send-off they can under the circumstances and the send off he deserves. A funeral procession has been arranged which will start at Waverley BC at 12.50 and pass many of the places that Peter was associated with. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, unfortunately only 30 people will be able to attend his funeral, these people will obviously be by invite only.

Opening of the Green

Proposed date for opening of the green is scheduled for Sunday 18th April. No doubt, initially, the restrictions from last year ensuring Government guidelines are met will still be in place.

Posted Tuesday 23/3/2021

Portsmouth Water BC

From this year, Portsmouth Water BC will now be playing their home matches at Alexandra B&SC. Therefore when the season opens (?) all members hopefully will remember not to go to their old green in Havant.

Bowls England News

Following the Government's announcement of their roadmap for the easing of lockdown restrictions Bowls England (BE), are preparing with confidence for the 2021 outdoor season. However, before we can all get on the bowling green BE have to ensure that all clubs create COVID-safe environments and are currently working on these aspects:

‘Return to Play’ guidance for affiliated clubs,
Resources and best practice to support the safe running of clubs
Online rink booking and cashless payments.
Promotional material and funding advice.

BE also aim to facilitate as much domestic competition as possible and have developed a series of Covid-contingency scenarios and, with the information now available, will look to reshape their national competition schedule. A further update on the championships and competitions programmes and a more detailed guidance on opening of greens will be issued once BE have had the opportunity to consult with counties and clubs on any potential changes.

Posted Saturday 27/02/21

New P&D Website

The P&DBA have been rebuilding their new website since last Autumn. Though still a work in progress it can be accessed via www.panddba.co.uk.

Posted Saturday 20/02/21

Peter Aldridge

I'm sorry to inform you that Peter Aldridge, Southsea Waverley's Secretary, has lost his fight against the COVID-19 virus and sadly passed away this Wednesday at QA hospital.

Posted Friday 12/02/21

Star & Crescent BC Committee 2021

Since I have had no objections to the committee proposed for this year, I have assumed you all agree with the nominations. Therefore, I have passed details of our committee to the relevant bowling associations. Just a reminder the committee is thus:

President: Alan New,
Immediate Past President: Stephen Greenwood
Hon Secretary: Robbie Dennison
Hon Treasurer: Derek Boulter
"A" Team Captain: Geoff Dyer,

"B" Team Captain: Peter Willis

Selection Committee 3rd Member: Robbie Dennison

Club Competition Secretary: Simon Filippi

Bowls Hampshire / P&D Rep: Simon Filippi

County Competitions

Competition entries from club members have been forwarded to Bowls Hampshire. Hopefully they may actually happen this year!! Entries are:
4-wood singles: Simon Filippi, Stephen Greenwood & Bob Weaver
2-wood singles: Simon Filippi &Stephen Greenwood
Pairs: Paul Willoughby / Geoff Dyer, Russell Durham / Simon Filippi & Steve Sprake / Robbie Dennison
Triples: Bob Weaver / Russell Durham /Simon Filippi, ANO / Steven Greenwood / Alan New & Geoff Dyer, Steve Sprake & Robbie Dennison
Fours: Paul Willoughby / Bob Weaver / Russell Durham /Simon Filippi & ANO / ANO / Steven Greenwood / Alan New

Coronavirus (COVID‐19)

With the vaccination programme underway, there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Some of our members have already had their first jabs (& a couple of members their second) & it is hoped that many more of us will have the inoculation in the near future ready for the bowls season. Except for Andy Lord & his good lady, our members seemed to have avoided catching the dreaded virus. Thank goodness Andy & his wife have recovered after being diagnosed Covid positive. Unfortunately, for Waverly supremo Peter Aldridge the news isn't as good. Last week I heard he had become a victim of the virus & was in a coma at Queen Alexandra hospital after being diagnosed positive. We sincerely hope & pray that Peter manages to pull through and beat the awful coronavirus.

Posted Saturday 30/01/21

P&D Matters

P&D Website

It might have have come to your notice that the P&D BA website in its current format is no longer available. This is because Iain Foster will no longer be acting as the Webmaster. P&D officers are discussing the way forward for the association to have another Website and be up and running again as soon as possible.

2021 P&D Leagues and Competitions.

P&D officers have been having long discussions about what the P&D can offer in the way of competitive bowls next year. Their hope is, of course, that they can run the 2021 Season in Full (Option A), with Leagues using the fixtures sent out for 2020 with dates being changed and running the usual P&D Competitions. However, this is all dependent on the Government giving the all clear from the current COVID 19 restrictions, which, at the moment, doesn’t seem likely.

The following provides more detail on their proposals to put before club members. Briefly they are as follows:

a). P&D League & Combination.

There are 2 Options being offered, which take into account the current BE recommendations, i.e. No fours to be played and car sharing.

Option B is to run the Leagues and Combination matches with the 2020 Fixture List BUT ONLY with 3 triples, to ensure social distancing can be maintained.

Option C takes into account current BE guidelines state that sharing of cars is NOT recommended. Therefore, this Option is as (B) but with clubs split into Divisions consisting of City, Havant & Waterlooville and Gosport & Fareham Clubs, with some clubs possibly in another Division to help even up numbers

NOTE: Neither Options B or C will lead to any promotion or relegation for 2022.

With regards to the Combination Leagues, where Clubs run more than 2 Sides or share greens and there are again more than 3 sides being run, then matches WILL have to be played on another date – probably a Monday

b). P&D Competitions

P&D won’t be running the Men’s or Mixed Fours. They hope to run the Rowland Cup, but again matches will be between sides consisting of 3 Triples.

Bowls Hampshire Competition 2021 Entry Forms

In the hope that we will be able to play a normal season next year, the county competition entry forms for the 2021 season are now available. Closing Date is January 31st 2021. Please let me know if anybody is interested.

There is a new Golden Pairs County Competition for Men who are 70 or over

Posted Saturday 31/10/20

Bowls England Affiliations and Championship Entries

Bowls England have announced changes to the arrangements for payment of affiliation fees and for entries to National Championships & Competitions.

Please note that Bowls England

Has put back to 31^st May the date by which Counties have to submit their Clubs’ affiliation fees (currently we submitted at the end of January)

Has put back the date for entries for Championships to the 1^st March (currently 1st February)

Requires details of key officials by 1^st February

P&D 2021 Season

P&D Officers are discussing what the 2021 P&D Season could look like if the current COVID 19 restrictions are still in place next year. It is believed there is a possible way forward for Leagues/Combination/Midweek matches but how P&D Competitions are run is dependent on how many entries they are likely to receive. To that end, I am asking club members to let me know, based on what has happened at the club this year, how many members would likely to be playing next season and would be thinking of entering a P&D competitions. I will be grateful for any information received from you so that I could relay it to P&D to aid their planning for next season. Hopefully, you will all come out fighting fit next season and be ready to resume your bowling (COVID permitting).

Posted Saturday 22/8/20

P & D Matters

Having been keeping up to date with all the latest Guidelines from the Government and Bowls England, ALL the P&D Officers have come to the conclusion that it would NOT be possible to run any P&D Competitions in 2020. Whilst they can understand some may want to play competitive bowls instead of just internal roll-ups, they don't believe there is enough time left in the year to get entries in and then actually play the games required by the end of August. They also don't want any possibility of any of you catching COVID this year from any close contact with other bowlers.

The P&D are following in the footsteps of Bowls England & Bowls Hampshire in that their current Presidential Team of Ben Cope, Martyn Reynolds, Barry Pilcher & Paul Kennington will stay in their current post for the 2021 season.

Latest Waverley Update

With the further easing of restrictions that the Government has announced, the guidelines now permit up to six individuals from different households to play on a single rink. Therefore, triples are now allowed to be played at Waverley instead of the previous format of pairs. All other previous restrictions are still in place.

Posted Wednesday 8/7/20

Obituary

Sadly, one of our old members, Don Cornborough, has passed away recently at the age of 94. He served on the committee as captain for the midweek triples team until 2007.

Posted Saturday 27/6/20

Green Reservations

There hasn't been a lot of activity of members booking rinks since the opening of the bowls green, therefore the restriction of playing only twice a week has been lifted. You can now go to the club at any time and have a game but only if rinks are available. For our records & to ascertain how many players are using the green , please still complete the booking sheet with the names of all players.

Posted Monday 1/6/20

Opening of the Green (Summary)

Following the Waverley Committee's plans to re-open the green, an evaluation of them were undertaken last Sunday, 24th May. Myself, club president Alan, club captain Geoff & Simon took part in a pairs match with Waverley members in a match utilising these recommendations to ensure that it was safe for our members to play and that the social distancing could be maintained & not breached. As you know, all went well and that the green is now officially open. The plan is in accordance with the Bowls England guide lines except for the recommendation of playing singles on alternate rinks, the Waverley committee have devised a way that pairs can be played.

The ground rules have been set out and promulgated to all members. They are also on display at the club.

There will be 4 sessions of 2 hours per day with a half-hour interval between sessions to allow a change over of players. The rinks can only be booked by going to the Waverley and completing the booking sheet on the club premises. You must put all names on the sheet of the players involved in the game. Even though spectators are still prohibited to enter the club you will be allowed to gain admittance for this procedure (reservation of a rink). Most importantly, after booking the required session you must vacate the club immediately, no hanging around.

There will be crosses marked on the bank, this is for the non-active bowler to stand when his opposite number is on the mat. Only one person at each end is allowed on the green at any one time.

When changing ends walk on the right hand side of the rink maintaining the 2 metre separation.

Only one person at each end is permitted to touch the jack & mat to prevent any possible risk of cross contamination.

Study the rules of play, be safe & enjoy your bowls.

If any members who decide to have a game have any feedback after playing, could they pass it to me please.

Bowls Hampshire Centenary Dinner

The Centenary Dinner and Dance at the Hilton Hotel at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton scheduled for Saturday 24th October 2020 has been postponed. With the possibility that some social distancing may still be required and with no certainty that indoor events of this size would be permitted, it has been concluded that it may be difficult to attract the necessary numbers (as there will be no trophies to present) and that the only sensible and practicable way forward is to transfer the event to 2021.Negotiations with the Hilton at the Ageas Bowl have now been completed and the event has been rescheduled for Saturday 23^rd October 2021.

Posted Saturday 30/5/20

Waverley BC

I have received a very nice letter from Peter Aldridge, Secretary of Waverley BC which I would like to share with you all:

"The president, secretary and officers of the Waverley Bowling Club would like to take this opportunity in thanking your president, yourself and your members for your full support during the 2020 season. As you will know with the onset of the Covid-19 virus the world has been a changed place for several weeks and for all us bowlers the cancelling of the season is a bitter disappointment, but we hope and pray that everyone from the Star and Crescent and the Waverley will return to the bowls in due course when things get back to normal.

With regard to the fees paid this year, the Southsea Waverley Bowling Club committee have decided that every bowling member who has paid full bowling membership will receive a 50% reduction on their fee payment for the seasons 2021 & 2022. This is in recognition for their full support this year of the club.

On a personal note, I truly hope all of your members return to our bowls green safe and sound and they and their families are fortunate not to be badly affected by the virus. I am sure we will find on returning to bowls that we would have probably lost 1 or 2 from the bowling fraternity, we can only hope and pray we all survive.

On a positive note, at the Waverley we have been continuing our works at the club. The back of the bar has been renewed and lots of necessary floor repairs behind the bar and behind the cellar carried out, the changing room covering has been renewed and the changing room tidied up and decorated. Gary the greenkeeper has been busy and the green is looking great.

If the season does not return but we are able to socially meet again at the club we are intending to operate competitions on a Wednesday and Friday night, which of course your members will be invited to join.

Please stay safe and once again thank you for all your support.

Peter Aldridge, Secretary
On behalf of Frank Middleton Waverley President"

Bowls Hampshire Covid 19 Statement

When it will be possible to re-commence playing bowls? As you will recall the advice issued by Bowls Hampshire on the 19^th March was that there would be no County activities prior to 1^st July and we recommended that clubs should themselves not permit play before that date. Over the past couple of weeks, sparked by media speculation that some relaxation in the rules might be permitted, Bowls England has received a number of queries as to when we can start to play bowls, what restrictions will be in place and what can be done to make clubs ‘safe’? The DMCS Minister has said he would only make the case to the Prime Minister for the opening of any sports clubs once public health evidence allowed, so understandably Bowls England’s stance remains that Government guidance must be followed and, at this stage, any views on what the future might look like are purely speculative. On the assumption that social distancing rules will be in place for some time, we shall need clear guidance on what we can do whilst safeguarding our members. Bowls England is working on guidance for Clubs and County Associations. I would hope this guidance will be issued once the Government has given the go ahead to resume play.

Bowls England Membership Register

BE have are setting up a membership register and have tasked all clubs, via Bowls Hampshire, to provide BE with a list of members and other personal details. I, like many others have concerns about data protection. There is a template guide provided to fill in which is quite comprehensive. If any one wishes to see this template please let me know and I will email it to you.

Posted Saturday 9/5/20

Subscriptions & Fees

Thank you every body for your prompt payment in paying your subscriptions & fees for this season. A cheque has been forwarded to Southsea Waverly BC on behalf of Star & Crescent members. I hope you are all keeping well & save and not finding the lock-in too tedious.

Posted Monday 26/4/20

Coronavirus (COVID‐19)

Just in case you missed my emails relating to the virus, following statements from Bowls England & Bowls Hampshire, Portsmouth & District BA have decided that the 2020 League Season (ie NO League, Combination or Midweek games) is cancelled. They will be meeting in June to see if there is any possibility of running the Rowland Cup and other P&D Competitions from July - of course, such a decision will be based on whether or not the Government decides that they are able to relax their current Social Contact restrictions.

From Friday, the government also announced that pubs, clubs & cinemas must close; Waverley BC comes into this category. I am awaiting for information from Waverley on the way ahead.

It goes without saying that our Half Yearly meeting scheduled for this Thursday is cancelled.

In the mean time, keep save, keep healthy & keep following the recommended virus prevention guidelines.

Posted Sunday 22/3/20

Opening of the Green

The opening of the green which was scheduled for Sunday 5th April has been put back a week and will now open on Sunday 12th April.

Posted Thursday 27/2/20

Half Yearly Meeting

The Star & Crescent Half Yearly meeting will be Thursday 26th March at the Waverley Club starting at 19.15.

Hants County Competitions

The draw for the County competitions has been made. The relevant web page has been updated to show those matches related to our players.

Pre-Season Friendlies

There are two pre-season friendlies planned: Sunday 19th April against Priory (home)and Waverley on Sunday 26th April both matches starting at 10.30. Also, Southsea Waverley have a friendly against a Devon Touring side on Wednesday 20th May starting at 14.00 and have asked Star & Crescent to provide a rink which we have agreed to do.

Posted Sunday 16/02/20

News Updates

The opening of the green will be on Sunday 5th April.

In the County Club we have been drawn at home to Gosport. Unfortunately, Waverley have also been drawn at home and as they were pulled out of the hat first it is up to Star & Crescent to arrange another date from this match.

The changing rooms are being refurbished. It has been noted that there is a considerable amount of clothing and bowls equipment around the place. If you have anything there please could you remove the items or else there is a great danger they could be discarded.

Many of the web site pages have been updated for your perusal.

Posted Tuesday 21/01/20

2020 League Fixtures

The draft league fixtures for next season have now been added to this website

Posted Wednesday 08/01/20

2020 League Fixtures

Believe it or not, the draft League & Combination fixtures for season 2020 have been issued.

With the withdrawal of Bedhampton, Division 2 will only have 8 teams next season: Crofton, Gosport, Hayling Island, Milton Park, Naismith, Portsmouth Water, Vospers & ourselves. This means unfortunately that the "A" team will be playing 4 less matches than last year: only 14 matches. We start our league program with a home match against Portsmouth Water at the later date of Monday 4th May followed by an away game, believe it or not, 11 days later against Hayling Island on Friday 15th May.

In Combination Division 3 there are 9-teams in the league as last season: College Park Green, Cowplain Green, Eastney, Gosport "B", Lee-on-the Solent "C", Milton Park "C", Pembroke Gardens "B", Portsmouth Water "B" and ourselves. This means the "B" team will have two more matches than the "A" team. As per last year, the first match is away to Cowplain Green on Wednesday 29th April. The first home match is on Wednesday 6th May when
Lee-on-the Solent "C" are the visitors.

The full fixture list will appear on this website after Christmas. Remember these are only in draft format and yet to be finalised though I don't envisage any changes.

Festive Greetings

I would like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas & a Healthful & Happy New Year. Enjoy your winter and I look forward to seeing you all next year at the start of the new bowls season.

Posted Tuesday 24/12/19

Star & Crescent AGM

Just a reminder that the Star & Crescent AGM is this Thursday 28th November starting at 7.15 pm. As I have received only one apology for non-attendance, I am expecting a good turn out. There are a few issues that need to be resolved which includes the election of officers. As it stands, there will be a ballot for the post of "A" team captain where there are two nominees: Geoff Dyer & Paul Whiffin. We are still looking for a nominee for the post of President for the forthcoming season. Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday.

Posted Monday 25/11/19

Star & Crescent AGM

The AGM will be a little later this year and is scheduled for Thursday 28th November starting at 7.15pm. Paperwork will follow later.

May Day 2020

Next year's May Day Bank Holiday will be on Friday 8th May as part of the extended 75th VE Day celebrations. The P&D League Secretary is looking at generating next year's league fixtures and would need to know which clubs would be happy playing a league fixture on the Bank Holiday Friday. If the majority say No, then the matches will be played on the Thursday. I believe that Peter Aldridge of Southsea Waverley is endeavouring to arrange a function at the club to celebrate VE Day on this Friday and has requested that no matches are arranged at the Waverley for this date. It may be that some Star members would like to attend the Waverley celebrations. Therefore, can I ask each of you to let me know whether you are willing to play on the Bank Holiday Friday (away) or on Thursday 7th May. Please could you let me know what you prefer by 27th October.

League Bowls 2020 Season

At the moment the League Secretary is looking at the 2020 season starting week beginning Monday 20th April.

P&D Presentation Dinner

The Presentation Dinner is to be held at Alexandra Bowls Club on Friday 8^th November 2019 at 7pm for 7.30 pm. The cost will be £15.00 per person. If any member is interested in attending please contact me.

Bowls Hampshire 2020 Competitions

The county competition entry forms for 2020 season are now available. Unfortunately they will be costing you a little more next year as the entry fee has been raised to £4.00 per player per event. Also, due to a change in the date of the 2020 pairs quarter finals it has been necessary to make the pairs competition a play on date instead of a play by date in order to get the rounds and area final in by the new date. Closing date for all county competitions is January 1st 2020

Posted Saturday 5/10/19