Three of the top positions in Clarence Bowling Club will be filled by ‘Bristol boys’ next year.

THREE of the top positions in Clarence Bowling Club will be filled by ‘Bristol boys’ next year.

At Saturday’s AGM, Bedminster-born president Reg Flicker announced his new vice-president would be fellow Bristol native Bob Rossiter, while the club captain will be Roger Burrough, another exile from the city.

The choice of vice-captain to Burrough broke the Bristol mould. Brummie Mike Clay, now based in Hutton, will fill the role, completing a set of top officers, who, apart from the re-elected Flicker, will form a new regime at Clarence.

Vice-president Rossiter, a partially-sighted bowler of national repute, has been club captain twice and Burrough is one of the key men in the coaching set-up at the club.

Sixty-one members attended the AGM, at which president Flicker congratulated the club on being named runner-up in the Bowls Club of the Year competition. He said it had raised Clarence’s profile nationally, as well as earning the club prizes and a special match against the Friends of Bowls England in September.

More than 50 new members in various categories had joined following the club’s big spring recruitment campaign and he emphasised that it would be necessary to keep the momentum going in this respect.

On the green, it had been a challenging year, but the Blues, Clarence’s first team in the Over-60s League, had done well to finish fourth in the first division after a poor start.

Treasurer Jeff Hayes reported a small surplus on the year and it was agreed that there would be no increase in subscriptions. However, match fees would be increased by 50p to �2 per player.

Other officers re-elected – secretary: Tony Mannion; treasurer: Jeff Hayes; assistant treasurer: Mike Scoins; match secretary: Alan Richardson; membership secretary: Dave Thomson. Selectors elected: David Stott, Dick Jackman, Richard Crawford, Bob Rossiter.

In the Weston Indoor Mixed League, Clarence lost by eight shots to Victoria on Saturday. This was despite a fine away victory by Gerry Barlow’s rink, who finished 19 shots ahead. A heavy defeat on the other away rink proved decisive.

Clarence 53, Victoria 61 – away: S Scoins, M Scoins, A Ward, T Ward 7-28; M Edlin, C Edlin, A McMillan, G Barlow 24-5. Home: M Woods, V Collicott, M Davison, T Mannion 10-16; J Keay, A Bishop, E Williams, V Jones 12-12.

The AGM of the Weston Open Bowls Tournaments is at Clarence BC on Saturday (10am). All clubs in the area are invited to send representatives.

DAVID Stott, who will take over as registrar of the Weston Open Bowls Tournaments, at the AGM on Saturday (Dec 3), has been checking his post for envelopes from exotic destinations.

He reported at a recent committee meeting that the website for the five-star rated tournaments had received 28,195 hits so far this year, including 37 from the USA, 17 from EU countries and one each from Moldova, the Philippines and China.

Two years ago, the men’s tournament featured competitors from South Africa and Malta. “Our fame is obviously spreading,” said Lancastrian Stott, who succeeds the retiring Paul Tubb as registrar.

ST ANDREWS had another victory in the Top Club competition, beating Yeovil by 10-2, with wins for the mixed fours, mixed triples and ladies’ singles, losing out on just the men’s single and the mixed pairs was conceded.

Not such good results in other big games, Saints going down in the Egham Trophy against Ilminster losing on two rinks, winning one,and drawing one.

In the Wessex League, Saints lost on three rinks of the four, only Barrie Forse’s rink being successful away against Yate.

Two friendly mixed games also finished in the opponents favour.

St Andrews 10, Yeovil 2 (Top Club) - men’s singles: M Campbell 11-16; ladies’ singles: Pat Uglow 18-11; mixed triples: J Ware, P Villis, T Steer 25-12; mixed fours: K Uglow, M Pattenden, M Favis, G Guest 22-14; mixed pairs: C Venn, B Forse 9-7 conceded.

St Andrews 73, Yate 85 (Wessex League): J Wilkes, B Reeves, D Favis, D Bailey 15-29 T Hyde, G Millard, P Aldus, P Villis 13-21; K Uglow, W Harrison, B Forse 28-16; M Campbell, J Laurent, R Noddings, A Owens 17-19.

St Andrews 62, Ilminster 85 (Egham Trophy): P Uglow, M Favis, P Villis, A Steer 16-21; T Hyde, J Pitman, J Ware, A Owens 16-16; C Venn, A Powell, G Guest, D Bailey 18-17; K Uglow, M Pattenden, A Campbell, B Forse 12-31.

St Andrews 19, Puriton 41 (friendly): M Simpson, A Greenwood, B Ennis, D Henderson 9-19; C Riley, B Perkins, A Cooper, I Hicks 10-22.