Isle of Wedmore Bowls Club enjoyed a successful weekend at the Dorset Golf and Bowls Resort at Hyde, Bere Regis.

THE Isle of Wedmore Bowls Club went to the Dorset Golf and Bowls Resort at Hyde, Bere Regis, for a fine break of bowls and merrymaking.

The weekend got off to a rather unfortunate start when the group leader, who should have been one of the first to arrive, had been on the road for an hour before realizing that he had left his bag behind containing bowls, shoes and club shirt.

The club played a six-rink mixed friendly match against a combined Dorset Resort and Bearsted Bowls Club team from Kent. Wedmore winning the match by a considerable margin.

The group from the Bearsted Bowls Club have shared this same weekend with Wedmore for the past three years and have become competitive friends.

The evening was devoted to celebrating the birthday of the Scottish bard Robert Burns. The Burns supper was a great success, with everyone wearing a little bit of tartan and our kilted Scot Ron Barron clad in full regalia.

The haggis was pipped in and Ron gave his inimitable address, waving the skean dhu around to great effect and almost scalping the ladies sitting to his left.

The following day was open fours tournament day with nine teams taking part in a round robin, each team playing three games of six ends.

The winners were Ray Newell’s rink of Margaret Barron, Ronnie Corbett and Monica Green, just outstripping Keith Burt’s rink of Jean Wheller, Tony Collingwood and Lynda Dearden on shots difference.

The prize winners were - highest scoring rink in mixed friendly match: Trish Newell, John Harvey, Mike Green and Mary Ronald; open fours tournament winners: Monica Green, Ronnie Corbett, Margaret Barron and Ray Newell; runners-up: Lynda Dearden, Tony Collingwood, Jean Wheller; third place: Clive Wheller, Jenny Collingwood, Audrey Birch and Dennis Stansfield.

No reference is made to a booby prize, but those unfortunates who ended up at the bottom of the pile were each presented with a Mars bar, with the exhortation to do more work, get more rest and play a bit better.