Our first game of the season on Saturday 21^st April was at Townend Hook’s new green in Snodland. The club actually started using their new green at the end of the 2011 season after losing their old green in Snodland for housing. The new green is in very pleasant surroundings and the welcome to us was very warm. The President and Council’s visit to the club was to officially open their new green and club house and we were welcomed to the green by our old friend Roger Pollington who is the club President. Although the forecast was not good the game was actually played in good weather with a win for the P&C team. As is normal we were treated to a very nice after match meal. Thank you Townsend Hook and we wish you well for the future

Our second game of the season was to visit Orpington BC in division one for a very enjoyable game to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. We were welcomed by club President Earl Whitehead and after the match, which Orpington won, we sat out under the trees on a rare sunny day in May and were treated to a very enjoyable meal by the ladies of Orpington. It was my first visit to Orpington BC and was a day to remember for all the right reasons!

Our third game of the season was a visit to Holmesdale bowls club in division three to celebrate their Centenary. Just along the A25 from Holmesdale there is another club Sundridge who are also celebrating their centenary, but with not enough members of their own to hold such a game, they sent a rink along to Holmesdale to take part in this match. We were welcomed to Holmesdale by President Brian Wigmore and the game which the P&C won was played under sunny skies. Again the Holmesdale ladies did us proud with the after match meal.

Our fourth game of the season was at Borough Green in division three where we were greeted by club president Bill Green. As we travelled to the game very few of us thought we would ever play as the skies opened, but on arrival the clouds cleared to allow the game to be played in the dry. This game featured the President Mick Collins with his three brothers Ken, Dave and Pete all playing on the same rink. This was the P&C’s eleventh visit to the club and our thanks go to Borough Green for hosting another enjoyable day with the game being won by the P&C team

Our fifth game of the season was a visit to Maidstone Bowls Club for the Annual fixture with the Kent County Patrons in a game won by the P&C team but I am sure Chairman of the Patrons Roger Dean would not allow this report to be published without mention of his rinks win against the County Presidents rink. The Patrons do a fantastic job for bowls in general under the leadership of their very enthusiastic chairman, and this fixture allowed good friends to enjoy an afternoon together. Thanks go to Maidstone for allowing the use of their facilities.

Our sixth game of the season was a visit to Hawkhurst in division three, a club that is very close to the Kent/Sussex border. This is a four rink club that had a new club house opened by Andy Thompson last year, and decided they would like the county to make their first ever visit to the club. Only the county president from the P&C team had ever played at the club, but everyone was impressed and very much enjoyed the hospitality extended to us by the entire club. Let’s hope we can visit again in a few years time because it is great to visit some of the less known clubs in the county. Now we know the way perhaps not so many of us will end up in farm yards looking for the green.

Our seventh game featured a visit to Tunbridge Wells Grosvenor to help celebrate their centenary. The club with a proud history of successful county bowlers such as Dave Jenner, John Dunn and Duncan Hanmore have done remarkably well to survive on a council green for 100 years, but it is good also to see that the council continue to support them and we wish them well for the future. With a small membership the club hosted a four rink game and put themselves out to provide a delicious after match buffet. With no bar available at the club it was left to new lady club captain Joe Cartwright to escort some of the early arrivals of the P&C team to the Allotment for a pre match pint. I must add that the Allotment is the local Public House with a good range of real Ales. The game was won by the P&C team but the main thing was that we helped a small club celebrate a remarkable achievement. Well done Grosvenor and best wishes for the future.

Our next visit on 3^rd July was to the presidents club, Marden, where we were greeted by the president’s elder brother, Ken, who is club president and playing his fortieth year at the club. The club have improved their facilities during the closed season to create a larger kitchen and a small bar which meant that we could now enjoy a drink at the club and also sit down in the clubhouse to enjoy a lovely after match meal. With the green in good condition it was a shame that light showers hindered the afternoon bowling, but thankfully during this year of continual rain the game was played mainly in the dry and was won by the President & Council team. The President thanked the club for their support for him during and leading up to his presidential year.

On 5^th July we visited Bowls England Club of the Year, Ditton, which is division three and situated off of the A20 going from Maidstone towards London. The club president Marilyn Mulcuck welcomed the President & Council team to the club and the team was captained by Eric Parker. A minutes silence was observed for four members of the club who had recently passed away. Long standing President Des Butters and hi wife Alvin had passed away within the space of a few weeks and on 1^st July their Secretary Robin Deere had passed away and at the match it was announced that Ron Joliffe had sadly died. The following day the funerals of Des and Alvin Butter took place followed by a fly past of a Spitfire from WW2 in recognition of Des’s contribution as a Bomber Commander during that campaign.

The match was played on a good green in good weather and with good company and was won by the P&C team. The after match meal served by waitresses adorned in black and white was a full roast meal. Thank you Ditton and our sincere congratulations on your achievement. The club now host a match with Bowls England on 11^th September.

On the 11^th July we travelled to Beckenham in division 1 to play HSBC Bowls Club who were celebrating their 90^th anniversary. We were welcomed by club president and past county president Alan Easterbrook and after waiting for a passing storm to clear we managed to play a full game with some disruption from light showers. The county flag was at half mast and a minutes silence was held in respect of the sad news that Doug Stevens had passed away earlier in the day.

Keeping to tradition whenever we visit HSBC we were treated to a slice of Alan’s home made fruit cake at ten ends and then served with a four course meal in the clubs splendid clubhouse after the game. The game was won by the P&C team 137-85 but the important thing was that HSBC BC had a successful day to celebrate their anniversary. We wish the club well for the future and thank them for the generous donation of raffle money towards the president’s charity.

On Tuesday 25^th July we visited Betteshanger Bowls Club in Deal, one of four Colliery Welfare Bowls Clubs in East Kent. This game was in celebration of their 75^th Anniversary, where we were greeted by Club President Arthur Hockley who was just returning to action after having a knee replacement operation earlier in the season. After witnessing Arthur bowl I have applied for two new knees before next season and look forward to a position skipping in the Middleton Cup!

The game was played on a rare hot sunny day on a good green with the President & Council team winning the game 148-109.

After the game we were treated to a splendid meal after which I had the great pleasure of awarding a Life Membership certificate to Arthur in recognition of the tremendous service he has given the club. Congratulations Arthur and Betteshanger and we wish you well for the future.

Our second game of the week took us to Maidstone Bowls Club, the county headquarters where President Jim Murray greeted us to the club, but due ill health for him and his wife, Jim was unable to stay for the game. Earlier in the season I had the great pleasure of formerly renaming their club house ‘The Jim Murray Clubhouse’ and it was good to see Jim at the club for the opening procedures for this match. Again the game was played in hot sunny conditions, but obviously having a full week of these conditions to encounter we were beginning to wilt and went down by 120-145. At least that is my story.

Maidstone, having survived the vandalism to their green three years ago, now has a well established green and a good influx of new members many of whom were playing in this game. After the game the ladies had prepared us a nice meal, and Vice Chairman Mick Lowery formerly welcomed us to the club

Thank you Maidstone for the invitation to visit your club.

On Wednesday 8^th August we visited Tonbridge Bowls Club in division three and were welcomed by club Secretary/Captain Roger Davies. Having moved from their old green back in the mid 90’s the new green and premises are well established and we were delighted to play on such a good playing surface. The green is maintained by a team of club members and has been transformed since they took over from contractors in 2001.

The game itself, played in good weather, was won by the P&C team 145-97, but the game gave some of the newer Tonbridge players an experience to meet some county officers, and likewise brought their excellent facilities to the attention of those county officers.

After the game we were treated to a very nice meal by the ladies of Tonbridge BC, and sampled some of their best Shepherd Neame Ales.

Thank you Tonbridge for a lovely day!

Our next game was our annual fixture with the ladies, which was played at Petts Wood Bowls Club, the home club of Ladies President Carol Tillman. This being the first meeting since unification it was necessary to fly only one flag for the first time. After a hard fought game the men triumphed 129-10o and so retained the trophy. Petts Wood members provided us with an excellent after match meal, for which we thank them.