ROYSTON Bowling Club held a well-attended open day recently. The president, Don Sheriff, welcomed everyone to the event and wished all members good health for the coming season, and the very best of luck to those who had entered any competitions. He went

ROYSTON Bowling Club held a well-attended open day recently.

The president, Don Sheriff, welcomed everyone to the event and wished all members good health for the coming season, and the very best of luck to those who had entered any competitions.

He went on to say that his charity for this season was 'Children with Leukaemia' and to date he had raised some £450. He urged all members to continue to give him their support.

During the afternoon around 40 members enjoyed a spoon drive, whilst others made use of the clubs facilities or merely enjoyed an afternoon in the sunshine with friends, with the competition eventually won by Joan Reynolds.

The day culminated with a buffet tea and a raffle, after which the president thanked everyone for their attendance and remarked that it was not only good to see the members of long standing present, but was very fulfilling to be able to welcome some new members.

He announced that the day had raised £111.50 for the charity bringing the total to £561.50.

The club has a full programme of matches for 2006 and will be competing in English Bowls Association (EBA), County, Letchworth and District and the Meldreth and District League.

Numerous friendly games are arranged throughout the year and these are used to encourage all members to participate in a friendly competition, and to enjoy the social aspect of the game.

The club adheres to the child protection policy, and has appointed two officers to carry out these duties.

Anyone interested in joining, or wishing to find out more, should contact Don Sheriff on 01763 222366 or look at www.royston.clara.net/bowling.

Royston played their first friendly game away at Stotfold on April 29. Most of the team reported that the Stotfold green played very well and was somewhat faster than the Royston green.

However, at the end of an enjoyable afternoon, Stotfold managed to win by 18 shots, 117-99.

Monday, May 1 saw a ladies v gents fun game take place at the club, and apart from a shower of rain and a cool breeze, the game was played with enjoyment in mind.

The men managed a win, but only by a few shots. The secretary, Stanley Whitehouse, thanked everyone for attending and announced that the president's charity had now reached £775.

On Wednesday, May 3, Royston played at home against Norton in the North Herts Interclub League.

A sunny evening welomed the two rinks of men onto the green to commence what turned out to be a very competitive game.

In the early stages, both Royston rinks managed to create a healthy lead of 25-12 after 10 ends.

This was gradually reduced in the second half as Norton started to find a better line and length, and put Royston under considerable pressure.

The fight-back continued, and at the end of the match Norton managed to win on one rink by one shot, but Royston's other rink managed to pull ahead to win by 17 shots. The final score was Royston 45 shots, Norton 29 shots. This overall win gave Royston four of the six points available.

Thursday, May 4 saw Royston Vets play the Letchworth Howard Gardens Vets at home.

This game took the form of mixed five rinks of triples and 18 ends. Both sides were very evenly matched which provided a very tight score on all rinks. After 90 ends the Royston team managed a win by only two shots.

On Saturday, May 6, five rinks of Royston men paid a visit to the Stevenage for a weekend friendly.

After a dry start all participants were looking forward to an enjoyable afternoon of bowls, but this was not to be. After only a few ends had been played, wet weather attire was hastily put on as rain began to descend at a steady pace.

Rain continued to make bowling difficult for some players, and it was decided to abandon the game at 12 ends and retire for an early tea. Royston won 68-55.

On Monday, May 8, Royston played away at Great Shelford in the Meldreth and District League, a competition based on four rinks of mixed triples. Royston won on three rinks but lost on one. The end result was a draw with both teams scoring 44 shots.

On Friday, Royston Vets played their second game of the season at home to the Three Horse Shoes. The five rinks of mixed triples saw a competitive game with only one rink of the home side losing. Royston won 76-64.

The Royston C team played away on Saturday against Bushey in the National 2x4's competition. After 12 ends Royston were ahead by nine shots.

But Bushey responded and began to put pressure on their opponents. Royston won on one rink by eight shots, but lost by 17 on the other, meaning Bushey won overall 51-42.