Chronicles...

 

 

 

This is a document first published in 2006. It was written in a hand similar to the one some of us remember being taught at school and with a pen whose nib had clearly been dipped into an ink bottle. Bill was a very well known figure, a leading light in our Club as Treasurer and also the Bucks County Treasurer. Note how the passing years have brought such changes both in relative costs and in attitude towards sexual equality. (Del Behenna)

 

The Beginning:  In the early thirties, a few local businessmen got together and had a bowling green laid out for their own private use. It attracted a wider interest in the village, so they decided to see if a club could be formed. They arranged for an open meeting to be held on 6th May 1936, to which 19 people attended. Here they were told that if a club was formed it could have full use and control of the green on condition that they paid a rent of £20 per year to East's, who were the owners of the ground. They would also have to pay a rent for the use of the water supply system, which had been installed to pump water from a near-by welland look after the green. In addition, East's would be prepared to sell to the club, at cost price, a motor mower for £23, a roller for £7 and a water sprinkler for £1.50.

The conditions were accepted and the Princes Risborough Bowls Club was born. It had as its officers: R. East, President,  A. Goodchild, Chairman, W. Beechy, Secretary and G. Powell, Treasurer. The Club was actually called Princes Risborough Bowling Club, but this was changed to Bowls Club in 1938. Of the 16 founder members, only S. Gearing survived to 1986, then in his 90th year. However, Tommy Wain, who became Club Srcretary and Secretary of the County, was well remembered by many members in 1986.

 

The Club:  In the first year, the membership fee was £1 and a groundsman was hired for 10 shillings per week during the playing season, hired in May and fired in September. The Club was unable to buy the mower, so this was also hired for the season at 5 shillings per week. After three years, when the rent paid equalled the initial cost of the mower, the Club claimed it as its own property.

No matches were played in the first season and an early proposal to admit lady members was defeated.

The first matches were played the following year against Redford, Prestwood, Long Crendon, Amersham and Wendover and the Wendover match has been played every year since. The ladies continued to press their case for membership and it was decided that they should be admitted for a probationary period of one year in 1939 and be allowed to play on the green for not more than two hours in the afternoons of Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

They must have behaved themselves for they continued in membership and eventually formed a Ladies Section, although the date is not recorded. It was probably in 1949. It is recorded that they became affiliated to the Bucks County Womens Bowling Association in 1953, the year that the Association was founded. The Club grew steadily until the war, fixture cards were produced, club rules were drafted and a greens committeewas established which, as well as looking after the green, was also responsible for fixing the green fees, selecting teams and setting handicaps. During the war, club activities were curtailed, the rent was reduced to £15 per year and matches were arranged as circumstances permitted. The members took on the job of maintaining the green and one of these was E. Forward whose collection of lapel badges is displayed in the pavilion.

As with most clubs, there were difficulties with providing teas for the men's matches. In the end, it was the ladies themselves who solved the problem. In 1946, for a reduced membership fee and greater use of the green, they offered to provide teas for all matches and to impose a condition of membership that all the ladies must take their turn on the tea rota. This spread the workload and the ladies set a high standdard for their teas, which has been maintained ever since and gained the club an enviable reputation for its hospitality.  

The development of the Club is summarised with some few notable dates:-

1939   Affiliated to the Bucks County Bowls Association

1951   Bar licence obtained, but not without opposition from some members and the resignation of the secretary.

1952   A rink skipped by J Rogers won one match by 53 shots to 9 and another by 50 shots to 5.

1953   The Club played the County Executive for the first time and lost.

1957   The County Association imposed a levy of 2.5p (6d) a member on all affiliated clubs to avoid going broke. It              was decided that coaches should be used for all away fixtures.

1958   The Club staged its first County fixture, Bucks v Berks, and hired a Marquee for the occasion at a cost of                 £4.25.

1959   Messrs Barnard, Clark, Paton and Goodchild won the National Fours and were runners up in the British

           National Championship.

1963   The first Ladies Day was held at which the men cooked and served a special meal after the game.

           Club ties and hatbands first produced. Whiskey sold at 10p per nip. Ted Barnard gained his international

           badge.

1965   Mrs G Barnard gained her first international badge, making it a husband and wife achievement.

1969   The trials of the County competitions were held at the Club for the first time.

1978   It was decided that the President of the Club should not hold office for more than two consecutive years.

 

The Green:  For many years, the green was rented from East's and discussions over the rent were almost an annual event. East's were reluctant to sell the ground and in 1949 a sub committee was formed to explore purchasing another site and constructing a new green, behind where the Post Office now is. An ambitious project which was abandoned two years later. Then, in 1954, East's changed their mind and after a lot of wrangling on the price agreed to sell the green and part of the drive for £550. The money was raised by £2 unit loans from the members. These attracted a small amount of interest and were repaid by 1957. Owning the green gave a new impetus to developing the club facilities and, mostly with voluntary labour. the surrounds were opened out, concrete ditches were laid, trees close to the green were felled. A privet hedge was planted and a scoreboard and shelters were constructed. Then, in 1983, the Club obtained the services of a professional green keeper, Norman Richardson, and with his help now has a bowling surface second to none in the County.

One incident is worth recording. In 1972, two horses from a meadow close to the green were spooked, broke out, charged through the hedge and stampeded across the green. There were hoof marks everywhere and with a home fixture the next day the members were mobilised, issued with Knives and sand and were set to work to prise up and infill each of the marks. They did a good job, the match was played and the club won.

 

The Pavilion:  The first pavilion was a small wooden hut purchased in 1937 for £40. It was both a changing room and a store shed. Later, a second wooden hut was bought from Olney Bowls Club and added to the first. Then a ladies room was added, the walls were lined, bench seats and lockers were constructed and a kitchen, bar and toilet built. Gas and electricity were installed in 1956 at a cost of £35 and £56 respectively. The final building was 30 by 15 feet and it sat about 6 feet from the edge of the green.

In 1960, a rebuilding fund was started, basrd largely on the income from the Sportsman's Associaton, a weekly draw that the club, in association with three other local clubs, started that year. The association ran for 15 years and the total income to the club was £4,126. Plans for a new brick pavilion were drawn up and building started in 1962. With the exception of the shell above the damp proof course, the work was done by the members and not without amusing incidents. It was a very cold winter, snow was melted on a Valor stove to obtain water and one wall up to the damp proof course finished a brick higher at one end than the other. Then some of the ceiling boards had to be removed to free the ladder that was used for fixing them to the roof beams. However, all was ready for the official opening by the President of the County Association, Mr S Goss, on Sunday 28th April 1963.

The wooden pavilion was sold to another bowls club for £100 and the total cost of the new brick pavilion was £2500. Further improvements were made, a seperate visitors changing room and store was built in 1973 and, in 1978, a major extension was completed to provide a lounge area at the front of the pavilion with a fine view over the green. This latter improvement caused some controversy. The President opposed it and resigned and there were problems with the builder. It cost around £5000 and as well as grants from the Parish Council, Wycombe District Council and  A.B.C. Brewery, voluntary loans from members, this time interest free, helped pay for it. Central heating was installed in 1983 and at the beginning of 1985, when the whole of the roof area had to be re-felted because of leaks, the members again responded with interest free loans to cover the cost.

 

The Future :  A great deal has been achieved in the past 50 years. County Honours have been won and as the honour boards shows, the ladies have outstripped the men in their achievements. The membership now stands at 78 men, 32 ladies, 3 junior members and 37 social members. There is also apride and enthusiasm amongst the newer members and although we can be proud of the facilities of the club in 1986, we hopeful old codgers expect that even more will be achieved in the next 50 years.

 

W CURRY,

Trustee and Hon. Treasurer

January 1986.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A great day was had by all when we celebrated Dennis Robertsons 51 years of continued membership. A large turnout of members past and present attended to say thank you to a wondeful servant to our club and to the game in general. A very friendly match was played between the Captains Squad and Dennis's Allstars. Sadly, Dennis and his team couldn't cut the mustard  on the green but he did a great job of cutting the cake made especially for him at the excellent cold buffet after the game. A very big thank you to all who helped organise this very special occasion, especially Tony Lambert who masterminded the proceedings. Thanks also to Carole for coming along to keep her husband in check. Carole has also given wonderful service to our Club both on and off the green since she joined in 1974. Well you bowled, Dennis!!