Issue 4 June 2026
It seems difficult to believe a few weeks ago everyone was complaining that it was too cold and wet for getting on to the green and that they couldn’t wait for the warm and barmy days of summer to begin. We really should be careful what we wish for. The season is now in full swing, this issue includes latest news, diary updates, match reports and more. News The hot weather towards the end of May coincided with a water leak in our green watering system. Locating the leak and making repairs is ongoing but it has been necessary to remove an area of the wall by the green and this has been coned off, please take care when close to this area making sure to access or leave the green a suitable distance away from the works. Reminders If you have made yourself available for selection for Southampton and District League matches, please ensure that you update the holiday book in the office so that the selectors are aware of your week-to-week availability. If you have entered club competitions, please note the deadlines for matches to be played, all singles games require a scorer, and it is the responsibility of the first named player to organise the match and book the rink. 1.0 Dates for the Diary: June – July Please find below a summary of events, friendly matches and opportunities to assist our club. Details concerning Southampton and District League matches are published in the annual fixture list and are not repeated here. PPBC events 20 June PPBC Charity Day Raising money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. 6 rinks of mixed triples. A sign-up sheet has been posted on the noticeboard. Please bring prizes for the raffle. 27 June Chairman’s Race Night Tickets £5 from the bar, remember to enter one of the races and register your horse. Arrive 7:30 for 8:00, between races there will be a hot-dog supper. All bets 20p at the tote which will open prior to each race. Advance Notice – PPBC Events in August PPBC Inaugural Games Night A games night is being planned for early August, more details to follow…. however, our intrepid reporter has established that the games will not be strenuous, all will require hand-eye coordination, which has ruled out both Sardines and Hide-and-Seek (Karen please note, there were other reasons for tidying the store cupboard). 22 August Southampton Salty Sea Dogs The Salty Sea Dogs have been booked and we will have an evening of shanties and songs of the sea. Full details in the next issue. Friendlies 5 July Lee-on-the-Solent (Away) Dress code Whites. 6 rinks of mixed triples. A sign-up sheet has been posted on the noticeboard. Transport (car share) to be arranged nearer the date. 18 July SDBA (Home) Dress code Whites. 6 full mixed rinks. A sign-up sheet has been posted on the noticeboard. The normal Saturday roll-up will not take place. 2.0 Our Members: Mick Reeves It was with great sadness that the Club learned of the passing of Mick Reeves earlier in May, and to many it came as a shock. Mick and Mark Inder joined the club at the same time around 2008 and they had a long and lasting friendship; Mark was only 16 when he first met Mick at Husbands Shipyard, Marchwood and worked with him until he retired aged 60. Mick was a character on and off the green, always ready with a joke and not above politely offering his services as a trainer to opponents during matches. Many members have stories to tell of their time with Mick, however under the principle that what happens on a tour stays on a tour, they wont be repeated here, except for one… In the club, it is often said that “on the day anyone can beat anybody”, usually by those who have experienced a loss to a less experienced opponent. Mick achieved this with a good win in one of the club competitions by beating Brian Adams (Club President 2010). During a subsequent tour of the Isle of Wight, someone (?) asked the host club captain if during their post match speech they would be so kind as to ask if Brian Adams was present and to then ask him a question. Following the match, the club captain kept their promise, thanking the club for travelling to the Island to play the match and then directly asking if Brian was present. Brian replied that he was and stood up. The captain then said, “is it true that you were beaten in a club competition by Micky Reeves?”. By all accounts, Brian was somewhat flustered, while everyone else was highly amused. Our club is thinking of Mick’s family and friends at this time and funded by kind and generous donations from fellow members, two Acer trees have been planted in the garden bed to the left of the Chalet in Mick’s memory. 3.0 Match Reports The first friendly since opening day was held at County on the 17th May with six rinks of mixed triples. As with our last friendly at Totton and Eling, the weather was changeable; the match starting in bright sunshine, then a brief but heavy downpour followed. The players then returned to the rinks to complete the match albeit shortened to 16 ends. Overall, Pirrie Park played well, winning the match with our top rink being Val, Martin B and Keith H. A special mention to Pete Bouchel who had a good game playing for the first time away, really enjoyed himself, won the mystery prize in the raffle and has since made himself available for selection. On the 24th May, Southampton and District played Bristol Bowling Association at Pirrie Park with one rink (rink 6) comprising of Pirrie bowlers, namely Paul, Gareth, Keith P and John B. At the time most thought it was a hot day but based on the following week it was probably merely warm. Paul found himself
Issue 3 May 2026
A bumber opening day edition, with updates for your diary, match reports and more. News The selectors have reviewed and updated members handicaps for the rest of this season. With the exception of scratch players the list is as follows: Handicap of 1 Handicap of 2 Handicap of 3 Handicap of 4 GarethPhil BBarry CJohn DesKeith HLukeMarkTony John MAlvyn Martin BLouPaulLes DonnaAndy NCraigValHilaryJohn TAndy W Graham APeter BSuzanne BGeorgeLynClaireJackiePatMartin L Reminders Roll-ups are on Wednesdays starting at 18:15, Fridays starting at 19:00 and most Saturdays (fixtures permitting) starting at 14:00. If you wish to play please turn up and sign in at least fifteen minutes before the start of the matches so that the organiser can arrange the teams. Once you have picked a disc and memorised your rink and number, please return the disc to the organiser before the start of your match. 1.0 Dates for the Diary: May – June Please find below a summary of events, friendly matches and opportunities to assist our club. Details concerning Southampton and District League matches are published in the annual fixture list and are not repeated here. PPBC Events From 11 May Monday morning mixed triples league See noticeboard for details of teams and fixture list 27 June Race Night More details to follow, having signed up on the race night sheet, remember to name your horse when paying for your tickets at the bar. Advance Notice – 22 August Save the date 22 August Southampton Salty Sea Dogs An evening of shanties and songs of the sea. Southampton’s equivalent of Fisherman’s Friends is a crew of thirty men that perform locally and raise money to support the Hamble Lifeboat. More details to follow Friendlies 17 May County (Away) Dress code Whites. 6 rinks of mixed triples. Sign-up sheet is on the noticeboard. 24 May Bristol v SDBA (Home) One full rink from PPBC. Please see Lloyd if you want to be considered for selection. 2.0 PPBC Volunteers – getting ready for opening day. Everyone who comes to the club, be it members or visiting players, experience a friendly welcome, a well-kept and maintained facility and a very good green. This is not by accident, but is in large part due to the club’s volunteers who work throughout the year to ensure that our grounds and facilities are the envy of many and enjoyed by all. Running up to opening day, our intrepid reporter met with some of our volunteers in order to discover exactly what was involved. Pete has for several years been the organiser of the gardening club that meet on Wednesday mornings and the team of volunteers has grown with contributions from Angie, Martin Leach, Donna, Mark, Lloyd and Karen. “We are seeking to rebrand ourselves,” said Karen, “I like ‘wetting my plants’ (I think that was what she said – Ed), but in the end we agreed on “The Weed Warriors”. It is not just the flowerbeds and pots that get regular attention, in getting ready for opening day, Martin and Donna weeded the carpark while Lloyd cut and tidied the grass area to make overflow parking easier. Clearly gardening is an energy sapping activity, care is taken to ensure that hydration and calorific intake of the volunteers is more than adequately maintained (see below). It would appear that our weed warriers are not deterred by the local forecast either…this warning message recently appeared on a noticeboard…. The team preparing the green for opening day also have put in a shift, from cleaning out the ditches and installing rubber matting, to painting the wall and rink markers as well as replacing the woodwork for the disabled access point. Led by Lloyd with help from Phil Street, Eddie and Pete supported by Mark’s woodwork, the team ensured that the green looked immaculate for the first match of the season. The maintenance team, Mark and Martin Bell, took on the task of repairing the two covered bench areas on the left hand side of the green. The wet winter had left them in a rather sorry state and repairs were essential to ensure that they would be weather proof for the whole season. Martin very kindly supplied the wood, and following repairs Karen took a short break from gardening to paint the walls. 3.0 Match Reports Short Mat Pairs and Singles Final April 8 A warm and balmy evening brought out the crowds to watch the finals of the short mat competitions, starting with the pairs. In the pairs, Charlie Cox and Phil Bascombe were up against Angie Weir and Barry Cox. To the consternation of some in the crowd, Angie had decided to change her woods following her singles semi-final against Charlie, two days previously. Later she revealed that despite winning her singles semi-final she found that the fact that both sets of woods were identical somewhat confusing. Despite this late change, after five ends, Angie and Barry were leading 8 – 1, with Charlie often having to play ditch weight shots to try to disturb the head. The ninth end proved to be the start of a recovery, Charlie and Phil scoring 4, reducing the deficit to a single shot, Angie and Barry scored two in the next end so that after ten ends they were leading 11 – 8. Phil was now consistently finding his length and he and Charlie took the lead for the first time after the twelfth end. Two ends later it was all over Charlie and Phil having built an unassailable lead of 17 – 11. A fantastic game played in great spirit, Charlie often congratulating his Grandad for a good shot, was enjoyed by all. The singles finalists were Angie and John Bambrough. Between matches the mat was moved and Angie reverted to her usual indoor woods. After two trial ends the game began in earnest, the first five ends were nip and tuck with the scores level at 5 each. Angie then had two very good ends to take
Issue 2 April 2026
Our latest news, dates for your diary, match reports and more. PPBC Bowling Matters Issue 2 April 2026 At last, the time has come to dust off your thermals and wet weather gear in preparation for the start of the outdoor (summer?) season, although many of you have done this already (see match reports, below). News Work on repairing the clubhouse roof will (hopefully) start this month, disruption should be kept to a minimum. Reminders 1.0 Dates for the Diary: April – May Please find below a summary of events, friendly matches and opportunities to assist our club. Details concerning Southampton and District League matches are published in the annual fixture list and are not repeated here. PPBC Events 8 April Short Mat Finals 7:00pm Pairs Final, 8:pm Singles Final 11 April Opening Day Dress code Jackets and Whites, Club Photo 14:00, followed by the spider and the first competition of the season Chairman v Captain, Post-match tea, biscuits and cake £3. Sign-up sheet on the noticeboard. From 11 May Monday Morning Mixed Triples League A sign-up sheet will appear on the noticeboard later this month. Friendlies 17 May County (Away) Dress code Whites. 6 rinks of mixed triples. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the noticeboard 24 May Bristol v SDBA (Home) One full rink from PPBC Advance Notice – 7:00pm 22 August Southampton Salty Sea Dogs An evening of shanties and songs of the sea. Southampton’s equivalent of Fisherman’s Friends is a crew of thirty men that perform locally and raise money to support the Hamble Lifeboat. More details to follow 2.0 Match Reports Totton and Eling (outdoors away 25 March) Thanks to our reporter, Eddie, for the following well-balanced report: The first outdoor friendly of 2026 was held at Totton and Eling on their all-weather green, which was useful as over the course of the match our intrepid team of 24 experienced hail, wind, rain and sunshine. It was a very good performance by Pirrie Park considering it was our first time outside for quite a while. A special mention should be given to new bowlers Pat Lawtry, Martin Leach and Pete Galton, all of whom did very well. Overall, we finished second with an accumulative score of 95 to 114. Our best rink with highest score, was expertly skipped by Eddie and also included Lenny and Barry Digweed. Remember the art of good bowling is to treat it as a learning curve…(Eddie that’s enough – Ed) The Editors would also like to thank a ‘Mr John Smith’ who filed the following short but factual report: “It was cold, we lost, the bar wasn’t open”. Skittles Night (Pirrie Park 28 March) The first club social event this year was very well attended and everyone had the opportunity to demonstrate their prowess at skittles. Many players managed to knock over all nine skittles with their three balls but no one managed to do this with just two or one. However, after three rounds there were clear winners without the need for any further attempts. Congratulations to Wayne and Mia who are the new Champions and also a mention to Steve and Angie whose kitchen is now graced with two additional wooden spoons. The skittles were briefly interrupted for a fish and chip supper which was enjoyed by all. When the skittles resumed the pace of play definitely slowed. 3.0 Thank you The windswept bowlers would like to thank Eddie for organising the friendly at Totton and Eling last month. The club would like to thank everyone who helped with the Skittles night, specially Martin and Mo for collecting the fish and chips, Rachel, Lloyd and Keith for running the competition with the assistance from the team that returned balls and set up skittles. Not forgetting the team of volunteers that set up the alley and afterwards packed it away so efficiently. When we do get outside, we all will be grateful that Martin and Mark have repaired the sentry boxes -thank you both. If you want to thank someone for their contributions to the club please let the editors know. 4.0 And finally… Following an emergency committee meeting, the club has taken swift and immediate steps to ban the use of Australian Artificially Intelligent (AAI) woods, both indoors and on the Green. Garishly coloured, very straight, capable of responding to commands from the bowler, they officially retail at £500 each but are significantly cheaper if ordered from the dark web – where they are marketted under the tradename ‘Possion d’Avril’. The committee are also aware that during matches some bowlers can be heard calling instructions from the mat and then complaining that their woods refuse to listen to them; it should be assumed that although they have unfortunately made the bad decision to try to obtain ultra-straight AAI woods, they have inadvertently become victims of on-line fraud. Obviously, these members can continue to play and talk to their woods without sanction. All members should remember that ownership and use of AAI woods is like crime in multi-storey car parks – wrong on so many levels. Fortunately, AAI woods are easy to spot (see scorers report below). Use of AAI woods at a recent short mat game. Contact us All contributions, including better puns, welcome; the editors can be contacted via email (pll@soton.ac.uk) or letter placed on the mail noticeboard in the corridor by the entrance to the bar. Club Website
Issue 1 March 2026
Latest news, dates for your diary, match reports and more. PPBC Bowling Matters Issue 1 March 2026 As the start of the 2026 outdoor season draws near, this newsletter aims to keep our members informed of upcoming events, competitions, friendlies as well as opportunities to volunteer and help maintain our club and grounds. Embracing the electronic age To save paper and the costs of printing, this newsletter is designed to be available in electronic formats and can be viewed at pirriepark.com/newsletter/. However, if you are happy to automatically receive your news and other club information electronically then please complete the registration form at pirriepark.com/register-for-newsletter/. Legally, the club must be compliant with General Data Protection Regulations, by completing the on-line registration form you are agreeing that your personal information can only be used for specified and explicit club matters and will not be passed on to third parties. Going forwards, you can opt out of receiving information electronically at any time (your personal information will be removed from our database) and we will remind you of this option annually. News You may have noticed that Southampton has had 36 cm of rain since the start of the year (approaching half the city’s annual average), the green is waterlogged and more worryingly, the clubhouse roof is now leaking in several places. It is very clear that the roof needs urgent attention and the committee, having received quotes from roofing companies, have selected a contractor to carry out the necessary works. Reminders If you have yet to pay your membership fees for 2026, please do so as soon as possible. 1.0 Dates for the Diary: March – May Please find below a summary of events, friendly matches and opportunities to assist our club. Details concerning Southampton and District League matches are published in the annual fixture list available from the bar and are not repeated here. PPBC events 28 March Skittles Night £3.00pp Skittles and Fish and Chip Supper. Please sign up at the noticeboard near the main entrance, selecting your choice of meal. Please pay for your tickets at the bar and pay for your meal on the night. 8 April Short Mat Finals 7:00pm Pairs Final, 8:pm Singles Final. 11 April Opening Day Dress code Jackets and Whites, Club Photo 14:00, followed by the spider and the first competition of the season Chairman v Captain, Post-match tea, biscuits and cake. Friendlies 23 March Totton and Eling (Outdoor Away) Dress Code greys. 1:00pm start- this friendly is already oversubscribed. 17 May County (Away) Dress code Whites. Sign up sheet will be posted on the noticeboard. 2.0 Match Reports Once in the swing of the outdoor season our intrepid reporters will provide match reports. Here is a short summary of short mat activities over the winter break. Four teams have spent 18 weeks playing short mat triples and pairs, there have been several very close matches, a few draws and quite a few games that were not so close. With one round of games to go, Lloyd’s team had already secured the triples league title and the pairs title would be decided between Angie or Lloyd’s team. On the night Lloyd’s pairs team won their final match against Mike’s team and could not be caught. Both Leagues finished with Angie;s team as the runners up , Barry’s team in third place and Mike’s team in fourth. It was particularly pleasing to see some of our newer members consistently playing well with George (Lloyd’s team), Craig (Mike’s team), Andy and Pete (both Angie’s team) all having excellent games in theri first full season. The matches have been well attended, and the Short-mat organisers would like to thank everyone who has participated and played in good spirit and a friendly manner. March sees the singles and pairs short mat club competitions with matches from the 16th March and finals night on the 8 April. Details of the two draws and fixtures can be found on the Short Mat noticeboard in the corridor. All are welcome to come and watch the games, the bar will be open and as one regular attendee said, “It’s just like being at Potters”, mind you that was fairly late in the evening. 3.0 Thank you The bar committee would like to thank John Bambrough for his contributions to the work of the committee and specially for all the times over the years that he has volunteered to work behind the bar. The weekly bingo players would like to thank Keith Andrews for his great bingo calling. Keith Andrews would like to thank all the wobblers, coughers and quackers… If you want to thank someone for their contributions to the club please let the editors know. 4.0 And finally To help our women prepare for the outdoor season eco-friendly fitness equipment has been installed in the Ladies changing room. Only women can use the herbal dumbbells. Thyme weights for no man. Contact us All contributions, including better puns, welcome, the editors can be contacted via email (pll@soton.ac.uk) or letter placed on the mail noticeboard in the corridor by the entrance to the bar. Club Website https://pirriepark.weebly.com