Internal Pairs League

From David House.

As some are already aware we have been thinking about starting a pairs league to allow for some more competitive bowling during this strange season. I am glad to advise that agreement has been reached to put this out for members to indicate if they wish to take part so the project can go forward.

It will be on a drawn pairs basis (for newer members that are not familiar with the term ‘drawn pairs’ this is where each member of the pair is drawn from the hat to play together), with some seeding to ensure fairness and balance. Although we want to provide competition for the experienced bowlers we want it to be fun, and for the less experienced to learn too. So everyone is invited and no-one should be discouraged from participating.  The initial suggestion has been to play as a group on Wednesday afternoons, provided they remain available, but other suggestions are invited.

All games will be played under the current restrictions, observing social distancing and hygiene. Any members taking part will be required to acknowledge the Risk and Control measures that the club is currently operating under as per Bowls England Guidance.

Please reply to me, either by email at dnhouse@hotmail.co.uk or by phone to 01872 859439, to register your interest and also confirm if Wednesday p.m. suits or whether another time is preferred.

For those interested more details on the possible format are noted below.

We need a minimum of 12 players and ideally go up from that in multiples of 4. We will allow one substitute per team if needed, so any “spare” players can be pretty sure of getting games too. I propose fixed times each week. If we have 12 players then just one will be needed. Any more will require another. If we get a very heavy uptake then it might be necessary  to have more than one league. Which could be men’s and lady’s or “experienced” and “improvers”. Let’s see.

With 12 players we could have 5 matches against the other teams and then do a redraw and play a second round, but the precise format depends on the level of interest. I will leave the scoring method open for discussion. If we play 2 rounds then the final league would be on an individual basis. So a wining pair for each round and an individual champion. Then there would also be a men’s and lady’s champion! So plenty of room for winners!