Well, we’ll be able to bowl outdoors from Monday 18th May thanks to Ange, Laurence, Jacquie and David H and of course the Bowls England Guidelines which were posted on Thursday and helped the cause.  We are so fortunate to have Ange and Jacquie as members, as both are qualified to produce formal Risk Assessments and we have been working hard to make this work for both Cambridge Park and MIddlesex Clubs.

The Risk Assessment, Self Declaration Form and Guidelines for Members are in the Members’ Section of this website.  Please email me dawnslaughter60@icloud.com for password.  Please read them.  They are for your benefit!

Quick Summary:

3 Rinks will be bookable from 10.30 each day for 1 hour only.  Must be booked at least 24 hours before – no turning up on the day!  David Hale is taking the bookings for the first week.  Contact details on the Guidelines.

Come changed.  Bring your own water for while you’re playing.  The main Clubhouse is shut. but lobby will be open to collect mats and jacks.  Disinfect your hands as soon as you enter.

Ensure you have signed a Self Declaration Form before playing – either email me or the club or leave in the lobby.  There are hard copies in the lobby if you cannot print at home.

You will be invoiced for Subs which will need to be paid within 7 days of playing.

We have some Anti-bac Back Packs available – 20 at the moment.  Let me know if you would like one or you can bring your own.  Antibac hand gel, Antibac disinfectant spray and cloth.

Solo and Singles Roll up and Practice only for the time being.

Solo – Disinfect the mat(s) and jack(s) before and after play.

Singles – Disinfect mats and jacks before play.  Nominate ‘Matman’ and ‘Jackman’.  (Ange’s description!)  Matman always places the mat at each end and Jackman only places the jack – wherever the end winner wants it.  You’re working as a team but keeping physical distance.  On the mat to bowl then after, one of you moves to the width of the rink marker to the right and the other moves to the rink marker to the left.  After all bowls played, you walk up in line with the rink marker on your side.  Look at the head separately – keep that 2m!  No measuring.  Get used to using your eyes!  One player kicks bowls back to respective sides of the rink.  Only handle your own bowls.  We have to reduce the risks in order to keep you safe.

After play, disinfect mats and jack and place back in lobby.  Do not hang around to mingle.   I know  you can meet one other person in a park at a safe distance now but we can’t have a dozen of you doing that because you’ll be tempted to stand closer and closer – we’re all such socialable beings!    Check timings on the Guidelines in the Members’ section

Tips:  Try disinfecting the edges (back and front) of the mat ie where you put your hands.  If you spray all over, the centre of the mat can get slippery and we do not want you falling over whilst keeping you safe!

The antibacterial gel can make your bowls slippery in your hands.  Bring your own Grippo or cloth.

Finally (maybe!).  Some of you are on 12 week lockdown and still staying safe at home.  That’s fine.  There’s still a lot of summer left to bowl.  Secondly, some of you will not have been out other than a quick dash to the corner shop and do not want to venture further yet.  That’s fine too.   Please do not worry if you feel frightened about leaving the cocoon in which you have been living.  It is perfectly understandable.  Take it in stages.  Disinfect your hands before leaving your home and on returning.  Keep the physical distance between you and other people.  Use your common sense.  Phone a friend!  We’ve all been scared during the last 8-9 weeks and so we should have been!  Talking to someone else really helps.  The number of cases of the virus are coming down and as long as we all stay aware and alert, life will return to some sort of normality but, personally, I doubt if it will ever return to how it was before February.  We will adjust.  We are flexible!

Shout if you have any issues about the above.

Dawn