On Sunday 10th September the Dewsnap Trophy was held at WBC. Despite the weather being changeable we had another decent turnout, with a good mix of experienced and novice bowlers.
In the first semi final Martin McBurnie beat Phil Berry while Ian Cropper beat Dave Liver in the other.
Ian who bowled excellent all day to reach the final managed to continue his fine form by beating Martin 16-12 to secure the trophy for 2023.
The Ruby Cropper Memorial Trophy was held at WBC on Sunday 27th August. With a full field of 32 bowlers, many new or novice bowlers taking part which is encouraging to see.
In the first semi final Tony Martin managed to overcome Mike Ward, who was busting some dance moves throughout the match as the DJ kept the crowd entertained.
The 2nd semi was a much tighter match, with Graham Martin triumphing 21-18 over Phil Craine, who had bowled excellent all day.
The final saw the battle of the Martin brothers, and what a tense affair it was, with no brotherly love shown. The match went to the wire with older brother Graham taking the final end to win 21-20.
The event was again in aid of Manchester Children’s Hospital, with raffle prizes donated by local businesses and members and friends. A huge hanks to Ian and Les Cropper and Jo Owen plus all their helpers who put on another successful event.
The CIC Community Shield was held at WBC on Sunday 13th August 2023. The drawn pairs event attracted over 30 bowlers and thankfully the weather played its part for most of the afternoon.
The first semi final saw Phil Berry and Nicola Cavanagh defeat Tony Lee and Gary Cunliffe, while Pete Kirk and Paul McMullen overcame Dave Chadwick and Tina McGlynn in the other semi.
The final was a very close affair, with Pete Kirk & Paul McMullen defeating Phil Berry & Nicola Cavanagh 21-20.
A great day with many new bowlers taking part, some in their first competition.
The 2023 Chairman’s Cup took place in testing conditions, with heavy showers and thunder the order of the day.
This year’s handicap competition was again hosted by Bev Harper and Matt O’Neil, who put on a great event complete with a delicious hot buffet.
The final, played on a soaked green, was between Tony Martin and last year’s winner Dave Booth. With Tony Martin taking the title and his 2nd cup of the year by a score of 21-11.
A huge thanks to our sponsors, Graham & Tony Martin, Martin McBurnie and Mike Ward. Prize money was paid down to quarter finalists.
The Novice Shield took place on Sunday 28th May at WBC. Yet again we ere blessed with sunny skies and a good turnout of 16.
The final saw Howard Riscatti defeat Alan Truelove – losing semi-finalists were Tina McGlynn and Ernie.
Many thanks to Les Cropper for organising and running the event
The Tony Walton Handicap Trophy was held on Sunday 7th May.
Tony was unable to attend himself but kindly donated to the prize fund and the day was blessed by sunshine and some close matches.
This year’s winner was Tony Martin, who edged out Dave Booth 21-18 in the final.
Our losing semi-finalists were Martin McBurnie and Gary Veevers.
Our next competition date is the Novices Shield on May 28th, open to all beginners and novice bowlers.
We couldn’t have done this without you!
We have managed to get the club building underpinned by a specialist company. We now have assurance that we have halted any further movement.
We now continue to seek grants and funds for the roof replacement and installation of photovoltaic panels to reduce our carbon footprint and save costs.
We are committed to seeking support via every avenue to rebuild the premises and offer more accommodation to community activity, training and development. We are about to embark on a continual youth training and experience programme to offer access and a springboard to employment.
We are delighted to take Nathan Scully on as our first “work experience” trainee.
We will keep you advised on accessing this programme as we do intend to commit money and time to bring as much benefit to local youth as we are able.
We are pleased to announce that we have now completed the construction and implementation of the new Management Committee to take the club through to April 2025.
The new committee members are:
Plus the four existing directors:
We will arrange a full committee meeting in April to determine direction and strategy.
We welcome your input as members, please contact any of the above committee members with any thoughts, comments or issues you would like us to address.
Due to the continued wet weather in the forecast and the adverse effects on the green, we are sorry to announce that the beginners sessions on Saturday morning will stop until the 6th of May 2023.
Please accept our sincere apologies but we have to ensure the playing surface is protected until the weather improves.
We are disappointed with last week’s news (click to read the letter) that we (WBCCIC) have been turned down for government funding to refurbish our club. We have worked for over a year to prepare the detail, reports, supporting evidence and continuation and demonstration of our community value and commitment.
Our MP, The Rt Hon Christian Wakeford and his team have been supporting us throughout the bid and wrote directly to the levelling up office on our behalf.
We were supported by Bury Voluntary and Faith Alliance and a special mention to Sally Deith and her valued assistance at the beginning. We are all aware that the Club House structurally is in a perilous condition and the very fact that it may not be in existence in another three years is a very real possibility.
We will not let our 134 year history fade, we wont let the value and spirit of this community facility dissapear as the case with other community facilities.
We are preparing to seek further support from the Government department and will discuss with Bury council and BVFA how they can support us to return a bid that does succeed