Information For New Members

A warm welcome to you and thank you for becoming a member of Knaresborough Bowling Club!

The Club and its members welcome you!  We will try to guide you below on how the Club functions and provide details of the leagues in which it competes. Hopefully, some of the information will be familiar to you as it is contained within the Public Home Page of this website and/or may have already been explained to you if you have attended our taster sessions before joining.

If, after reading this introduction to the Club, you have any questions, please do not hesitate in asking another member and if they are unable to provide an answer they will point you in the direction of someone who can. If you prefer, you can use this websites ‘Contact Us’ to send an email.

Security and Health & Safety

Before going any further, it is important that we inform you of the security and health and safety arrangements that we have in place.

Security

Firstly, when not in use, the Clubhouse door is always locked and entry can only be gained by key. This should have been explained to you when you joined and a key offered to you for a fee of £5.00. If this is not the case, please speak to the Club Treasurer.

Also, the gate to the club grounds is locked with a coded padlock. All members should be advised of the current code and if you are not aware of this, please contact the Club Secretary.

It is the responsibility of the last member to leave the Clubhouse and grounds to make sure both the Clubhouse and gate are securely locked before leaving.

For an annual fee, there are secure key operated lockers in the clubhouse, which can be reserved, when available, by contacting the Treasurer.

Health & Safety

The Club address is Park Crest, Knaresborough HG5 0EQ and the what3words by the road entrance steps is listed.bends.canine which is useful in the event of the emergency services being required. There is a defibrillator on the wall of the Fraser Theatre, immediately opposite the Club road entrance steps, to which the Club contributes.

The unmade road alongside the Club is owned by the Frazer Theatre and is a no parking zone, however Club members are allowed a concession to park by displaying a parking fob but only outside of times specified by the Theatre.

It is the Club’s responsibility to provide a duty of care to all its members in all matters relating to health and safety. A document entitled ‘Members Safety Brief’ exists which all members should familiarise themselves with.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is having proactive policies and procedures in place for the benefit of all children, (and vulnerable adults), involved in our club and its activities. The Club has a Lead Safeguarding Officer who holds a Disclosure and Barring Service Advanced Certificate (which replaced the old Criminal Records Bureau check), and who’s details can be found here.

Children and vulnerable adults protection is an aspect of safeguarding specific to people who are at risk of suffering significant harm. Particular areas of concern are:

  • Grooming
  • Neglect
  • Physical abuse
  • Emotional abuse
  • Sexual abuse
  • Bullying

It is the safeguarding officer’s role to: look out for signs of the above; deal with concerns and complaints involving them, and take appropriate action, which may include referral to a third party, such as social services or the police.

How the Club Functions

The Club is run on a not for profit basis and is managed by a committee elected by members, and it raises its funds both internally through annual subscriptions and occasional fund-raising events, and externally from donations and grants from a variety of sources.

All Club positions are voluntary and unpaid and all the green and ground maintenance work is carried out voluntarily by members. The bowling season runs from late March until late September during which time the green is mowed and ground maintenance is undertaken on Monday and Thursday mornings by a team comprised of members.

In addition, two new members WhatsApp groups have been formed. One is headed by Paul Addle and Phil Blaymire to help out with and to undertake occasional supplementary jobs such as painting and gardening under the direction of the greenkeeper. This group’s WhatsApp organiser is Phil Blaymire.

The other group is for hospitality and housekeeping assistance headed and organised by Sue Massey. Both groups enjoy a good social atmosphere and are an excellent way of getting to know and interacting with like-minded members. If you are interested in helping with either of these groups, please speak to the appropriate organiser.

The ground and clubhouse are shut over the closed season apart from Committee meetings and any necessary green or ground works.

How Club Bowling Works

Members are reminded that, to protect the green, flat-soled footwear, i.e. without raised heels, should be worn.

Members are entitled to use the clubhouse and green for practice and social bowling apart from Monday and Thursday mornings, or when league matches are taking place. Matches for the week are posted on the chalk board in the outside shelter next to the Clubhouse and at the entrance to the alley running alongside Tescos in the High Street. An email is also sent to members each week detailing planned matches, events and availability for social bowling for that week.

Social bowling is played in an informal way, but in a competitive bowling match, to ensure impartiality, the score is normally maintained by two scorers for each game (one from each team). To settle any question raised regarding who has won an “end”, two representatives, (one from each team) may also be called to “measure”, so it is really important that you are taught the correct way of performing these quite simple scoring and measuring duties and that you make yourself available to perform either task when required to do so.

If you are wishing to play competitively, it is important to familiarise yourself with:  Player Etiquette*; The British Crown Green Bowling Association Code of Conduct*, and Official Rules of the Game*, which you will also find under ‘General Information’ on the Members Home Page

Home Matches

On our home team match days, the standard practice is for our selected players to pay their captain £1 before the match starts and following completion of their match, to offer their opponent a complimentary tea, coffee or refrigerated /tap water plus to have one themselves. Opponent teams are not allowed to practice on our green before a match and they are always offered to bowl the first jack of each match.

The team captain will ask available players for help in pre-match preparation and setting out duties.

Please Note:

When using the clubhouse facilities for social bowling and practicing, it is important for Club finances that members pay 50p for any tea or coffee they consume plus appropriate charges for any other items.