June 2020
Good morning all. Hope you are keeping safe and well. A brief update on bowls in Eastbourne. By the end of June most of the clubs will be open on a limited basis. Matches are still a distant dream but if things continue as they currently are we may see some ‘proper’ bowling before the summer is out. Whilst not yet ‘official’ Langham Hotel is opening (again on a restricted basis) and we hope you will support them if visiting the town ( coffees and cakes to the highest standard!). We remain highly optimistic that next years tournament – due to start on Sunday July 11th – will proceed. Further details will be posted in due course. All of this years entries will be honoured and amendments will be permitted. Take care, stay safe and we will see you again next summer.
Mike Taylor
EOBT Organiser
May 2020
I hope you are all keeping well and are managing to avoid COVID19 infection. A brief update regarding the Open. As you will be aware this year’s event has regrettably been cancelled. Entries will be rolled over to next year, by which time I hope this awful infection will be truly under control. All of the Eastbourne clubs are keen to see the resumption of bowls as soon as is safe. They are also keen to continue their support of the Open and this augers well for the future. Trophies and badges had been purchased for this year’s event and as I hope you can see – significant improvement has been made to the updated website. The sole sponsors for this and many prior years (Wendy and Neil Kirby – Langham Hotel) have had to reluctantly temporarily withdraw their financial support for the event – They have been tremendous supporters of the Open and many other local causes and I wish them every success once the situation improves and they are able to re-open the hotel. Despite this obvious setback and the losses incurred this year (c.£1100) I am pleased to report that sufficient funds are retained to enable the event to remain viable. Whilst the same competitions will be run (with the possible addition of Ladies Pairs – as yet not decided) it is inevitable the Prize Fund will be reduced. Again no final decision has been taken and once it has been I will of course inform you. May I state my personal thanks to you all for your messages of support at this difficult time. We may yet manage some bowls this summer but in any event, stay well and I look forward to seeing you all next summer. The date for the commencement of the Open next year will be Sunday 11th July and I hope to have a Charity Drive on Saturday 10th July on behalf of JPK Project (details to be confirmed).
Best Wishes
Mike Taylor (Organiser)
FEBRUARY NEWS
We hope you approve of our new style website, produced by Nina Allbut. We are delighted with it and particularly with the inclusion of on-line entry and payment. Entries for this year’s Tournament are now coming in and everyone is reminded that there are entry limits on the team competitions. The Mixed Triples in particular fills up quickly and early entry is advised to avoid disappointment.
We send our congratulations to Eastbourne BC (Tournament HQ this year) on the recent opening of their refurbished clubhouse – transforming the facility.
We are pleased to report that Wendy Dunne (an assistant last year to our Tournament GRUMPIRE Terry Boniface) has passed her Umpire exam and is now qualified in her own right. We look forward to her participation and assistance with this year’s event.
Hampden Park BC have kindly agreed to host a pre-tournament drive on behalf of our supported charity – the JPK Project (which supports individuals with learning difficulties) – on Saturday 11th July commencing at 2.00pm. Entry is £5 per player (all of which goes to the Charity) and refreshments will be available – including a Bar! Entry to the drive is available to all –whether participating in the Tournament or not. If you wish to participate please confirm by email to eobt1923@btinternet.com confirming your name and preferred position – monies will be collected on the day.
FEEDBACK
We would like your feedback on the new look website. We also want to gauge the interest in the running of a Ladies Pairs competition in 2021. Please send your comments to eobt1923@btinternet.com
We hope you are all wintering well and look forward to renewing old acquaintances and making new ones in the summer.
Mike Taylor – Tournament Organiser
15 August 2019
The Tournament AGM
Notice is given that the 2019 Tournament Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday 9th September at Eastbourne BC (Saffrons Road) commencing 7.00pm. Any Agenda items are to be forwarded to: Mike Taylor, EOBT Secretary, 56 Willingdon Park Drive, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN22 0BT to arrive no later than seven days prior to the Meeting.
Items to be discussed include:
Election of Officers
Report on this year’s event
Adoption of the Accounts
Amendments to Constitution and Rules
Appointment of Tournament Headquarters for 2021.
Mike Taylor
EOBT Organiser
February 2019
We are now receiving entries for this year’s event at an increasing rate. Anyone wishing to participate in the Mixed Triples is strongly advised to enter as soon as possible to avoid disappointment – over half of the entry limit have already been received for this competition.
Appeal for Information: Mike Taylor is currently putting together the history of the Mixed Pairs competition which formerly was a part of the Eastbourne Ladies Tournament. If anyone has copies of the Ladies Tournament programmes – particularly prior to 1970 – that they no longer want or are prepared to lend, Mike would be grateful if you could give him a call 07702244855 or 01323 505916.
September 2018 News
Annual General Meeting:
At the 2018 AGM of the Eastbourne Open Bowls Tournament, the following appointments were confirmed:
President: Vince Smith
Vice-President: Ron Putland
Organiser: Mike Taylor (Secretary/Entry Secretary/Treasurer)
Umpire: Terry Boniface
Ladies Representative: Vacant
Marketing Officer: Vacant
The event incurred an operating loss of (-£284.32p) for the year but retains sufficient funds to enable its continuance for at least two years.
Mens Singles winner prize will continue at £1,000
An additional competition will be included (Mixed Pairs) – entry restricted – competitions and prize fund reviewed annually dependent upon participation levels.
Rule 7 (Dress Code) was amended to allow the wearing of shorts in the semi-finals and finals.
2019 Headquarters will be Gildredge Park BC
2020 Headquarters will be Eastbourne BC
We continue to seek people to undertake the roles of Ladies Representative and Marketing Officer – contact Mike Taylor (mct50@hotmail.co.uk) if interested.
LATEST NEWS– August 2018
The Annual General Meeting of the Eastbourne Open Bowls Tournament will be held on Monday 27th August at Eastbourne BC commencing 7.00pm.
The meeting is primarily convened to:
- Receive reports on this year’s event
- Approve the Accounts
- Consider Rule / Constitution changes
- Appoint Officers for the coming year
- Determine HQ for 2020.
All bowlers / supporters are welcome to attend – any voting is carried out in accordance with the Constitution.
Mike Taylor
Tournament Organiser
LATEST NEWS – July 2018
Delighted to report the Mens Pairs and Triples plus the Mixed Triples are fully subscribed this year. Sorry to those who applied too late! I am still experiencing difficulties with maintaining the website (sincere thanks to David Jackson who has spent hours on the phone resolving issues!) and whilst I will attempt to keep the .xls version of the draw updated during the Tournament I regret the PDF version will not be maintained.
Mike Taylor
EOBT Organiser
LATEST NEWS – June 2018
I start with an apology! The Tournament website suffered a few problems whilst I was attempting to download the Competitor List and Draw for the 2018 Tournament – due entirely to me being something of a techno-dinosaur. As some of you may be aware, our usual web guru, Tony Redshaw, has recently suffered heart problems and has been quite unwell – on behalf of the Tournament Committee, I wish him a full recovery. In his absence, sincere thanks are due to Dave Clements (Zest printing) who managed to get me out of an ever deepening hole and to Dave Jackson who has aided and abetted the recovery – not least by posting this message. The good news is that both the Competitor listings and the respective Competition draw details are now correctly displayed.
This year is marked by the absence of both the Bexhill and the Worthing Tournaments and this has resulted in the Men’s team competitions being oversubscribed. Whilst able to increase the number of Triples teams scheduled to play, it was impossible to accommodate later entries in the Men’s Pairs and also the Mixed Triples.
I am advised the Bexhill Tournament may run next year and wish their committee every success in that venture.
Whilst on the subject of Bexhill, I am deeply saddened to report the death of Colin Taylor – a well known and respected member of both their Committee and recently that of our Tournament – our sincere condolences go to his wife Chris, his family and friends.
On a happier note, Andrew Albon has started a Facebook Group for the Eastbourne Open Tournament and would be delighted if players and supporters joined. It is hoped this will provide an easier way of communicating current news regarding the event.
The Ladies events have remained poorly subscribed but it is the intention of the Committee to continue with them for another year, in the hope they can return to viability. It has also been decided to run an additional Mixed Pairs Competition next year – limited to 32 teams. Players will only be able to enter ONE Pairs competition i.e. Ladies/Men’s or Mixed. The Men’s Pairs will again be limited to 64 teams and the Ladies to 32 teams. The Men’s Triples will be increased to 64 teams and the Mixed Triples will remain at 32 teams.
We will review the position once entries close next year to determine the future of the respective events.
I am delighted to confirm that our long-term Sole Sponsors, Wendy and Neil Kirby (Langham Hotel) have agreed to once more dig deep into their pockets and support us on the 90th running of the Tournament – very sincere thanks are due to them!
For the Scutelliphilists among you (badge collectors to the rest of us!) I am pleased to announce the availability of a lapel badge commemorating this year’s event. There is very limited availability but it will be obtainable from Headquarters at a cost of £3.00 each.
Finally, we are conscious of the new legislation regarding data protection with which we MUST comply and urge all of our participants to take the time to read our data protection policy – found elsewhere on this website.
Mike Taylor
Tournament Organiser
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As well as the usual range of competitions, 2024 will see the return of the Ladies Singles. There will be a charity event, a free social event, and great bowling on greens around the town. The finals will be held at Eastbourne Bowling Club on the Saffrons Greens.