So, once the season is complete, what actually happens in the following week to start the process of preparing the green for our return to bowling next April

Following the Final Drive on September 22nd, work commenced first thing Monday morning with members of the green team starting to scarify the green. This involves removing the thatch, moss and weeds from the green to enable water, air and nutrients to better reach the grass roots, encouraging growth and helping reduce the risk of disease.

A number of passes across the green were carried out by Dave Brown, Mike Cozens, John James and Peter Parnell. Later in the day, Dave took delivery of some £1700 worth of fertiliser, nutrients and other chemicals to aid keeping the green in tip top condition during the close season and over the coming year.

On Tuesday, the team completed further scarifying, with the some of the above photos showing the significant amount of material removed from the green over the 2 days. 

On the Wednesday morning, Dave arranged for a contractor to deep spike the green which helps reduce compaction and further aids air, water and nutrients to reach the grass roots. This is a further investment of £540 into the green.

Following this activity, the green was sprayed with Iron and a fungicide to combat Dollar Spot, a fungal disease affecting the grass which we have seen over recent months.

Finally, new seed was sown and for now, a combination of nature and nurture will be employed with the aim of having the best possible green available for use in 2025.

The work of maintaining and sustaining the green is a year round endeavour involving a great deal of effort and significant financial investment and we are always on the lookout for some extra assistance. This would be mainly grass cutting and brushing during the season, so nothing too technical. If this is something you feel able to assist with, please speak with any of the greens team who will be pleased to discuss what is involved.

What a fabulous way to end the 2024 season! With the green partially under water in the morning, it recovered incredibly well to enable some top quality bowling (on some rinks at least!).

Huge thanks to Melvin for doing the bulk of the organising - Gail, her helpers and those who made / donated goodies for an excellent buffet and many many more who made the day memorable...

Lastly, special thanks to Kevin and Fenella who donated a magnificent hamper that was raffled separately and looks to have delighted the winners!

​Looking forward to 2025!

As the season sadly draws to a close, suddenly only the last few remaining matches needed to be played.

On Friday 13th September, Shaftesbury Bowling club visited Strawberry Lane and a close match ensued, which was greatly enjoyed by both teams. Lunch was also included for the visitors and the catering team lived up to their reputation by providing a superb meal.

Saturday gave the players a break from playing, but Sunday was the annual Chairman’s Day, sponsored and organised by new chairman, Carl Gilleard. On this occasion two teams were created, one representing “North and East England” and the other was entitled “South and West” England. Members were requested to dress accordingly, and a fierce, but fun, battle of the regions ensued with a team ending ”th” coming out as winners! A good cream tea was enjoyed by all the players after the match, with the usual good natured debate as to whether it should be cream or jam first on the scone

The club always welcomes touring teams to the ground, and this year we were delighted to receive a visit from Bredon Bowling Club, generally known as the BBC, who travelled down from Worcestershire for their annual tour. Lunch having been enjoyed, the visitors gave Ottery a most enjoyable afternoon in the sunshine, but came away with a substantial defeat.

Sunday 22nd September sees The Final Drive, and thereafter the green will be closed for the winter, and the groundsman and his team will be busy preparing the surface for next year. Next season will commence on Sunday 13th April 2025.

In summary, it should be said that this season has been a very good one, with all matches played in the most competitive spirit with mutual respect for the opposition. Perhaps the most gratifying thing seen this season has been the arrival of new players to the game and to the club, and to hear one of them say “our first season has been so much fun!”