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CLUB NEWS
Pre War picture - note the string used to mark the edge of the rinks.
Rare 1939 photo of the Tarring Priory Green taken from the St Andrews Church Tower
New picture from Kevin our mobile roving reporter (that's his bike in the picture!)
The Promised Hedge to the South of our Green is now being Planted
and does any one know what this grub is?
Even in these difficult times the Ashdown Centre is managing to run a virtual summer holiday programme. Zoom sessions with live entertainers and workshops are taking place over the next few weeks. The centre will start gradually re-opening from September, and initially this will be for 6 children per session. As agreed, the money you raised will go towards activities for the summer holiday programme, so we will use if to support the Ashdown children this way. Please let your members know, and once again, pass on our thanks.
Alison Laurie
Trust and Foundations Fundraising Officer
Bowlers from Priory, West Sussex Tourists and WIBC paid their respects to Ray Roberts as the cortege drove past Tarring priory Bowls Club. The service was also live streamed to the George and Dragon garden
7th August 2020
Ray Roberts RIP
It is with the deepest regret that I have to share the news that Ray Roberts lost his fight with cancer on the 22nd July 2020. It had been a very hard few years for Ray as the illness took its toll on one of those guys you just couldn’t ignore. Love him or otherwise Ray was not a man to hide his light under a bushel.
Yes, Ray Roberts was a man who definitely wore his heart on his sleeve. When he was bowling you always knew what sort of day he was having, good or bad, through his body language and he wasn’t afraid of calling a digging implement a shovel either!
These attributes were brought well to the fore when refereeing in the FA County League. This was indeed a good standard of refereeing and Ray continued to keep the peace on pitches around the county well into his 60’s. He was in fact the longest serving ref at this level. He did love his football and for many years he was in charge of Beckett Athletic FC.
In his working life Ray was an electrical engineer specialising in catering and industrial refrigeration and working all over the world. He happily leant his skills to our bowls club if we needed him to. It is really as a bowler at Tarring Priory BC, Worthing Indoor BC and with the West Sussex Tourists that we all knew Ray. As well as his electrical skills he also brought his own brand of man-management to Priory by first running our Friendly squad and then our West Sussex Bowls League Div 2/3 side. He succeeded in taking the side up from Div 3 in his first year in charge. Ray was a good draw bowler, evidenced by his name against the 2 wood Singles Championship at Priory in 2012.
Ray leaves behind 3 sons, Mark, Nick and Paul, who between them gave him 5 grand kids who he loved dearly. Ray lived for a long time with his partner Norah Fisher- an inspirational lady who was Mayor of Worthing not too many years ago. Sadly, Norah died and Ray’s life was less without her.
Gus, Ray’s surviving brother, is also a stalwart of the bowling scene and they made a good partnership. Gus had the cunning to keep Ray’s ‘more to the point’ attitude in check – they were quite a team.
Ray Roberts – we will miss you. RIP
Joe Peters RIP
Our one and only Joe Peters has passed away. His daughter Denise phoned me advising me that he died in the nursing home on June 17th. He had had a scan around 2 weeks ago and the doctors gave him around 2 months to live. He only had a fraction of that and is now at peace with his lovely wife that he missed so much after her death.
Joe was a life member at Tarring Priory and I don't think we'll ever find another Joe. He just did so much - Bar work, Pavilion maintenance, Working on the Green, Crowd control, Friendly Captain, Stracey Captain - if it needed doing Joe was always first in line. Nothing was ever too much trouble.
If you met Joe you'd be hard put not to remember him - he was a truly remarkable man - the roughest of diamonds - but what a gem.
Joe's funeral took place on the 6th July at Worthing Crematorium. Any donations in Joes memory should go to the RNLI or to St Barnabas c/o Ian Hart Funeral services
A good turnout of club members assembled by the tennis courts to pay their respects to Joe on his final journey past the club on the 6th July.
21st May 2020 - Back on the green!
A few of our members made the first outing onto the Church House Gardens Green. They followed all the rules for social distancing and correctly cleaned equipment after use.
If you would like to book a rink follow the procedures on the 'Rink Booking' page of this website. Only players who book a rink can play.
Green Update April 2020
Sadly we are not allowed to play on the green yet, but Worthing and Adur District Council are doing their bit to make sure we have a good surface once we are allowed on the green.
A hedge is planned for the south side of the green. This will act as a natural barrier to access the green from the south and a small visual deterrent to some of our less welcome visitors. The shrubs will be planted by the council in the first week October and are currently in store by them until we are ready.
PC CUP RUNNERS UP 2019
Sadly only second place this year but we still received a cheque and the runners up Trophy at the annual WSBL Celebration Dinner.
The picture shows Manager Stuart Shwartz being presented with the trophy by WSBL President Chris Rolph.
The search goes on .....
Derek Ridley (President), Keith Brinsmead (Chairman) and Kevin Tester (Accounts Examiner) visited The Crouch Bowls Club in Seaford in January 2020.
Their visit was to share The Crouch's experience in successfully gaining funding for a new Clubhouse - and very smart it looks too!
John Proffitt, Joe Peters and Gus Roberts won £150 for Runners Up in The East Preston Triples
They will be putting their hard earned money towards our annual trip to Woolston
Well done them!!
Latest Tarring Priory players to be awarded a County Badge
Alan Messer proudly received his SCB County Badge at Gidea Park , Romford. Alan was playing in a SCB representative match against Norfolk CBA.
Alan and Roy Barclay were both awarded the badge for gaining the necessary points through a combination of representative matches and progress in SCB Competitions
Roy was awarded his badge at the PC Cup Final.
NEW CLUB SHIRT- May 2019
Thanks to the generosity of Carpenter Box and their sponsorship, we can offer one free shirt to every member of our club.
Additional shirts may be purchased for an excellent price of just £18.
As an extra perk if you buy that extra shirt you will be offered an outer weatherproof jacket for just £18 more. The normal selling price for this garment will be £36
You do the maths
1 free shirt + 1 additional shirt = £18
1 free shirt + 1 additional shirt + 1 outer = £36
1 free shirt + 1 outer = £36
I know what I'd do!!!
31 May 2019
Our complaint against WBC was referred to the Local Government Ombudsman. Although initially the LGO was not going to follow up the complaint they have now reconsidered and we await their decision.
Keith Brinsmead
Police Advice
Club advice to members in the event of being faced with abuse or trespass onto the green is to dial 999 and call for Police assistance - do not under any circumstances attempt to take the law into your own hands.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE - following a recent spate of anti-social behaviour by juveniles around our green, if you witness any such act please take the time to record the problem and email an account to
Please also note that good quality photographs may also be used as evidence in identifying the culprits and it is not illegal to take photographs in public places unless it is for criminal or terrorist purposes.
Witterings BC Invitation Cup August 10th 2017
Priory Four Win
A small ray of sunshine penetrated this backs to the wall season, with an excellent days bowling by the four who represented Priory at this annual event held by Witterings Bowls Club.
Gus Roberts played lead, Roy Barclay was number two, John Schools bowled at three and Alan Messer skipped.
The team played 3 eight end matches against good quality opposition. In round one they beat Lancing who were last years winners. Witterings were the opposition in round 2 and finally in round 3 they beat the challenge offered by the 2015 winners, Chichester.
Altogether they gained 33 points from a possible 39, and won 18 of 24 ends they played.
What does the future hold for Tarring Priory Bowls Club?
Take a look at the proposals and have your say!
Click any underlined text for further information
Alan Messer and David Levey - International Success
Winners of Alvor Bowls Club (Portugal)
Australian Pairs 2017
Dave and Alan scooped the prize money wearing Priory Shirts and are the 2017 Alvor Champions.
Keith Brinsmead and John Fairs also entered but were knocked out at the quarter final stage by the eventual winners.
Great Pre-Season training for the boys, but I'm not sure I would recommend their fitness and pre-match regime.
The Sussex County Bowls AGM is held in December each year and an award is made to the SCB 'Man of the Year'.
In 2015 our President Derek Ridley was the annual winner of the Sussex Michael Newth Trophy (a magnificent solid silver cup) for the person who is recognised as having given outstanding service at club level to bowls.
Derek was chosen from a short list of 5 other Sussex bowlers. The cup is just reward for the unstinting effort and leadership which he lends to Tarring Priory. We are very fortunate to have such a man at the helm. Indeed we have been blessed with excellent leaders over the years. Wally Burrows our past President was a previous winner of the award in 2002.
