Our Club was founded in 1911 - and we are still here!
More than 100 years old, Friary Park is one of the longest established lawn bowls clubs in Britain.
It was founded in 1911, thanks to the generosity of local resident Sydney Simmons, JP who funded the purchase of Friary Park by Barnet District Council in 1909 on the understanding that the park was to be for the enjoyment of all - and so it has been to this day. You will find our story below......
PART 1 - HISTORY OF FRIARY PARK BOWLING CLUB 1911- 2011
A History of the Club to celebrate its Centenary, written by Ivor Shelley
Deep beneath the surface of Friary Park Bowling Club are the remains of an ancient brick conduit drainage system, discovered when the turf was first re-laid on the foundation of the club in 1911. Believed to be of a pattern some two or three hundred years old, it is likely to have supported a green for the playing of games. We like to think that the monks of Friary, who originally dwelt on the site of the nearby old town hall and gave the Park its name, used it for gentle exercise appropriate to a monastic order — who knows perhaps for a game similar to our bowls. Some of the drainage was broken and for some time it must have had a very ‘sportive’ surface causing a good deal of ridging. Despite the challenges, it is known that a small green was still being used by local residents on the eve of the Club’s formation in 1911.
The Club owes its origins to Sydney Simmons JP. A native of Okehampton, Devon, he came to London in1862 and in 1909 funded Friern Barnet District Council’s purchase of the Friary Estate from the late Edmund Richardson, who built the current Friary House in 1871 and lived in it until 1908. Sydney, a near neighbour, lived in a big house called ‘Okehampton’ in Friern Park. Residents and users of Friary Park should be eternally grateful to this great local benefactor: the terms of the purchase agreement ensured that the park was to be for the enjoyment of all. And so it has been to this day.
One Sunday morning in the Spring of 1911, while walking home from church, Sydney suggested to his companions that there should be a bowls club in Friary Park. He pursued this idea vigorously and the launch meeting was held on 11 May 1911 when the first officers were elected and rules drafted for the management of the Club’s affairs. Sets of bowls were purchased by the Council and the new club was permitted to use an upstairs room in Friary House for £5 per season. It could be said that justice and learning were at the core of the Club’s foundation for amongst the founder members were three Justices of the Peace and two Masters of Arts. Interestingly JPs have been prominent in the Club’s affairs down to this very day. Fittingly, Sydney Simmons was elected as the Club’s first President, a position that he held until his death in 1924. Indifferent health in his later years prevented him from playing but he retained his interest right up to the last. The Club was pleased to be associated with a tablet to his memory in the parish church.
The first Annual General Meeting of the Club was held on 2 November 1912 and it was at that meeting that the Club decided to apply for membership of the English Bowling Association, the Middlesex County Bowling Association and the London Parks Association.
As the MCBA was itself only formed in 1911, Friary Park was one of its earliest members. In fact, we were the ninth club to join.
THE CLUB’S FIRST GREEN
in May 1912 a new turf green was laid on the area previously occupied by the Richardson’s tennis lawn. Unfortunately, the great development of the game of bowls in ‘.subsequent years was not foreseen in those far off days and the new green was made only 34 yards square to fit the old site. This caused a few problems in the years ahead.
No›t surprisingly, the green was not ready for play when the 1912 season started and the Council gave the Club permission to use the Park’s Number One tennis court as a temporary measure. What the regular tennis players thought about this is not recorded: they cannot have been too happy! However they were not displaced for long, because the new green was eventually opened in July 1912. President Sydney Simmons threw a suitably inscribed Silver Jack which was given to him as a souvenir to mark the occasion. Returned to the Club in its Silver Jubilee year in 1936 and mounted, it is presented each year to the winner of the annual Handicap Singles Competition.
The opening ceremony was followed by a match against Clissold Park. Harry Thompson, Honorary Secretary of the Middlesex County Bowling Association for many years, took part in this game.
In those early days, members played only on Wednesday afternoons and Saturdays. The annual rent to the Council was just £5. The arrangements seem to have been very free and easy, since the rent was not paid until July 1912, when play commenced on the new green. The rental was subsequently increased to 10 guineas and remained so until 1920, when it was raised to £20.
The new green was the only one in the district at that time and soon began to attract players from Finchley, Whetstone and Barnet. Although some of these proved transitory, the Club’s membership gradually increased. But the Club had barely time to settle down before the world was engulfed by war.
THE FIRSTWORLD WAR
Not surprisingly, the 1914/18 war brought a serious curtailment of activities. During 1915/16 very few matches were played and in 1918 the fixture list was suspended entirely. The few Club competitions then being played were kept going but in general things were greatly upset. During the war years the Club, with the Council’s agreement, arranged several ‘alfresco’ concerts in Friary Park. They produced a considerable sum of money for the Middlesex Regiment’s Comfort Fund and local hospitals and charities. Members also entertained wounded soldiers.
THE POST-WAR YEARS: INFLUENCE FAR AND WIDE
The post-war years witnessed a great leap forward. Increasing membership from a wider catchment area brought new life to the Club. It began to take a real interest in the County Association and its competitions. Most significant was its influence on the game of bowls throughout the District. George Paceman, who joined the Club in 1922 was a member of Finchley Council and, through his influence, the Council laid and opened a green in Victoria Recreation Ground in 1925, soon adding a second green for women bowlers there.
Further greens were laid in Lyttleton Playing Fields in 1935 and in 1937 on what was then called the Glebe Land, subsequently the home of Finchley Tudor and now Bishopswood. When one of Friary Park’s Vice Presidents — H C Richardson — moved to Golders Green in 1922 he helped to form the Temple Fortune Club and former members of the Club were founders and early members of the Finchley Bowling Club in Etchingham Park Road where itsgreenwasladin 1922.Again,whenArnoswasformed.nanypayetsCocnFriaryPark were among its members. It can be truly said that Friary Park in the post war-years was the ‘parent’ club of the neighbourhood.
THE GREEN: GETTING IT RIGHT
With the growth of the game, the small green was clearly a handicap, especially for County and other Association matches. The Club approached the Friern Barnet District Council for an enlargement. The Council agreed in 1921 but, unfortunately, instead of relaying the whole green, extensions were added to two sides only. With hindsight, this was a fundamental error as the additional strips never truly ‘lined up’ to the original green but sloped away slightly to the ditches. Long jacks became something of a nightmare, even for skilled bowlers.
When the new, but inadequate, green came into use, the old rental system was scrapped and the Council issued season tickets (12s 6d, quickly raised to 17s 6d) with green fees at an hourly rate for non-season ticket holders. The Club became liable for green fees for all visiting teams, who were classed as ‘casual’ players
The unsatisfactory green prompted some of the Club‘s best players to leave for other clubs (see above). The Council were asked to put it right but it was not until 1927 that any definite steps were taken. And then it was due to the Club’s initiative and enterprise. With several existing outstanding loans, the Council felt that it could not do anything at that time. The position looked bad. Into the fray stepped the redoubtable A E Watkins. He conceived the idea that, if members were willing and the terms were satisfactory, the Club should loan the Council the money needed to improve the green. Led by then President, Alfred Brice, who had succeeded Sydney Simmons in 1924, negotiations were opened and at a Special General Meeting on 9 September 1927, members present pledged £276.
Fourteen days later the sum had swelled to £400. The Council gratefully accepted, approved a tender and by the end of December 1927, a new green was laid. By a lucky chance, a heavy snowfall then covered the green for some weeks, protecting the newly laid turf from the serious consequences of frost. At the same time, improvements were made to the banking and several large trees were removed to give more light and air.
In consequence of the loan, the Council agreed to a reduced season ticket for a term of years. Members contributing to the loan were repaid from an accumulated loan account, established and augmented by means of whist drives, sweepstakes and other money- making devices, including a slightly raised annual Club subscription. In three and a half years, the whole debt was repaid with 5% interest to those members who desired it. At a Committee meeting on 11 May 1931, it was reported that the whole loan had been repaid and the Club funds still in credit. This was a remarkable achievement and the Club owes a great deal to all those members who helped at that critical time, without any tangible security except ‘good faith'. Incidentally, the season ticket rate was then raised to £1.00; so it really was a ‘quid pro quo’ !
The new green was opened at the beginning of the 1928 season with a President v Captain match. As a compliment to the Club on its achievement, the County Association sent a representative rink to play for the President’s team. With some minor changes, the result of arson attacks in the 1980s, the green remains essentially the one we play on today.
MEMBERSHIP OF ASSOCIATIONS
A smaller membership has meant that the Club has not been so active these days as it once was in the associations. Nevertheless it can boast a proud record of external links.
The Club has been in membership of the Middlesex County Bowling Association since 1912 and in earlier years played regularly in its competitions. In addition to official club entries in triples rinks and double rinks, many members played in the singles and pairs down the years. Writing in 1961 A E Watkins recorded that the Club had reached the County quarter and semi-final stages 20 times. In 1938, Hope and McCorkindale reached the final of the pairs only to lose by the odd shot on a ‘tie’end. In 1940, Wilson, Tailby and Peel reached the final of the ‘wartime’ triples. In 1968 the Club, with Cyril Frost playing, won the Lipton Cup for Runners-Up in the Middlesex Double Fours. It was a proud moment for the Club when the players in their blazers, accompanied by wives in evening dress, attended the presentation ceremony in the Connaught Rooms in Holborn.
Friary Park was noted for its fine green and witnessed many Middlesex semi-finals and finals in the 1970s, organised by Charlie Messer and his great friend Ernie Phillips. It was not unusual to see 80 or more spectators on these occasions.
Looking back, many members reached county’ status and were selected to play against visiting teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. McCorkindale, Fox and the Rev Howells played in the Middleton Cup County Champiońship.
In 1912, the Club joined the London Parks Bowling Association but, after playing in the Jackson Shield until 1915, dropped out owing to the war conditions. It rejoined in 1931, but declining membership interest led to withdrawal again in 1952. From 1914 to 1938, the Club was a member of the Tottenham and District Association, but when the Finchley and District Association was founded in 1945, Friary Park became a founding member and has played regularly in the Tuesday league games (later the Prentice Cup) ever since, winning in 1947. During that Association’s early years, Friary Park’s Cheal and Cox worked actively for it and helped to get it firmly established. In 1959, K L Mortimore was its President, as was Jim Alderman in the 1990s. Many of’ our members have participated in the Finchley Bowls Week with a fair measure of success. There was a time when various competition finals were frequently played on the Friary Park green, with profits distributed to charities nominated by the Friern Barnet and Finchley Councils. For some years Club members played in competitions run by the Wood Green and Southgate Hospital Association, also with some success.
THE SECOND WORLD WAR YEARS
At the outbreak of war the Club was in its hey-day, with a thriving membership and playing strength. The Club was even in negotiation with the Council for a second green and the provision of more suitable accommodation. Sadly this was not to last. The war brought many problems and not surprisingly led to a severe curtailment of activities.
The English Bowling Association, Middlesex and London Parks all cancelled their main activities and most of their competitions. The Club match programme was reduced to a minimum on account of travel restrictions and games were limited to neighbouring clubs. Bombing and blackout restrictions put an end to social functions and food rationing was a headache. The Club finally managed to negotiate a small quota allowance and the Council gave its permission to use our tea room. Park staff were mostly called up and the green deteriorated. General park maintenance was carried out by land girls, who lacked the necessary know-how about the upkeep of bowling greens. At one period members helped out with cutting and rolling.
War work, fire picketing and evacuations led to the inevitable loss of many members, although others joined and found some relaxation from the strain of war by playing on the green. The Club played its part in ‘The Holidays at Home’ programme sponsored by the Council and organised several exhibition games which the public greatly enjoyed. Two of the outstanding games were a pairs between McCorkindale and Brothers of Friary Park and Carruthers and Steele (both internationals) and a rink between the Rev Howells, Watkins, Stone and Dunscombe against a strong County Side. The Club returned winning cards in both instances.
War charities, such as the RAF, Red Cross, Friern Barnet Comforts Fund, were not forgotten and well over £100 was collected and distributed. During this strenuous period, President Bert Twiggle was a tower of strength at the helm.
STRUGGLING WITH INADEQUATE AMENITIES
For a long time the Club struggled from the lack of adequate amenities. At the beginning, it only had a small room upstairs in Friary House and it had to wait until 1916 before a downstairs room was granted. There were no washing facilities in the House for members and visitors and for many years the Club had to use a basin in the public lavatory. As the membership grew extra lockers were installed and another small room was granted for use by the committee; that also had to double as a tea room. In the early years, the Club had to rely on Mrs Wickens, wife of the then Park Superintendent — for teas. If she did not feel like doing it, there was no tea!
1934/35 brought long awaited improvements, The Council granted use of a further room, provided a washbasin downstairs and installed electric light and a few more lockers. For some years the Club did its own catering. There followed an era of public caterers (the lessees of the Park‘s café), apparently none very good or particularly helpful. In 1950 the Bradshaws took over and brought a great improvement in the service, to the benefit of members, visitors and the general public alike.
EMBLEMS
The Club’s colours were introduced in 1913 in the form of button badges, ties and hat- bands. In 1926 blazers were adopted and the badge, still currently in use, was designed by Robert Lapthorn, one oi the Club’s founder members. The badge design is still in use but the tie was altered in the late 1950s.
The original Club Honours Board was designed and made by T S McCorkindale and was unveiled in 1924 by Alfred Brice, who succeeded first President Sydney Simmons. In fact Sydney was due to perform this ceremony but sadly died a day or two before the event. After the war a second Honours Board became necessary and was installed in 1948. The Presidents’ Board was made and gifted to the Club by N J Dinham in 1937; it was cleaned off and re-written in 1952.
AFTER THE WAR
These years must have been one of struggle for the Club, as it was for the nation. Unfortunately this is one phase of the Club’s history for which we have no adequate documentation and can only speculate on the problems of re-developing membership and activities in such a difficult time. I like to think that, after so much sadness and devastation, members - old and new – found great solace in the game of bowls. Certainly, by the 1950’s it is clear that the Club was thriving again.
THE CORONATION CUP
One of the first major events to emerge after the war was the Coronation Cup in 1953. Members generously subscribed for this handsome trophy introduced to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It is competed for annually by six visiting rinks playing six Friary Park rinks. The winners hold the trophy for one year. The six clubs originally invited were Finchley, Finchley Victoria, Mill Hill, Muswell Hill, Selborne and Temple Fortune. In 1968, Temple Fortune were unable to accept our invitation to compete and were replaced bv Potters Bar (Temple Fortune now play in the Watkins Cup — see below). In 2011, Parliament Hill replaces Potters Bar. So the line-up has only changed twice in nearly 60 years
The Club has won this competition on 18 occasions and enjoyed a great run from 1977- 1983 when it won 7 years in succession. Thereafter fortunes dipped slightly but there were victories again in 1985-86, 1990, 1998, and 2002. Its most recent success came in 2010.
OUR OWN PAVILION
Around this time, the Club was still operating out of two rooms in the old Friary House. But prospects for improved facilities began to look promising and there were several meetings between Club representatives and Friern Barnet UDC. The impending absorption of Friern Barnet UDC into a new London Borough of Barnet under the major re- organisation of London Government may have influenced matters in our favour. The breakthrough came in the 1963/64 season when, shortly, before the merger took place, a new bowling pavilion was built.
The site was carefully selected taking into account the position of existing drainage, sewerage lay-out, shrubbery and large trees. A new pre-fabricated pavilion was erected and all the mains connected for the opening day of the season. The Chairman of the Friern Barnet UDC performed the opening ceremony. Now the Club had a huge improvement to its amenities: toilet facilities, dressing room and ample space for the provision of refreshments. But, it had no furniture and very little cash! This situation was quickly rectified however when a sweepstake raised enough money to purchase eight small tables, with interlocking leaves and 32 folding chairs. With repairs from time to time these are still providing a valued service today. A check to the upward momentum came in 1966. We had relied on the Park Café for refreshments but in that year the lessee changed and the new occupant was un-cooperative. We could not do without the means to provide sustenance; so we approached the Borough Engineer to obtain authority to arrange our own catering. We had no crockery or utensils and had to have a whip-round for old cups and plates, etc. We bought an electric kettle and, on one trestle table, we set up shop. With accruing profits, we were soon able to purchase better crockery and equipment — much to the delight of the women volunteers who provided the service exclusively in those days.
In 1970 the Club successfully applied for a bar license, one of the first Council clubs in the area to do so. It continues to offer a welcome service and produce a steady profit.
With increasing membership, by 1974 there was great pressure on dressing room space and the Club approached the Council once again for help. They were very sympathetic to our needs and extended the pavilion by six feet. This meant that in order to preserve the exterior appearance of the clubhouse, the veranda had to be increased by the same amount. This was subsequently covered in. The plans were drawn up by architect-playing member Jack Adams and Cyril Frost, approved by the Council, and executed by this illustrious D-I-Y duo with help from members. This was a great help when visiting sides brought visitors, as several did in those days. It was used for visitors’ teas and nicknamed ‘The Tea Belles Tea Shop’ (see later).
The new century brought a delightful adornment to the roof of the pavilion with the design and presentation of a special weather vane fry long-standing member Cedric Blaker. It depicts a bowler in full flow and is constantly in our gaze from the green as it turns gently in the breeze.
THE PRESIDENT’S DRIVE
How often the name of Charles Messer lurks behind new initiatives that cast light on the changing circumstances of the Club. In 1967 there was an influx of new members (note that word ’influx’; today we speak in ’ones and twos’). Many of these new members were retired suggesting that many of the then existing members were still working. The Club challenge then was to entice them to play at times other than the evening. Charlie, then President, initiated and organised a Drive to be played every Wednesday afternoon with prizes for the winners. The President’s Wednesday Drive has continued to this day and has always attracted a good attendance. The prizes are now modest — pens for the winners and beans for the boobies. Charlie also organised a raffle, the first prize being a joint of meat. This carnivorous offering only finally disappeared in the late 1990s. The Wednesday Drives proved a significant recruiting device at that time; less apparent today with the advent of the new Tuesday afternoon training session but still helpful for new members‘ initial social networking.
THE PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL OPEN DAY
1969 saw the introduction of the President‘s Annual Open Day —another Charlie Messer initiative. It was designed to enable members to invite their bowling friends to a Club event. The launch attracted 24 players but thereafter for manv years the average entry was 56, and with watching friends and ’tea ladies’ (later christened Tea Belles) the numbers attending frequently swelled to 100! The event continues to this day, but the total attendance is now around 40.
THE WATKINS CUP
Introduced in 1971, the Watkins Cup marked the great service to the Club of A E Watkins, affectionately known as ‘Wattie’. He was born in 1879 and joined the Club in 1915 at the tender age of 36. More about ‘Wattie’ appears later in this history. The competition was designed to be played for annually in May with visiting clubs playing against six Friary Park rinks; the visiting clubs originally alternating from a pool of 12 who did not play in the Coronation Cup, Over the years with increasing pressure and diminishing membership amongst clubs, the pool has dwindled to five regulars. Despite this, the Watkins Cup remains one of the highlights of the Club’s itinerary. Friary Park has won it 16 times with five in a row from 1977-81. Wattie bowled the first bowl of the competition at the age of 91 !
ARSON AND VANDALISM
The Club has had more than its fair share of arson and vandal attacks — the last arson with devastating structural consequences. The fir3t of three occurred during the close season 1979/80. An unknown arsonist poured petrol through a small glass window at one end of the pavilion, deliberately broken for the purpose. It ran down the wall and, when ignited, set fire to the pavilion, damaging the Honours Boards, flooring, furniture and other wooden fittings. Luckily, the fire burnt itself out when all the oxygen in the air was consumed and this limited the overall damage. The total loss was estimated at £700/800, born by our insurance company. Much of the damage was caused by smoke and, with assistance from the Council and Club members, we were able to open the season as normal.
Like many clubs, Friary Park has suffered incidents of vandalism but, up until 1982, these load been only minor instances. In 1982, however, the vandals struck with a vengeance. They broke into the Park’s store during the night and stole oil, paint and abrasives, with which they painted obscene slogans over a large area of the green. The Park foreman and
his staff worked long and hard to repair the damage, but it took nearly three years to get the green back to its original condition.
From 1979 to 1987, there were no less than 23 arson attacks in Friary Park and the surrounding area. Fortunately most of these instances were small but in September 1987 the Club was again selected as a major target. On this occasion the frontage of the veranda was badly burned, the pavilion sustained a lot of smoke damage and furniture and fittings were destroyed. As if this was not enough, four weeks after the fire there was a hurricane and a large oak tree was forced by the power of the wind against the roof of the building. Once again the Council moved quickly to help put things right and, once their insurance claim had been accepted, liaised with Jack Adams and Cyril Frost — the Club’s D- I-Y experts — who soon got renovations moving. Everything was back to normal by the start of the new season.
A year later — in September 1988 — the arsonist struck again. This time there were no half measures. The pavilion was entirely destroyed with all its contents and, due to the intensity of the fire, the front of the green was also badly burnt. The Club’s insurance claim amounted to £16,000 and members’ claims included 40 sets of bowls, 22 wet suits, 31 pairs of shoes, 24 white caps, plus bowls bags and measures. Not surprisingly, the fixture list was completely disorganised and bowling was only possible in one direction due to the damage to the green.
The Council placed a room at our disposal in Friary House and hired two portakabins for the 1989 season. One portakabin, provided with water, electricity and seats, gave just enough room for a cup of tea or coffee for small matches, while the other was used as a changing room. Fortunately the weather that season was good. Many refreshments were served in the open air and members rarely got wet.
In the interim period, the police arrested a man, of no fixed address, 54 years old. He was charged with 27 counts of arson, including the firing of our pavilion. He was sentenced to six and a half years. Three weeks after going into prison he committed suicide. We never did find out why he so disliked Friary Park Bowling Club!
THE NEW PAVILION
Work on the new pavilion did not start until February 1990, well behind schedule and it was thought that the portakabins would have to be in place until July. This was wishful thinking, however, and it was not until the very last match of the season that the new accommodation could be used. The winter months afforded an opportunity to get the‘innards’ straight before the start of the 1991 season, the Club’s 80'. Once again it was Jack Adams who drew up the plans and Cyril Frost who masterminded and executed the fittings and fitments operation, converting an empty shell into a comfortable abode. The end result was the new brick building we enjoy today, complete with metal window shutters and a shuttered front door.
The building was centrally heated, with a modern interior and a decent sized functional area. The kitchen was extended across the width of the building and combined with a bar and fridge space. Provision was made for ladies and gents’ toilets and an adequate men’s dressing room containing personal lockers for all members.
A distinctive feature arrived early in the new century with the presentation to the Club of a new weather vane by the late Cedric Blaker, now a fitting memorial to a genial and gracious member. It depicts a bowler at the final moment of delivery.
A ‘timely addition was the clock that hangs above the bar, presented by Charlie’s friend Ernie Phillips.
VANDALS: A CONTINUING FIGHT
The fight against vandals has continued. The story has been mixed, with Council action bringing some positive results. I n 1995, the Council enclosed the green with iron railings and lockable gates —a useful deterrent to intruders but not immune to enterprising vaulters. It was not long before the Clubhouse, like the rest of the Park‘s buildings, became prone to a serious outbreak of graffiti. Despite the Council‘s valiant efforts to remove and curb the unsightly occurrences, it seemed that never a week went by without another indecipherable scrawl appearing on brick and metal. A Council decision to deploy their mobile CCTV unit for a week brought a positive result and it was not long before they installed a permanent CCTV camera near the railings at the entrance to the Clubhouse. Whether because of this, increased Council vigilance, the arrest and conviction of a major offender in the Borough or general tiring among the perpetrators, the incidents have noticeably subsided.
Just as we thought that the new brick building with its shutters provided us with an impregnable ‘fortress’, our belief was shattered in 2004, when burglars forced an entry overnight. Having raided the Park café the same night, they broke the lock on one of the window shutters, forced the shutter up, smashed the window with one of the paving stones prised up from the path and stole the contents of the bar till (£50).
There have been several smaller incidents in recent years, including the removing of the fixed benches surrounding the green and tossing them onto the green, the disruption of electricity supply with the sabotaging of the external supply box (now capped and locked) and numerous occasions when thoughtless youngsters have played football and ridden bicycles on the green. The Council have now helpfully heightened the iron railings to the right of the Clubhouse which should make access from that point more difficult. However, the gates are still easily surmountable at their present height to the determined intruder, as is the remaining fencing. We hope that the Council may in due course raise the height of all the railings.
CARING FOR THE GREEN
Controlled but regular watering is essential to good green maintenance, particularly during dry spells. For many years a joint effort by Council maintenance staff and club members, using a cumbersome system of mobile metal hoses, that had to be dragged to various parts of the green, kept the green in tolerable condition. But the task was a little ‘hit and miss‘ and relied heavily on individual members of the rota team using their initiative on when or not to activate the system. As a starter it needed two fit members - plus motivation!
With the new millennium approaching and prompted by the experience of other neighbourhood clubs, the Committee decided to seek a permanent automatic watering system. It would be costly and depended on seeking a grant of around £5000 from a sporting charitable body. It would require someone who could present an effective case. Into the role stepped legal-trained Cecil Richenburg. For three years he prepared meticulously argued bids only to see them rejected. Undaunted he sallied on to be justly rewarded in 2003 with a £5000 grant from Awards-for-All, to which the Club added a further £2000. The system has worked well and the green has profited greatly.
The Council have done a good job in maintaining the quality of the green in recent years. The only problem has been the occasional encroachment and damage from foxes. Green Ranger Bryan Hayes and his successor Roy Wales have sought to combat this by deploying different devices, including cloths soaked in Jeyes Fluid, with some success, although return visits by our ’bushy friends’ are all too predictable. Fortunately Tony Cook now patrols the green with occasional visits and, with his eagle eye and that of our present friend(y and co-operative Park Keeper Antonio, we usually have warning of more holes as they appear.
In 2006, as part of their general improvement of Friary Park and in search of the coveted Green Flag, the Council cleared much of the old undergrowth surrounding the green. The old roses were removed, new shrubs planted, and the hedges neatly trimmed back. The result is a more open vista to and from the green. Casual visitors to the park can now see bowls being played without having to enter the perimeter. We hope that this might encourage one or two to try their hand. The Green Flag was duly secured.
PAST CELEBRATIONS
As Friary Park Bowling Club reaches its Centenary Year, we can look back on several milestones. The Fiftieth in 1961 saw the first history of the Club recorded by the redoubtable A E Watkins, on which this current version heavily relies. He was still around to bring us up to date in 1986 for the Club’s 75th anniversary, when an obviously strong playing membership enabled special matches against the English Bowling Association, Middlesex County Bowling Association, Middlesex Honorary Vice-Presidents Bowling Association, London Welsh Bowls Association, Essex County (Westcliff) Bowling Club, Finchley and District Bowling Association and the Francis Drake Fellowship.
There have been many other colourful occasions: the annual game against the London Welsh when the post-match meal was graced by a sing-song by a part of the London Welsh Choir; the regular visits by the Chelsea pensioners who always arrived in their distinctive red uniforms, with a return match in their clubhouse, both with evening meals. By the 90'° anniversary in 2001 numbers were down, but we still managed special games against the County, District and Francis Drake Fellowship.
BIRTH OF A MIXED CLUB
1998 brought a major change in the nature of club membership when, at an Extra- Ordinary General Meeting, the Club approved the admission of women bowlers by a vote of 15-8. The vote suggests that the long tradition of male membership only at Friary Park did not go unchallenged, Declining male membership and a feeling among some that the Club should be moving with the times — many other clubs then had women members - prompted the change. But there were clearly some members at that time who favoured maintaining the status quo, and one who felt so stronglv about the issue that he promptly resigned. As introduced, there would be no separate sections for each gender: the Club would field mixed teams, wherever the rules of associations and other clubs permitted.
Uncertainties about the implications of the change were still evident at the 1999 AGM when three key questions were asked: would women bowlers be admitted to Presidents’ Drives? Would they play as equals in Club competitions? Would they be included in match teams? Teams? The answers were all ‘yes’. Not all clubs were pursuing a progressive gender line, however, and the last ‘yes’ had to be qualified with the statement that ‘every effort was being made to persuade other clubs to allow ladies to play as fully inclusive and not separate rinks’.
Looking back, it is now all too clear that the admission of women bowlers was a salvation. Today it would be impossible to field sides on most occasions without their contribution. Full equality within the Club greatly enhances its spirit and character; everybody can play a full role and each is valued. We have come a long way in the last ten years.
ADAPTING THE FACILITIES
The Club had admitted women members, but it did not have the best of facilities for them. There was no dressing room and they had to change in the womens’ toilet in which there was very limited space and no lockers. Eventually, after long discussion the Council granted use of the hut adjacent to the clubhouse which had once been used as a kiosk for park sporting activities. This proved far from ideal. It was continually vandalised and this, and its physical separation from the Club, hardly made it an attractive prospect for women members and visitors.
In 2003 the Committee, realising that the Council would be unable at that time to afford any necessary major structural alterations to the main pavilion, decided to seek the Council’s permission to adapt the existing mens’ changing room to accommodate the women. The Council agreed and the redoubtable Cyril Frost executed an ingenious plan whereby a section of the mens’ changing room, with lockers, was discretely separated off for this purpose. This arrangement has worked well since its installation, but everyone recognises that it would be inadequate to accommodate a major expansion in womens’ membership should that ever come about. The Club membership, with a few annual pluses and minuses, is largely static.
THE ANNUAL DINNER/LUNCH
The annual dinner has a long tradition in the Club. It was first introduced in 1923 and continued to 1939 when the war intervened. A glance at the menu for 1932 reveals six courses, six toasts and four cabaret artists. Entertainment by various artists continued through to the mid-1950s before giving way to a band. Two outstanding evenings in the inter-war years were the 21st anniversary at the Midland Grand Hotel and the Silver Jubilee at the Hotel Russell in 1936, when founder members were guests of the Club and all present signed the souvenir. This is still hanging on the wall of the Club Pavilion. The dinners were resumed in 1946 at The Salisbury in Barnet and initially again incorporated a musical programme with guest artists.
A dinner and dance formula emerged in 1958 with a change of venue to the Selborne Hall at The Cherry Tree ’in Southgate. There was clearly a venue reversal sometime after this back to The Salisbury because, in 1985 growing dissatisfaction with this venue, led to a further change to The Apollo Suite in Cockfosters, where apparently the main course was always Roast Sirloin of Beef! This continued to be the venue for the next 15 years, when declining attendances made it no longer viable. The Club then shifted from an evening event to a lunch at the North Middlesex Golf Club, just around the corner from Friary Park. For a little while this seemed ideal, until one poor experience, a change of chef and uncertainty over future pricing led to further changes. In 2005, we tried the N20 Restaurant in Whetstone to generally favourable comment but new management and a revised pricing policy ruled it out the following year. We are now happily accommodated at the Old Fold Manor Golf Club at Barnet, which currently provides an attractive setting and good food at a competitive price.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS (AND FOOD)
A necessary but never a fun-packed occasion in any organisation, Friary Park‘s was for many years enlivened by the setting: the old ‘Bull and Butcher in Whetstone. It was held in the evening, as many players worked, and there was always the additional attraction of food from the Ladies.
This triggered a request from Charlie Messer for an evening pre-season meal at the Club. Finchley Bowling Club allowed us to hire their kitchen and facilities and this lasted four years until the cost of hire became prohibitive. A feature was the introduction of the famous trifles, which became something of a legend. A way was found to continue these meals with a slightly varied but none the less attractive menu. A pre-season meal is now an annual lunch-time event.
FUN, FROLICS AND NOSTALGIA
Friary Park has never taken the game so seriously at the expense of enjoyment and friendship. Let ‘Wattie’ tell this part of the story. With his renowned wit, he talks first of ‘The Trumpeters‘, ‘who used to meet regularly summer and winter. What it cost them to express their opinions they only knew, but no doubt it was worth it. "Elbow" power was required in addition to "power of expression". A record of their conversations would reveal all the faults, errors and sins of omission and commission of the Selection Committee — magnified through a glass — occasionally, very occasionally, mark you, a careful listener might have heard that the Selection Committee had done something light!! We shall never see their like again, but their opinions were "mellowed" not "bellowed" and were often to the point.’ With pressure on number's these days the Selection Committee has no ‘Trumpeters‘ ringing in its ears. Indeed, it rarely has the power of choice. The ‘art of arm-twisting‘ is more its style.
‘Wattie’ also recalls ‘the old Club suppers: happy hours spent and members called up to perform. Freddy Parker’s beautiful tenor voice: Wally Travers’ coon songs and tap dancing: Adnett Garret playing the bassoon. ‘Wattie’s witticisms etc,’ All a far cry from this technologically driven world, but a part of Friary Park well worth recalling in his own inimitable style. Where are our artists today? Have they all long gone or are they just hidden, waiting for the opportunity to reveal their talents at the drop of an invitation?
THE NEWSLETTER
A problem with any club — even one of modest size lil‹e Friary Park - is how to keep members fully and regularly informed of all events and news. In 2003, incoming President Bryan Hayes thought the best instrument would be a regular Newsletter. Ivor Shelley grasped the nettle and has been producing 4-5 issues a year ever since. Ivor has been able to indulge in his love of writing and Club members have welcomed the flow of information on recent and upcoming events. Among other things it has provided an opportunity to profile some of the great figures of past years and pay tribute to those who have recently passed on, as well as special features, such as the history of bowls and that of the Club’s very own ‘Tea Belles’. At the same time the Club‘s archives have been regularly infused with the addition of each issue‘s news. December 2010 saw the appearance of the 35’° issue.
THE ’TEA BELLES’
A history of Friary Park would not be complete without mention of the ‘Tea Belles’. Formed by the redoubtable Charlie Messer in 1961 to help with tea and catering, the original ten women, plus two reserves, derived their name from the Club Bell. This, presented by Daphne Greenwood‘s father Pat, now hangs just inside the Club’s entrance and is regularly rung for the start of play. Ably supplied with improved facilities over the years by club handyman Cyril Frost, this intrepid band went from strength to strength with a range of offerings from tea and cakes for friendly matches — each of them had their particular patisserie speciality - to three course seated meals for the grander occasions.
Undaunted by the 1989 fire, during which they lost all their equipment, they rallied and carried on. By 1996, there were only two Tea Belles left — Jean Frost and Daphne Greenwood. Daphne is now the only survivor but, with Wednesday teas, still carrying on a great tradition, with the help of Cyril Frost. Daphne’s full story of and tribute to her old colleagues can be found in the December 2006 issue of the Club’s Newsletter.
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Early in its life the Club made attempts to run a social side, but this was never developed sufficiently to become a permanent feature. There were no appropriate facilities in which to house them. For a few years, some of the ‘retired’ members used to meet at the British Legion in Friern Barnet but this petered out through lack of numbers.
With the gradual development of new club facilities in the 1980s, a social side became possible again. On 6 November 1991, a weekly meeting during the winter months was introduced with an attractive and varying programme of cards, bingo, darts, dominoes, table tennis, beetle drives, quizzes and, with the help of Cyril Frost, short-mat bowls. Dave and Rose Millbanks were the quiz impresarios and this pair went on later to run regular whist drives.
Dave was still running regular whist drives when Bryan Hayes became President in 2003. Prompted partly by the appearance of guests at these drives and club outings, Bryan had an idea. The Club could benefit from introducing a Social Membership for all those who did not wish to bowl but felt an affinity to the Club and who welcomed opportunities to show it. For E5 Social Members could use the CIub‘S facilities and participate in all its social activities, not least a lively Winter programme, incorporating the long-established whist drives. Throughout his three-year presidency and subsequently as Social Secretary, he ran a full programme of activities throughout the winter months. As a result, the original small group of Social Members is now 24. A typical Winter programme has featured three or four outside speakers from local community-focused organisations, a wine-tasting from Ivor Shelley, fun and games afternoons and regular whist drives. Above all the Social Membership has provided an added weight to the Club and occasionally a new recruit for the bowling strength.
Early in 2006, ill-health forced Dave Millbanks to give up the whist drive leadership, but then Deputy President and card-loving Isabel Beazley willingly stepped in and continues to spearhead that activity.
CLUB OUTINGS
An attractive feature in recent years has been the Club Outings developed and expertly managed by the ever-resourceful Isabel Beazley. These have ranged from evening coach visits to see the Christmas lights (with a Fish and Chip supper) to more ambitious all-day outings incorporating a delightful array of river cruises. The festive period is now marked regularly with a Christmas lunch at a well-known country hostelry, usually The Cricketers in Clavering, the home of the senior Olivers.
KEEP FIT
Maintaining physical fitness is a challenge for ali ageing bowlers. The Club now offers a helping hand every week in the off-season with a series of gentle keep fit classes. Led by lsabel, a dedicated band participate every winter Wednesday morning and share a sandwich lunch before a social activity or whist drive in the afternoon.
CLUB ACHIEVEMENTS
Friary Park has never been a highly competitive club and gone out of its way to hunt for trophies. It has prided itself over the years in being one of the friendliest clubs in the District and in providing a warm ambience for an enjoyable game of bowls. Nevertheless it has not been without some success. Writing in 1961, Wattie records the Club having reached the quarter and semi-final rounds of the Middlesex Triples and Double Rink Competitions over twenty times. In 1940 it lost the Triples Final to Bishops Park, Fulham. In 1968 it was Runner-up in the Middlesex Double Fours.
‘WATTIE’ AND CHARLIE: GIANTS OF THE PAST
It is impossible to write about Friary Park without mentioning two members who, in their time, contributed so much to the Club and its development. They deserve to be singled out.
A E Watkins (‘Wattie’)
Wattie joined Friary Park in 1915 at the tender age of 36! He served the Club as Hon Secretary for an unbelievable 40 years and enjoyed brief spells as President and Captain. He was wade an Hon Life member in 1934. In 1971, the Club initiated the Watkins Cup in his honour; he bowled the first wood at the age of 91. By all accounts a strict disciplinarian when it came to dress codes, he was the embodiment of wit and wisdom on other matters. I like best his ‘remember that you are dealing with grown-up fellows. Don’t treat them as children even if they deserve it’. Once a year he hosted ‘Ladies Day, when he invited the wives of players to take tea with him. He made all the cakes, including his famous rock cakes, and paid for everything.’The early history of the Club is largely his work and this Centenary story could not have been written without his pioneering efforts.
Charles (Charlie) Messer
‘Mr Friary Park’, as he was known around the District circuit, Charlie joined the Club in 1960 at the age of 52. A Skilful bowler and frequent County player, he was President for 21 of his 34 years’ membership. To mark his 80'° Birthday in 1988, the Club founded the Charles Messer trophy to mark his great contribution to the Club. He lived and breathed the Club and was always there. No need for a Green duties roster in Charlie’s day; he did it all every week. He bestrode the Club like a Titan and exuded immense authority. When Charlie spoke you listened with respect and obedience. But beneath it all was a friendliness and sense of humour that earned him the affection of all who were privileged to know him. Senior bowlers at Friary Park and in neighbouring clubs still speak of him with reverence, usually prefaced with the phrase ‘now in Charlie’s day...’
THERE ARE MANY OTHERS
So many members have contributed to the Club’s success over the years — too many to mention in the main body of this history. Selection would be invidious and the cost would be prohibitive. But we must never forget them, for they have been the Club’s life blood. Wattie has left us some fascinating vignettes and where memory and acquaintance have allowed, I have endeavoured to supplement these. There will be gaps, particularly in the inevitable void between our joint recollections. There is nothing I can do about that, but together Wattie and I have placed on record a glimpse of some of the characters who have graced our Green over the years. If you wish to see it and indulge in a little nostalgic viewing it will be placed on record in the clubhouse.
IN CONCLUSION
Well, here we are on the eve of our Centenary season. A rich history peopled by memorable characters. Long may the Club continue to develop and thrive. Above all, may it always retain that endearing quality of friendliness which expires so much love and affection among members and visitors alike.
IVOR SHELLEY
PART 2- THE RECENT YEARS
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OUR COLLECTION
We have a large collection of memorabilia, some of it dating back to the Club's earlyyears over a century ago. The collection is currently in storage, awaiting completion of the renovation of the Clubhouse meeting room, after which a selection of items will be on display.