Short Mat Presentation Evening 5th April 2025

On Saturday the members watched a really entertaining Short Mat Ladies Singles Final match between Jill Hayman and Joy Neave.  The winner was Jill but congratulations to both ladies for an excellent game.  

Other Short Mat finals had been played earlier in the month and the winners were:

Mens Short Mat Singles winner:  George Hume

Short Mat Mixed Pairs winners:  Glen & George Hume

Carl Moss Trophy winner: John Davis

Following the match the members enjoyed a fish & chip supper before the presentation of thropies to all the winners.

There was also a special presentation to our young member, Emily Williams, of £100 towards the cost of her trip to Peru next year which she is self funding.  Emily will be volunteering with Camp International and helping the indigenous communities.

Many thanks to everyone who helped on the day and thanks to Mike & Ian for two fun quizzes.

(see photo gallery for pics of the evening)

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our members.

Take care of yourselves and good bowling in 2025

The festive season got off to a good start on Saturday,14th December with the club's Christmas Party.  The Christmas trees and colourful lights in our newly renovated Bar and Trophy room along with the lovely table decorations made for a delightful Christmassy atmosphere.

After everyone was offered a welcoming drink, the members of the Committee provided a delicious dinner, followed by a variety of desserts and cheeses to the 48 guests present.  The entertainment for the evening was provided by Kayleigh who sang a medley of popular songs.  No club event would be complete without a raffle and this year was no exception, with many prizes for the lucky winners.  Mike provided us with a Christmas Quiz to round off the evening which was good fun.

Many thanks to everyone for their hard work and effort to make the evening so enjoyable.

(see Photo Gallery for pics)

Congratulations to all the Harling team players who took part in the David Allen Memorial League and got through to the Finals Day at Mundford on Saturday 31st August.

In the semi-final event Harling came up against Mundford B the Div 2 winners.  All three games, Fours, Triples and Pairs were played in a good sporting spirit and were enjoyable to watch.  Unfortunately it was not to be Harling's day but that's the joy of bowls and our team gave the opposition a good game.

Many thanks to Mundford for hosting the event and providing teas and food for lunch.  Before the Final afternoon match the Mundford Captain presented Harling Captain, Ron, with a runners up prize of £25.  

Our 50th Anniversary celebrations took place on a lovely sunny afternoon on 27th July.  Although the club was first established in 1907 (behind the Swan Public House) we first played in our present location in 1974.

The afternoon began with a Spider which was won by John D.  The proceeds of the game will be donated to VIBE the visibly impaired charity.  The members then continued with outside and indoor bowls matches with some of the ladies sporting long 70's style dresses.  

Following the games we gathered in our newly redecorated Bar where the President welcomed past and present members and we enjoyed a traditional afternoon tea and good company.

After tea the raffle was drawn and John was presented with a bottle of Prosecco for winning the Spider which was rapidly appropriated by Lorretta.

Many thanks to everyone who supplied the delicious food, decorated the club and helped out on the day with special thanks to Joy for making a splendid Anniversary cake.

Here's to the next 50 years!  

On Sunday, 23 June, eight players from Harling took part in the annual Robin Dawson charity match held at Shropham.

It was a very pleasant sunny day for a game of bowls.  Each team played several games with a break for lunch, kindly supplied by Shropham.  All the matches were played in a sporting spirit and at the end of the day Harling retained the shield for a second year running by just 1 point.

Many thanks to Shropham for their hospitality and well done Harling.

The team was: Ian & Rosie, Mike & June, John & Lorretta and Graham & Ron.

A big thank you to all our members who helped to make our D D Commemorations such a successful and enjoyable day.

We had several visitors to the Green and Short Mat Room trying their hand at bowls.  The Bar was very popular and the queues for our 'Hot Dogs' just kept on coming, so much so we had to send out for more supplies.

Well done everyone for all your hard work.

Wednesday, 24th April saw our first Friendly match of the season against Watton.  Despite the rather cold weather it was a very enjoyable match with all six rinks in action on our splendid green thanks to our greenkeeper Mike and his team of helpers.

The second match took place, again at home, against Kenninghall, a team we have played for the first time this year.  Once again it was a good game and even the weather was kind.

Many thanks to those tending the bar and for providing the delicious teas on both occasions. We look forward to the return matches with both teams.

Our First Mens NBA match is on 1st May - good luck chaps.  Let the games begin!

The club's Short Mat 2023/24 season culminated on 6 April with the Ladies and Men's Singles Finals.

The finalists were Ian Beckford v Steve Easter and Rosie Beckford v Chris Jones.

After two very entertaining matches the winners were Rosie & Ian Beckford.  Many congratulations to them both.  

Before presenting the trophies to the winners, the President mentioned some of the club's other achievements during the short mat season.

Congratulations to Sid Burton, U18 National Champion. A brilliant young player.

Our Griffins team for coming second in the Breckland League, the highest place reached by our club since playing in the league.

Harling Yellow team for reaching the semi-finals of the Norwich cup.  

In the Dennis Moore competition the Griffins won the Triples and the Unicorns won the Fours.

Harling were runners up in the Friendly Afternoon League competition. 

Congratulations to all the players and team captains.

The President then presented the trophies to the winners:

The Mixed Pairs Champions: Lorretta Smith and John Davis

The Ladies Singles Champion: Rosie Beckford

The Men's Singles Champion: Ian Beckford

The club members then enjoyed a hog roast supper and delicious desserts.  Many thanks to Joy for organising the meal and all the helpers who made the evening possible.  There then followed one of Mike's cryptic fun quizzes to get us all thinking and the raffles which raised over £90 towards club funds.

See the Photo Gallery for pictures of the evening.

Many congratulations to Sid Burton winner of the ESMBA under 18's Championship 2024.

In the final match against Kent the score was Kent 7 - Norfolk 13.

What a fantastic achievement for this young player who is only in his second year at the club.  Well done Sid, we are all very proud of you.

Success for Harling Teams on Sunday 17th March 24.

The morning session saw the Singles and Fours competitions.

Sid Burton represented Harling Griffins and Mike Tarrant, Harling Unicorns.  Both players having some wins and close games in the early round.  The winner of the competition was Chris Mann for Wymondham with runner up Will Townsend for Hingham.

In the Fours competition Harling Unicorns played Hingham in the semi finals winning 5 - 3.  In the final the Unicorns team, Rosie Beckford, June Kendall, Chris Jones & Ian Beckford played Thetford's, Clive Eke, Jason Martin, Kacy Suffolk and Chloe Suffolk.  After 6 ends the final score was a win for Harling Unicorns 8 - 2.

The Pairs and Triples were then played in the afternoon session.

In the Pairs competition Harling Griffins'  Lorretta Smith and John Davies played Connaught in the semi finals winning their match 8 - 6.  In the final they met Wymondham's Jack Marshall & Jon Sparham and in a very close match Wymondham were the eventual winners 8 - 6. 

In the Triples both Harling teams played one another in the semi finals with the Griffins' triple of Ron Marsh, Glen Hume & George Hume beating the Unicorns' triple of Laurie Harris, Joe Li-Rocchi & Ian Hartley 13 - 3.  In the final the Griffins played Forncett's, Jan Smail, Mike Smail & Tony Ottewell and after another close game the Griffins won the match 8-7.

The winner of the Dennis Moore Trophy was Hingham on shots.

Well done to all our players and many thanks to Bob Oatway for organising the competition and Hingham and all the helpers for hosting a good days bowling. 

Following the completion of the smart new Mens and Ladies facilities, work is now beginning on extending the bar area and rewiring the electrics.

To prepare for the outside contractors, project manager Steve Smith and helpers John and Laurie have taken down the ceiling in the bar area and removed the walls to the changing rooms.

It is hoped the work will not cause too much disruption to the rest of the clubhouse and will be completed for the opening of the outdoor season.  In the meantime, bar refreshments will be served from the kitchen.  Please ensure that all bags and shoes are stored under chairs, especially in the shortmat room, to avoid trip hazzards.

Thank you.

On Sunday, 11th February, the Brian Setford Trophy which the club had not played for several years made a welcome comeback.  The event, Ladies v Men, was a lively affair with much good fun banter from both players and supporters.

At the half time interval everyone enjoyed a splendid buffet tea which was generously supplied by the members.

The second half saw the Men take a decisive lead over the Ladies teams and were the eventual winners of the 2024 trophy.  

Thanks to George, Joy and Jill for organising the games and everyone who helped out on the day.  Proceeds for the event going towards club funds.

Congratulations to Harling's Sid Burton

The National Under 18’s Qualifier produced some excellent matches in the battle to grab the four places on offer.  Harling’s young prospect Sid Burton came out on top on the day with maximum points. In second place was Thetford’s Chloe Suffolk after losing 9-5 to Sid in their final game. Alfie Woods of Bob Carter was third and Thetford’s Kacy Suffolk fourth.

VICTORY FOR HARLING YELLOWS IN THE NORWICH CUP

Captain John Davis' strategy in the quarter final of the re-vamped cup was spot on as the team secured a 38 - 20

home win against Hevingham of the Bure League.  All the Yellow team who usually play for the Griffins in the Breckland

League had an impressive game which now takes the team into the semi-finals of the cup.

Congratulations and good luck to the Yellows in the next round.

NORWICH CUP HARLING YELLOW v HINGHAM

Congratulations to the Harling Yellow team for a comprehensive first round win against Hingham on Friday, 13th October, in the revamped Norwich Cup held at Harling. 

The final score was Harling Yellow 40 - Hingham 19.  For the full report on the match go to: 

https://www.shortmatnorfolk.co.uk/latest-news

Thanks to everyone who took part in the Ladies v Men Charity Match on Sunday.  A lovely sunny afternoon was enjoyed by players and supporters and we raised £277 for SARAID, search and rescue, which was presented to Gary Francis on behalf of the charity.

Again, a huge thank you to all those who provided the delicious food and cakes for the buffet, the generous raffle prizes and all the helpers who made the day a success.

With the help of a few chaps and a Silver Wig, the Ladies won the match!

HARLING WIN GREVILLE BOWERS TROPHY 2023

Following on from recent successes in the Coral Cup and Robin Dawson Memorial Trophy, Harling 'did the treble' on Sunday by winning the Greville Bowers Trophy.

It was a very enjoyable and well organised event with 5 triples from each club playing 5 games each.  The final score being 36 to 15.

The hosts, Shropham, made our team very welcome and provided a buffet lunch which was much appreciated.

Thanks and congratulations to Derek our captain, Ian B, all the players and supporters for another memorable day.

HARLING WINS CORAL CUP!!!