Club Information

Club information is distributed in several ways:

Email

Drop boxes

In the fixtures book

Meetings

Newsletters

On one of several notice boards

Web site

Socially

Unfortunately there is no consistency. The only way to make sure is to check each place – but what follows is a brief description of what experience has shown me.

Email

During the winter, for those not involved with short mat, email has been very useful. We have had a growing distribution of information thanks mainly to the club secretaries that has kept all members up to date. During the summer email has tended to be used for special information only. If a match or a social event has a lack of support an email is often used. Folk will use email for other information distribution as they wish

Drop Boxes

Located next to the bar, these are grouped alphabetically. All information was traditionally distributed this way and still much of it is - particularly fixture books, receipts where appropriate and player lists e.g. evening triples and special squads.

Fixture Book

The fixture book is to be found in the drop boxes at the start of the season. It contains useful information on club matters e.g. club officers and phone numbers, often rule updates and naturally the fixtures – as they are known at the start of the season. It is available sometime during March.

It is worth mentioning here that as the information is gathered well before playing starts, things change. The fixture book can say the match is at home, and it is in fact away, that you are playing in Greys and it is White. The team sheets will provide the most up to date information and changes can usually be found on the web site under Fixtures.

Meetings

All meetings that are available to the members are a good way of finding out the workings of the club and the matters which are of interest at the time. The site we occupy is very desirable real estate within Harpenden and discussion sometimes involves alternatives that various planners are keen for us to investigate. Recent meetings have aired extended parking facilities, changes in the fees, changes in the way the team structure works within the club and changes in the way the bowls rules are interpreted.

In 2009, there was a particular set of circumstances that led to a change in the date of the first men’s meeting. It was brought forward to be held in March and the information was published on the club notice boards, was mentioned at a social meeting and the change was included as an insert in the fixture books. If however you had planned to gather your fixture book during April, prior to the club opening, the meeting had already been held

Newsletters

Published periodically newsletters are a snapshot of the way the club is performing at that point of time. They are usually left in the club house for members to collect as they require.

Notice Boards

Please refer to separate section

Website

Provides an easy to follow snapshot of the workings of the club detailing under:

Fixtures all the year’s club inter-club matches together with the results to date.

Following the links under “News by Rob” on the News page you will find the weekly press releases with the club’s and members’ achievements.

Social all the year’s club social activities

Honours a time line of all the club trophies

SM Diary the programme of events for the Short Mat winter season

Socially

At most of the many social events that are held at the club there is a brief business section where club information is disseminated (often but not always about forthcoming matches).

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