New Membership Cards in use
Members of the Main Section and Ladies Sections are reminded that new membership cards are now in use within the club. Members of these sections should visit the club to uplift their own card. Members are reminded to make sure they make themselves aware of the conditions of use of the cards and to make the best use of them they should carry them at all times.
Santa came for a visit…..
The Argyle Children’s Christmas Party took place on Sunday 18th December with some 45 children attending. The main hall had been decorated for the occasion and it must be said it looked the part. We also had 2 of Santa’s Elf’s in the clubhouse to assist with the days events. The children were entertained by Tommy Tricks for a few hours before Santa was due to arrive and face painting was also available for the children and was provided by Free Spirit Face Painting.
With the children slowly getting more and more excited about Santa’s impending arrival they were thrilled when he arrived just after 4pm. Every child that attended received a gift from Santa as well as a selection box. Many thanks to the committee members who worked tirelessly to ensure the day went off without any hitches.
To the members who helped make the day a success a BIG thank you – to the children who attended we all hope you enjoyed the afternoon’s entertainment and hope Santa is good to you all.
Merry Christmas from all at the Argyle.
2011 Presentation of Prizes
Saturday 26th November 2011 saw the clubs Annual Presentation of Prizes take place and this year the event was held in our new clubhouse with just the members and invited guests present. The event was well attended by the membership and our invited guests included Honorary President Joe O’Shea, Honorary Member Jim Tennent as well as inaugural club member Biff Crichton as well as members from the kindred clubs.
The members and guests were served with a superb 3 course meal prepared by Charlie Duffy and it has to be said that the food on the evening was well received by everyone present. Special thanks go to the ladies who assisted in the kitchen and serving of the meal. On the night speeches were made by President Roddy Brown, member Liam Scullion and Honorary President Joe O’Shea.
After the presentation of prizes the club champion, Andrew Kane, announced during his reply on behalf of the prizewinners that he would be leaving the club after this season and went on to detail the reasons behind it. His comments it has to be said did not go down too well with the assembled members and guests however after his “Andy Warhol” 15 minutes of fame the members and guests were then treated to the comedy of Mr Kevin Kaye who had traveled up from Newcastle to entertain everyone before the evening came to an end.
Having the presentation night in the clubhouse was a departure from the usual Presentation Dance and the members feedback on it would be appreciated.
-Open Triples Competition -
Sat 1st October
Well the weather got the better of this competition this season. With the rest of Britain basking in sub-tropical sunshine Scotland braced itself yet again for another weekend of torrential rain. Early morning work undertaken by the members ensured that the event commenced at 10am as planned however with the weather against us from the start the green unfortunately could not take the volume of rain falling and the tournament was canceled after 1 sectional game taking place.
The weather is the only thing the club cannot control and it got the better of us this season. Our sponsors Cowal Building and Plumbing Supplied Ltd still kindly donated the sponsorship money with the players in attendance enjoying the hospitality provided by the sponsors.
Thanks also go to William Bell of H D Caulfield Flowers, Fruit and Veg in Dumbarton for their generous donations towards feeding the players on the day and to Charles Duffy for doing the catering.
All in all an enjoyable day – apart from the rain. It should be noted that all players playing this year will be asked back next year to compete in the event.
End of 2011 playing season
Now that season 2011 has come to an end the club now reverts back to close season opening hours. These are posted in the clubhouse to please ensure you are familiar with them. During the close season we still offer lots of entertainment for members so remember to make use of the facilities at hand. Our Carpet Bowls take place on a Wed and Fri evenings with the games starting at 7pm. Be sure to get signed in before then to guarantee a game. We will be having our famous Quiz Nights again on a Friday evening with these kicking of at 9pm and not to forget the Chase the Ace weekly draw as well on a Friday evening. There is generally a small cover charge of £1 to take part in the quiz event.
The club has also got a Pool Table that the members will be able to use during the close season and there will be the general Darts, Dominoes available for use as well. We also plan to have some karaoke events generally on a Sat evening so keep looking at the notice boards in the club for details.
Twinkle ….Twinkle…..Twinkle Toes….
It has been come to our attention that some member(s) are apparently looking at getting a beauty salon area within the club. Their aim is apparently to take away the stress and strains that bowling has on your mind and body 
whilst enjoying the game. A member who did not want to be named – we’ll call him MAT for the purpose of this article – has explained the benefits of a rub down before / after a game. MAT explained that looking after your feminine side was something every bowler should do. After all if you cant look after yourself…who can you look after? When MAT was asked what this would provide for the members in general he replied….
“Manicures, Pedicures, Calf Massages, Shoulder Massages and Neck Rubs. All these treatments remove the stresses and strains bowling brings to today’s players.“
“I can certainly recommend the pedicures……its so relaxing and your feet look great in flip-flops”
Some members have tried to ridicule MAT for his comments and suggestions however he does appear to be gaining support for his venture. If any member wishes to avail themselves to this idea please contact MAT directly. If you cant find MAT in the membership book then try working out this anagram of the members name in question and contact them instead for assistance.
Whoops a daisy….
Well Saturday 24th Sept saw the Duncan Morrison memorial trophy game taking place with the members braving the windchill. The eventual winner of the trophy was John Donnelly (2) but his win was overshadowed by the entertainment Thomas Williamson had provided to the members when he went to deliver a bowl and promptly fell on his backside, this after being warned of the underfoot conditions.
Photos from the days play are below: Click on them to see an enlarged version.
According to those that were present it was a fall of Olympic proportions and one that Tom Daly would have been proud of. We’re sending the CCTV footage of the actual event 
to the UK Olympic selectors with the hope that Tam will be selected for the 2012 games.
Glad to say no permanent injury was sustained to Tam however there was a little bit of a bruised pride on show.
Sam Duthie wins 2011 Handicap Trophy
The final of this competition took place on Friday 23rd Sept with Craig Thomson and Tam Duffy (aka Sam Duthie to Lennox Herald readers) in what can only be described as challenging conditions. The game was marked by President Roddy Brown and watched by a good number of spectators which was good to see. With Tam adjusting to the conditions better than Craig he ran out the eventual winner. Well done Tam and hard lines to Craig. See you all at the presentation of prizes gentlemen.
2011 Presidents Trophy Winner – Mr Andrew Kane
The Presidents Trophy final was played on Sunday 18th Sept with members John Donnelly(1) and Andrew Kane aiming to win the trophy. Weather wise it was a beautiful sunny afternoon however conditions under foot were a little wet considering all the recent bad weather we had been having. John started well taking a 4 at the first end and slowly built up a lead whilst Andrew struggled with his weight.
Slowly Andrew began to pull back with the game at the midway point 11-10 in favour of John. Over the next 7 ends John struggled to keep up the early consistency that had served him well and Andrew saw the chance and took the lead and build up a shot advantage. John continued to work hard for every shot he got but Andrew was just too far ahead and consistent and eventually ran out the eventual winner by 21-13.
Congratulations to Andrew Kane on adding this trophy to his cabinet this year and on a very successful season at the club. Commiserations to John in a hard fought final.
Pairs Final
Winners: Roddy Brown and Andrew Kane
Well given the fact that the weather managed to postpone the Overs and Under’s competition on Saturday that did not stop a club final from going ahead….mainly due to the fact that one of the players was going away on holiday. So with a rink made playable the players (gluttons for punishment) took to the field of battle for the honor of winning the clubs nominated pairs competition. The teams involved were Roddy Brown (President for Season 2011) and Andrew Kane versus Stephen Blair and John Gwilt.
Both teams managed to make the most of the conditions with both teams also having the luck of the “county glide” or “Wick” as well. Eventual drowned rats and winners were Roddy and Andy winning 18-11. Hard lines to Stevie and John and congratulations to Roddy and Andy. Yet another dust collecting trophy heading your way gents.
2011 Club Champion – Mr Andrew Kane
Congratulations to Mr Andrew Kane on winning the 2011 Championship Final with commiserations going to his opponent Mr Andrew O’Neill. Andy and Drew battled it out on Friday 2nd Sept with both players vying for their name to adorn the trophy. Andy eventually ran out the winner with the final score of 21-13.
Welcome
A very warm welcome to the Argyle Bowling Club and our little piece of the internet. We are a lawn bowls club based in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland and a stones throw from the beautiful Loch Lomond and Scotland’s First National Park. We were formed in 1963 so in bowling club terms we are very young. Our club is based in the Argyle Park in Alexandria and our club badge is based around the Argyll Motor Works building next to the park which itself has a varied and interesting history.
The site is designed to be a source of information for members past and present as well as fellow bowlers. Keep checking back soon as the site will be updated as the weeks and months of the 2010 season pass.
If you have something you want to see on the site please get in touch. We would love to hear from you and if you are ever in the vicinity of the club please pop in and say hello. Members past and present as well as ex-pats from the “Vale of Leven” are more than welcome to keep in touch with us. We will endeavor to keep the site as updated as possible throughout the coming 2011 season.
Our members would love to hear from you or if any ex-members have any photos from your time at the club we’d love to feature them on the site.
Enjoy the site and don’t forget to sign the guest-book.
Bowls Scotland Mixed Pairs Championships
On Friday 19th August the Argyle BC posse travelled through to Hamilton to support Stephen Blair and Marie O’Neill in their bid to win the Scottish Mixed Pairs Championship. A good support turned out from the membership of the club as they headed over to Hamilton under darkening skies. Stephen and Marie played extremely well in their game against the brother and sister team from London Road Foundry in Edinburgh even though the weather took a turn for the worse just as the game started. The pair showed early nerves in the initial few ends of the game with neither of them managing to control their weight. But after the initial nerves had passed they pair went on to play some very good ends of bowls.
Support was also present in the form of Scottish Bowls President for 2011, Mr E.M Johnson, who is from District 24 himself and was a delight to see. With neither team taking any great lead the Argyle ended up playing the final end 1 shot down. Lady luck did not appear to be in Hamilton that night as Stevie managed on several occasions to just miss a bowl he was aiming to turn out of the head. A deserved win to the team from London Road Foundry who went on themselves to WIN the title with ALL of their games being very close indeed.
Well done to Marie and Stevie for their sterling efforts on the night and in getting to the final 32 play-off. You have done both yourselves and the club proud.
The full draw and results can be viewed here
Although they missed out on playing through for the main title – the returned on the Saturday morning and played for a runner-up trophy. They won their first game in the morning but sadly lost the afternoon game on the last end again. Must have been all the steak pie Stevie had at lunchtime. :0)
The Funny Side of Life….
The following story is true and based on the misfortune of a member. It came to our attention recently and thought it was too good not to make everyone aware of what happened. We discussed whether we should change the name of those individuals involved and after due consideration we decided not too so everyone can make a joke or two….after all they would not change any details if it happened to someone else
Picture the scenario…….grandfather is babysitting grandchild. Grandchild is getting tired and grandfather decides to put child to sleep in pram…….and the story begins!!!
The grandfather in question is Liam Scullion. Liam left his house to get the pram out of the car. After doing so and in his attempt at getting the pram assembled he managed to trap his hand. After several attempts to free it he was unsuccessful. Liam subsequently called a neighbour to assist. As the 2 frantically worked to free Liam from the clutches of the “monster pram” they both only succeeded in making Liam’s hand jam tighter and tighter in the pram. After much deliberation, swearing and general panic it was decided that they only had 1 option available to them.
The call went out to Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and a 
tender duly arrived at the scene. Goodness only knows what was going through the firemen’s head at the thought of Liam “trapped” like a wounded animal in the pram. There was only 1 thing for it and the firemen duly brought out the “Jaws of Life” and proceeded to demolish the pram in order that Liam could free his hand. With the new pram in bits and Liam’s hand free he was then taken to A&E at a local hospital as a precaution and dealt with.
When quizzed later about the incident all Liam could say was “it was sore…..no really it was sore!!!” We are now informed that Liam’s favourite TV show is none other than the one and only Fireman Sam.
We are glad you are all fit and well Liam and have not told anyone else abut your misfortune…..oh wait a minute…..the whole of the Dumbarton Associated Bowling Clubs know about it as the jungle drums were in full flight on Sunday afternoon.
William Murray – Senior Champion for Season 2011
The 2011 Senior Championship took place on the afternoon of Monday 1st Aug with the final being contested by Charles McEwan and William Murray. With early morning inclement weather slowly cleared for the tie to take place with both players entering the green for the 3pm start. There was a good turnout of members down to watch the game kick off. The victor taking the spoils this season was William Murray with a comprehensive win with Charlie having to settle for runner-up spot.
Well done to William on a well deserved win and commiserations to Charlie.
Season 2011 underway
Well Saturday 2nd April arrived and the sun broke through the clouds in time to get the green officially opened by the President’s daughter Natasha. To the members and guests that assembled we were treated to the 2011 committee being piped onto the green. President Roddy Brown introduced his committee to the members present and also introduced the invited guests on the green. A short speech was also made by Honorary President Joe O’Shea who wished the Argyle and its membership well for the season and years ahead.
With the formalities done the main focus of attention was drawn to Natasha and her duties of officially opening the green. To the usual encouragement of the members and the standard shouts of “your better than your father” Natasha delivered the first jack and 2 bowls of season 2011 to a round of applause from everyone present. The club presented Natasha with some flowers and a small gift as our appreciation of her efforts and flowers were also presented to the President’s wife Catherine. Thank you Natasha and we hope you enjoyed your day at the club.
The members enjoyed 7 ends of bowls and then proceeded to enjoy the facilities on offer inside the club. It was great to see so many members present on the day and lets enjoy the season ahead. all we need now is some decent weather to enjoy the bowls…..otherwise we’ll need to look out the thermals.
The next event at the Argyle is on Saturday 9th April where we entertain our friends from the Renton BC for our annual friendly. Members are reminded to sign the sheet on the Match Secretary’s notice board should they wish to be considered to play in that game.
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