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The Visit to the Royal Household Bowling Club
On Sunday 15th. June a group of 41 assembled before 9.00am at Hinckley bus station anticipating the coach to take us to Windsor, we waited then waited until someone remarked that they had seen a coach in Bowling Green Road on their way in. We rang the Company Office with no response then despatched John B who duly returned 10 minutes later to report that the coach was now on its way. Not an auspicious start to a day which was expected to be one of the highlights of our Centenary year. We had been told earlier in the week that the trip was almost cancelled by the police because of the Garter Ceremony on the next day, but the Queen had intervened to say that the Cricket and Bowls should go ahead. Now we were twenty minutes late starting to Windsor, which was expected to be busy with a Triathlon and we were led to believe a visit from George Bush. However the journey was uneventful the day was sunny but cloudy and we alighted at the coach station in good spirits on time at about 12 noon, thanks to driver David.
We all went off for a look round, have a spot of lunch and the ladies who were spending the day in Windsor agreed to meet at 1.30 near the coach station to plan their afternoon and later rendezvous. They needed to be together in the evening to await a phone call when the coach left the bowling club and proceed to the pick up point in Arthur Road. The police were everywhere in the town and so was a large gathering of the Press outside the castle gate. The rest of us returned on time but none of the other ladies except Mary B arrived at the rendezvous so she came on the coach with us to proceed to the Bowls club in the Castle grounds. There were police vehicles everywhere but the Security man at Shaw Farm Gate was friendly but thorough in checking us off against the pre-sent list and looking closely at all our photographic ID. We then proceeded up Frogmore Drive to the sports field car park where the cricket was about to start and our hosts were awaiting us. The changing area was small but adequate and we were soon in the bar sampling the wares (very reasonably priced) and socialising with our hosts.
The club was surrounded on three sides by a beech hedge whilst the fourth side was bounded by Frogmore Drive and you could see the Castle up the hill to the north and the heavy police presence in that direction. The club house looked early 20th century with a conservatory bordering the green where we would later take tea with an array of cushioned seats outside for our spectators comfort. The bar was well furnished with many pictures of well known visitors including of course our Queen and her family. The green looked fairly dry, well used and well mown and would prove fast and tricky during the afternoon.
There captain opened the formal proceeding on the green welcoming us confirming the presence of Messrs. Bush and Brown and warning us not to leave the confines of the club as there were snipers stationed in the trees. Did we believe him? No one was prepared to risk finding out. The game started, we all seemed to gel with our opposite numbers and Derrick B kept the Spectators amused with his repartee from rink 3. The green did prove tricky especially to us, with one widely swinging hand and on our rink by tea & biscuits we were 25-2 down. We did improve later and ended the game still the worst performers but with the deficit reduced to 29-19. Our other players performed much better and we each won on three rinks but lost the match by 6 shots.
Considering that the Royal Household host many such matches, they treated us like old friends told stories of life under Royal patronage and we shared many anecdotes of our personal backgrounds and the state of bowling. During the formalities gifts were exchanged, we were presented with a plaque carved from a RH Oak and we proffered one of our Centenary wine goblet. We must have got on well because conversation never flagged and we had to drag people away at 7.30p.m. so that we could meet the Ladies who must have thought they had been abandoned in Windsor and get the driver home within his allotted time.
Their club has about 40 men and 24 lady bowlers, of whom about 30% still work for the Royal Household. Full membership is open to present and past employees but associate membership is available to others but the security vetting is quite rigorous. We enjoyed our visit so much that we talked with them about a further encounters in the near future and invited them to come to HBC next year and enjoy our hospitality. We look forward to extending the budding friendships established on this memorable day.
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