A Century of Bowling - Royal County of Berkshire Bowling Association

THATCHAM BOWLING CLUB
• Founded 1950
• Memorial Playing Fields, Brownsfield Road, Thatcham
• Affiliated 1951
The inaugural meeting of the Club was held in Thatcham Drill Hall in May 1950,
followed by the first proper meeting on 27th July 1950. Annual subscriptions
were set at 10s 6d and Jack Gooding was elected as Chairman. It was further
decided that the name of the Club should be “Thatcham Bowling Club”, with play taking
place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Fixtures were arranged with
Kingsclere, Stockcross and Hungerford.
Initially, all catering was done from a small garden shed in the southwest corner of the
green. A small pavilion for catering and cloakroom facilities was acquired in 1952, but
unfortunately, on match days, had to be shared with the local cricket club, thus making the
serving of teas etc. the equivalent to a military operation.
“The Ashman Cup” was the first club competition inaugurated in 1952, with Mr. S. J.
Ashman donating the cup for a “4 Wood Singles Competition. A year later Colonel Neville
donated “The President’s Cup”, which was presented to the winners of a “4 Wood Pairs
Competition”.
A special meeting was called in 1953 to decide on the format of the Club blazer badge. It
was agreed that the depiction of a medieval castle and below it, the dates of 1150 and 1950
to represent the old bowling green at Henwick Manor and the birth of the present club.
The ensuing years have seen the Club grow and strengthen, with the gaining of honours at
both County and National level. Continued growth of membership to the present day has
produced a Club with a well-appointed clubhouse and a green of excellent quality.
2010 will mark our 60th Anniversary and the celebrations will be a milestone in the driving
force to ensure a long and successful future at the Club.
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