New Milton BC: 1924-present

B&DBA: A History of Current & Bygone Bowling Clubs

The History

In 1924, two local businessmen proposed a bowling club be added to the town, which already had football, rugby and cricket on the Recreation Ground. The trustees did not respond favourably, but regardless, George Wesley and William Bowers canvassed the local community and around 70 residents responded positively. A public meeting was held at the Scala Cinema in Station Road on 13th May 1924, when officers and a committee were elected to the newly formed The Milton & District Bowling Club. The name gradually changed in the years ahead, and by 1929 the Club would be known as New Milton Bowling Club.

A site for the Club was agreed at the undeveloped land at the north east corner of the Recreation Ground, and the turf was purchased and completed being laid by 4th May 1925. A fence, shrubs and a hut to store tools and equipment were also required and swiftly completed in the same year. On 16th February 1926 at a public meeting, forty attendees were present and were informed of the progress being made in creating a green. An appeal was made for a donation of a roller and benches. Having seen the project through over the first two years, founding members William Bowers was elected as the first captain of the club and George Wesley the vice-captain.

The Club opened on 28th April 1926, with a match consisting of players from their membership of 44. The President, Major Trestrail stated that the Club were not in debt but they wished to be on a much sounder financial footing if they could raise their membership to one hundred.

A pavilion was built at the start of 1929 after committee member Captain Waggott said he could build one for £80, excluding the installation of sanitation, which was much less than all avenues the Club had explored in the previous year, ranging in cost from £177 to £241. One idea was to buy a small wooden bungalow in Barton on Sea, dismantle it, and move to the bowling green, which was rejected due to being impractical.

The first record of competitive play at the club came on 26th August 1929, when eight players from the Hampshire Bowling Association came to the club for a match, of which two players were England Internationals. The Hampshire team won by 31 shots to 28. The club were congratulated on their skilful play and the secretary of the Hampshire Bowling League encouraged them to enter the county league which would provide an opportunity to gain more bowling experience.

In 1930, the bowling club became associate members of the ‘B’ League of the Bournemouth Bowling Association. The New Milton Advertiser stated in November that the Club had a successful season in the Bournemouth ‘B’ League and that the standard of games played during club competitions was high. Despite the successes being experienced on the green, the Club financially was now in debt to the sum of £38, due to the cost of the pavilion, ongoing costs of maintaining the green, and paying the groundsmen. For these reasons, the council agreed to take over the bowling green, the pavilion and assets, for which they would pay the club £300 and give them a five-year tenancy. The council also agreed to purchase new turf, which they got from Badbury Rings, and this was laid on top of the existing turf in 1931.

By the 1940s, the club was well established, but times were different due to WWII. All league games came to an abrupt halt it was announced in January 1940, whilst council maintenance to the Green was at a minimum, asking for members to make a light-touch in helping keeping the Green playable for friendlies, that needed to be finished by 5pm, due to the last bus at 6pm before the black-out. It was noted in Club Minutes in September 1944 that there were many complaints about bicycles - the main form of wartime transport - being parked all over the place, especially in front of the pavilion.

The 1960s and 1970s saw derision and low morale at the Club. Members wanted the old guard off the committee, and relationships between the men and women teams at the club were poor, with communications happening over written communication, rather than meeting up to discuss issues. Membership also dropped significantly, which exasperated matters, particularly when it came to filling roles on the committee. 

The Club were thinking ahead to their Jubilee year in 1974, and put plans in place two years previous, to extend their lower green from four rinks to six. At the time, two of the rinks were also solely for public use, which limited the number of rinks available to the Club to use for competitions. The focus on the lower green meant that at the 1973 AGM, discussions were had over the wear and tear of the top green, with members being worried that the Club would be kicked out of the B&DBA due to its poor quality. Years later, in 1980, Vickers Bowling Club visited the Club and asked the B&D to remove New Milton from the league until the greens improved.

The low-use of the lower green in 1982, due to the Ladies not using the green as much as they could do, meant the Club were in danger of losing the lower green. The council was frustrated at having to meet with three separate entities (Men’s-Ladies-Indoor) on so many matters. The opportunity therefore arose for the two clubs to unify, but the ladies unanimously voted against.

The focus in the 1990s was, once again, for a new pavilion. The council put forward two options in 1991, and the one for £175,000 was confirmed, with a new 21-year lease. The Club agreed to contribute £30,000 plus all the fittings, however, due to a lottery grant, only £4000 was paid to the Council, who also agreed to meet most of the fitting-out costs too. A new pavilion was long-awaited by some 40 years, but finally in 1996, more than 150 attended their Opening Day.

The Club attempted to combine the financial affairs of the men and ladies together in 2011, but was outvoted 5 to 2, and took another six years before this occurred. Around this time, complaints were made about some members not wearing ties for league matches and that they wanted this resolved urgently!

In 2023, as a result of all the issues that Covid brought to us, and grounds maintenance was somewhat not a priority, for obvious reasons, the club and the council agreed that qualified club members could take over the maintenance of the grounds; but the council were still happy to support the Club and help where necessary.

The Centenary Year - 2024

During New Milton’s centenary season, the club held many special events to mark the occasion. They started by holding two Open Days, which was followed by Bowls England visiting on 3rd July who sent a team of players from all over the country to play. The day will live long in the memories as the members were presented with a signed framed shirt that sits proudly in the clubhouse. Joining the club on the day were the Mayor, the Town Clerk, Head of Amenities, the local MP, the press and many others. 

Commenting on the day, Maureen Clark, NMBC President, wrote: “What a great day, after 2 years of planning, everything fell into place wonderfully. The many volunteers to help prepare the Green and surroundings, parking arrangements, plus the lounge preparations and of course the catering arrived early and set to work. Many thanks to all that came to help. The Mayor and President of Bowls England bowled the first woods to start the afternoons games. The weather remained fine and the matches produced much keen competition with some excellent bowling. All players and guests gathered in the lounge after for the most enjoyable meal and drinks proceeded by toasts and speeches from both Presidents. On departure, the visitors praised the Club for all the well organised, enthusiastic welcomes, beautiful surroundings, excellent green, superb catering, friendship from our Great Club and many stated that they were looking forward to visitation again in the future.”

Later the same month, a team from each of the New Forest Clubs were invited to join its’ members for a day of bowling, entertainment and dinner. Nine clubs took part in a Triples match, which saw the New Forest teams win. In August teams from the Bournemouth and District league also participated in a match with New Milton BC.

A special members day was held specifically to involve current and previous members and their families to enjoy a day of bowling and entertainment. The club published a Celebration book for the occasion, with the history of the club over the years (composed by Nick Saunders) and greetings from several local companies wishing New Milton Bowling Club the very best of health for the next 100 years.