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Calling all clubs

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Glory Down Under

Glory Down Under

Callingallclubs...

With the Club Awards closing for entries on July 31, Sports Club Management offers up a whirlwind tour of just some of the clubs who’ve entered the Awards so far –from cricket clubs to rugby clubs and from Dorset to Lancashire. Have you entered yet? Time to get inspired...

COBHAM SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB Dorset

With an mighty membership of 2600, Cobham Sports and Social Club is one of the true jewels of the Dorset scene and one of the relative newcomers to boot, having only been open since 1971 –a mere baby compared to some. Part of the reason for the venue’s ongoing success and steady increase in membership is its modern, forward-thinking approach. This has included the redevelopment of their bowling alley into two alleys with a diner, which is proving hugely popular with children and groups. The members’ lounge is seeing the two food areas combined serving 2000 meals per week on average. There’s also a barbecue in the outside area. The club has two cricket fields, two football pitches, tennis courts, a multi-use games area and a bowling green as well as a 9-hole golf course, pool and darts. There's even a mini railway within the large grounds. The two well-stocked bars play host to sports screenings, and when the lights go down, customers can enjoy live music (including regular tribute acts) and quizzes which always go down a storm.

SOUTHPORT AND AINSDALE GOLF CLUB Merseyside

Opened in 1906 Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club is currently reaping the benefits of quite a major overhaul over the past year, which has seen an impressive refurbishment of the already outstanding clubhouse. The club hosted the British Boys Championships which gave the club a big boost and there has been an increase in ladies’ membership and a big push to increase membership for juniors. Alongside the superb course, members can enjoy a bar which is as well stocked as any in the land, with an excellent cask ale offering and a myriad of thirst-quenching post-putting tipples. Food can also be enjoyed after a busy afternoon on the fairways and the club plays host to regular social events, including snooker competitions, when golf greens are swapped for the green baize.

WEST HEATON BOWLING, TENNIS AND SQUASH CLUB Stockport

As its name suggests, West Heaton Bowling, Tennis and Squash Club is a sports club with a range of activities. It’s been around for a while –143 years to be exact –and has seen a membership boost of around 100 members in recent months. There’s been a real investment in facilities at this lovely venue, with new lighting on tennis courts, Astroturf installed and two canopies on the bowling green. Events have been hugely popular, including the Marston’s Open Championships. On top of all the sporting investment and activity, there’s also been £30,000 ploughed into the bar and lounge. Members can enjoy a huge function room as well as a well-stocked bar, serving up a stupendous array of real ales. Sky and BT are all present and correct and there is a whole range of regular events and entertainment such as quizzes, live music, barbecues, comedy nights and parties over the summer.

WORKINGTON ZEBRAS Cumbria

Cumbria’s Workington Zebras club has been around a fair old while, having opened its doors in 1877. This rugby club has witnessed some massive changes including the establishment of the ladies’ rugby team which has been a big success. One of the reasons for its continued growth is that many of the ‘old boys’ have returned to join committees, providing a huge investment of time into the running the club and its events. An RFU grant has seen the

changing rooms updated and there’s been a refurbishment of the existing grandstand as well as a wholesale redecorating of the club itself. The rugby teams are obviously the focal point here but there’s superb all-round catering for other activities such as pool and darts. On the social side, there’s an annual beer festival and the club regularly plays host to birthday parties and other special occasions. You could say that this is a venue that has more than earned its stripes.

BASHLEY CRICKET CLUB Hampshire

Nestled within the picturesque Hampshire town of Bashley, Bashley Cricket Club has been running since 1947 and does what it says on the tin, catering for the cricketing fraternity in the area. The club has been subject to refurbishments over recent times, with many improvements to the ground, ensuring that this is one of the best in the area. They’ve re-laid the main ground, for example, and extended the second ground to make it full size, topping all of this off with a spanking new pavilion. Inside the clubhouse, members can enjoy a very decent all-round selection of drinks in the main bar, a ladies’ darts team play regularly and social events –including live music and games nights –are popular, especially during the off season. A real winner amongst its community.

OLD REIGATIAN RFC Surrey

Surrey’s Old Reigatian is a rugby club that has endured its share of dramas, both on the field and off, over recent years. The venue was the victim of two fires in 2014, both coming just a fortnight apart. The club has spent two years getting back on its feet with its loyal staff conducting operations from a portakabin. Despite the hardships, the club is proud to have retained its 1000-strong membership. It has recently secured former Saracens prop and Surrey Senior Head Coach Richie Andrews as Director of Rugby and is hosting a Harlequins Training Camp this Summer. A rugby club through and through, players and members can enjoy all that the clubhouse has to offer which includes a gym plus two bars and, on the social side, live music in the clubhouse is a particularly popular draw at this impressive venue.

ELTON SAILING CLUB Lancashire

This small but perfectly formed sailing club in Lancashire first opened its doors back in 1858. But it’s clearly not showing its age. The 158 year-old club reports that membership is on the rise and a refurbishment in the past 12 months is helping to increase its profile still further. The club also prides itself on its members’ groups such as ‘Ladies who Launch’ sailing nights on Thursdays. It’s not just about life on the ocean wave here, however, with a focal point also being a busy social events calendar. Elton’s social committee ensures that members are entertained with live music, brass bands, country and western hoedowns, quiz nights, casino nights (often 007-themed), darts nights and summer barbecues. So all in all, this is a club very much with the wind in its sails.

MADDOCK SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB Shropshire

Maddock Sports and Social Club in Telford caters for the sports-minded customer but is also a community establishment, priding itself on a whole host of different events to keeps its members entertained. Opened in 1981, the club has undergone a major refurbishment over the past year, having sold some land to fund it. This has now been completed and is regarded as a major success, further raising the profile of an already excellent venue which is still a relative newcomer. Members are now heading to the club in droves and new people are signing up. In terms of the sport on offer, there’s a big bowling green as well as a snooker room with three tables, both of which are used on a regular basis. The club regularly hosts big darts and pool competitions which are hugely popular, while entertainment on Saturday nights includes singers and comedians keeping the clientele happy long into the night and after.

ROSS-ON-WYE BOWLING CLUB Herefordshire

This is the best bowling club in Herefordshire, according to those in charge. And the members of this club, founded in the roaring ’20s, would surely agree. There’s been a real investment in its membership which is growing steadily and has even seen people migrating from other clubs in the area. Skittles as well as bowls, is something that they do here and the green is most certainly up there with the best. For the thirsty

bowlers, there’s also something to be celebrated as the club places a lot of emphasis on maintaining affordable prices at its bar. There’s also a large function room and lounge where members and their guests can relax pre and post games, as well as great outside seating areas. There’s been a major drive to increase the amount of social events, with a busy committee ensuring that there’s something for all tastes. Regular events include fun days and fancy dress occasions, live music and dances.

ST. GEORGES SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB Shropshire

A Shropshire sensation, Telford’s St. Georges Sports & Social Club is about as welcoming and friendly as they come. The club’s been in operation since 1954 and recently changed its stewardship which has seen new policies implemented. One of these has been a drive to ensure that, as well as occasional guests popping in for a pint, they also retain their healthy membership for those wishing to use its facilities on a more regular basis. The club has cricket, football, bowling, hockey and darts teams as well as dominoes, and provides social activities in equal measure, with a function room regularly hired out and a members’ lounge serving food. For those preferring to watch sport than play it, both BT Sport and Sky Sports are on hand. Real ale is popular at the bar which has an impressive eight hand-pulls, and the club’s beer festival draws in the crowds.

ASHFORD GOLF CLUB Kent

This awesome all-round golf club has been playing host to putters and punters since 1903. It has a loyal membership who regularly turn up to make the most of the magnificent fairways of the 18-hole course - that membership is on the increase and it’s not hard to see why. The management have invested a lot into driving customer retention, with a reduced fee for those under 35. It has also incorporated other golf clubs in the area into its membership. Since bringing their catering in-house, members can now enjoy an excellent food offering both in the club restaurant and bar areas. The club prides itself on welcoming all ages and regularly offers incentives for younger members as a means of maintaining the club’s profile as well as that of the sport's in general.

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