Welcome to the Marden Bowls Club Website. We hope you find it both interesting and informative.
The village of Marden is situated in the Weald of Kent and is a rapidly expanding village since it lies on the main line railway from Ashford through to Tonbridge and onward to London. The one-hour journey time to London is ideal for residents seeking to commute into the city for work.
The Bowls Club was founded in 1971, and we had several 50th anniversary functions during 2021 to celebrate this landmark. The club has seen many changes from the initial five rink green with small wooden changing rooms and toilets. In the late seventies an extra rink was added to make it into a regular six rink green. In the late nineties we worked very hard to secure a grant from the National Lottery to help with the construction of a purpose-built clubhouse which allows room for short mat bowling during the winter months. In 2012 the kitchen was increased in size and a bar added to make us fully independent for social events.
The outdoor summer season starts at the end of April and runs through until mid-September, after which contractors visit to do the necessary autumn repair work, ensuring the green is back to its best by the Spring. We are proud that with a small team of members voluntarily working on the green we can boast one of the better greens in Kent and regularly host Kent matches and competitions.
The summer season is a very active few months and allows members to enjoy bowls to their own level of expertise. On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons there are regular sessions when members come along for casual bowling and are always willing to assist new members. We also have a club coach for those new members looking to improve their game. There are also Club Competitions arranged for all members culminating with a Finals Weekend in September, and a Presentation Dinner/Lunch in January.
The Club has a good programme of Friendly matches against local clubs, normally arranged for Saturday or Sunday afternoons. These games offer the chance for new members to progress into a match environment and offer existing members the opportunity to meet up with old friends from other clubs. Bowls is a very sociable sport, and acquaintances last for many years.
The Club also compete in the following leagues, which allow members to play more competitively, but even these games are played in a friendly cordial environment:
- The Weald League, which is for both ladies and gentlemen, is a two or three triples league played on either a Monday or Tuesday evening.
- The Maidstone and District Association League which is four men’s rinks with matches played at the weekend or midweek evenings, but if we can build up our lady’s section after Covid, there is also a separate Ladies League of just one Triple. The Association also organises a range of competitions for both ladies and men with Finals Day in early September. Many of the trophies for these competitions date back one hundred years.
- The Millenium League again is a four rinks league for men. This league was aimed at attracting some of the bigger clubs in the area to compete against each other and runs a knockout team competition.
- Finally, there is a Friday Men’s Triples League of five divisions with each team consisting of two triples. Marden currently have two teams competing.
Short Mat
After the green is prepared for winter, the clubhouse is transformed into a two mat short mat center with weekly Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoon sessions offering the chance for regular bowling, and there are also matches arranged with local clubs. The club also run short mat competitions which can be arranged on mutually agreeable dates with the Finals afternoon in April. Presentation of trophies is at the dinner/lunch in January.
Social
We also hold social events during the year with a Christmas Social in December. Fund raising for Charity has been a prominent feature on our calendar with a fund-raising event in August, and over the last few years we have raised over £1,000 for the Heart of Kent Hospice.
To a prospective new member this may seem very action packed, which obviously it can be, but it is normal to select your level of involvement and enjoy which ever level suits you.
In summary we can guarantee that anyone joining Marden Bowls Club, or just visiting the village for a few days will always be extended a warm welcome. For membership information, please visit our Join Us page.