Clacton & District Indoor Bowls Club
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The first mention of playing indoor bowls at Clacton-on-Sea appeared in the Clacton Times and East Essex Gazette on 10 October 1936. Members of the Clacton Bowling Club having suffered a wet summer, made a suggestion to the local council that the newly completed Band Pavilion was admirably suited to the playing of indoor bowls. They further suggested the Council should supply and lay a suitable floor covering.
By the 7 November 1936, with the promised support of some 60 people from the Clacton and Holland areas, the Council had agreed to the laying of Dundee Jute flooring together with the supply of rink markers, chalks and rubber mats, for the estimated cost of £180.
This was duly reported at the Annual Supper of the Clacton Bowls Club on the 21 November 1936 when members were informed that 3 rinks, each fourteen feet wide by one hundred feet long were to be laid. The local paper in covering the supper, reported such comments as "It was unusual for councillors to be unanimous".
Only two weeks later, the Council reported at their meeting on the 5 December 1936 that the new flooring had been laid at a cost of £162 : 9s : 9d. and would be available for play from the 1 January 1937. However, they decided that prior to play, an opening ceremony should be held. In a jovial aside it was suggested that all councillors attending the ceremony should be suitably attired in white trousers - or as suggested by a lady councillor - shorts!
And so Indoor Bowls at Clacton was born when on Saturday 19th December 1936 Councillor James Carter, Chairman of the Clacton Urban District Council, bowled the first jack and declared the new green "Open" Following the opening ceremony a game was played between two scratch sides amongst which appeared the name of Mr.W.W.F. Johns who subsequently became an County and England bowler. Willy, as he was affectionately known was still active until his recent demise and together with his wife Elsie took a keen interest in all the bowls happenings in the area.
The greens were to be managed and run by the council and charges were as follows:-
Season tickets One year January 1 to December 31, £1. 10s. Half year January 1 to Easter, £1. 1s. Half year Mid-October to December 31 £1. 1s Non-Season ticket holders, 6d per hour.
The hours of play to be from 10.30am. to 10pm on weekdays only. However the Entertainments Committee were quick to amend the playing hours to include Sundays from 10.30am to 5.30pm. Following the cessation of hostilities in 1945 the club members were allowed access to their indoor greens and bowling continued at this venue until 1971, when new premises were built on the extension to the recreation ground adjacent to Valley Road. Unfortunately the new building was unable to open as scheduled in November 1971 due to it not being finished (where have I heard that before?)
However on January 26th 1972 the club occupied its new premises in Valley Road. This extended the playing area from three rinks to four and the present Clacton and District Indoor Bowls Club is still situated on that site. The Club ever forward looking added to this arrangement by constructing a further two rinks making six in total but with a low timber barrier separating the two and four rinks.
By 1952 the ladies section had been formed. Subs being £1 - 12s - 6d. with rink fees recorded at 1 shilling and sixpence per session. Records suggest that the ladies membership was not to exceed 24 but by 1953 the membership had been raised to 26! The current ladies uniform of blue and grey/white was decided in 1958.
The ladies section has always been a very active part of the club and the ladies membership grew steadily with 40 members in 1963, 72 by 1973 and 128 by 1979. The present ladies membership is now over 200. As their numbers increased so did their subscriptions. In 1973 they needed to pay a joining fee of £5 with a subscription of £4. By 1983 the joining fee had gone up to £40 and the annual subscription to £15.
The wearing of hats has been - and still is - a subject for discussion and records again show that in 1958 ladies were required to wear grey hats with a light blue band and a badge when playing indoors. A further extract from the minute book in 1972 states that hats were now optional but SMILES were mandatory. The present royal blue cardigan was introduced in 1983.
Members (both men and ladies) were continually being frustrated during play on the rinks adjacent to the low wall between the four and two rinks. Always a delicate point as to whether a swinging bowl had actually touched the low upstand!
Decisions were taken to demolish the whole of the structure containing the four and two rink greens and rebuild with a new six rink area.
The demolition was carried out during the summer of 1995. The new building was completed in 1996 and once again an opening ceremony was held at which the Minister of Sport Mr Ian Sproat was able to declare the new extended bowls centre open.
Current Information
The Clacton and District Indoor Bowls Club now have first class facilities together with a combined membership of some 700-1000 members. The General Committee always conscious of the need to maintain the standard of the fabric, provide a continuing programme of remedial work and improvement throughout the close season.
At the Moment their is no website but one is being made which you can see at http://www.cdibc.co.nr [link]
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