PARIBC Potters trip report and pictures = May 2026, (Fri 08/05/26 – Fri 15/05/26).
Just a brief report of the latest annual trip, of what was the usual superb and very successful week away, for PARIBC, at the Potters resort in Norfolk. At the end of the report, you will see a few pics of the group, which probably convey more, than the following blurb and my thanks go to Mick T Smith and Patricia Wells for taking these. I also believe there are some other pics on the PARIBC Facebook site? Thanks, are also due to all those who drove and gave lifts to others, to / from Norfolk. The tour party comprised 62 people, 49 bowlers, (see below) and 13 guests; June Cook, Jane Edwards, Dave Elliott, Vaughan Jones, Bernie & John Mercer, Jackie & Robert Prankard, Janet Small, Gloria Smith, Fred Spears, Fran Sutherland and Mike Williams. 10 of the 62 people went for a seven nights break and the remaining 52 went for a four nights break. All seemed to enjoy themselves, both on and perhaps more importantly, off the green and it seems that the good social nature of PARIBC, shone through all week, which counts for a lot, to show off the Club in the right way. Dealing with the bowling itself, PARIBC had 12 teams of 4’s, entered into the 46 team competition:-
Team A = Dave Adams, Alan Cross, Gwen Green, Patrick Sheehan => P4, W2, D1, L1. = 5 pts.
Team B = Roy Baston, Christine Heward, Tom Heward, Jean Lacey => P4, W2, D1, L1. = 5 pts.
Team C = Elaine Beard, Ray Ecclestone, Doug Whiteoak, Jo Whiteoak => P4, W3, D0, L1. = 6 pts.
Team D = Eddy Bell, Rose Bell, Colin Medhurst, Margaret Slipper => P4, W4, D0, L0. = 8 pts.
Team E = Colin Capeling, Phil Cook, Kevin Edwards, Joanne Green => P4, W4, D0, L0. = 8 pts.
Team F = Marc Carr, Dot Elliott, Derrick Small, Sue Smith => P4, W3, D0, L1. = 6 pts.
Team G= Dave Cook, Val Cook, Mick T Smith, Glynis Whatman => P4, W2, D0, L2. = 4 pts.
Team H = Julie Fitzpatrick, Roger Fitzpatrick, Henry Longhurst, Patricia Longhurst => P4, W1, D0, L3. = 2 pts.
Team I = Gunnar Hreinsson, Sheila Matthews, Shirley Milton, Steve Timcke => P4, W3, D1, L0. = 7 pts.
Team J = Bruce Robinson, Jan Robinson, Colin Talbot, Sheila Talbot => P4, W4, D0, L0. = 8 pts.
Team K = Mike R Smith, Dave Sutherland, Patricia Wells, Deidre Williams => P4, W4, D0, L0. = 8 pts.
Team L = Christine Stone, Keith Stone, Babs Wood, Brian Wood => P4, W2, D0, L0 = 4 pts.
[A couple of footnotes:- Unfortunately, an illness to one of the players in Team A, meant they had to concede defeat halfway through their last match, of the first round, when a victory, may have put them in with a shout of also reaching the quarter finals, but at least the illness was not too severe and no hospital visit was required, as had appeared to be the case when first taken ill. Thanks to Alan Cross for all his hard work and efforts in getting this all sorted. And to save bringing the Club into disrepute, as he did not have a proper PARIBC shirt, (allegedly?), the organiser, was prevented from playing with the PARIBC teams and so was teamed up with 3 other holidaymakers from various parts of the UK, who were also at Potters for the week and played in the other half of the draw).]
From the guaranteed 4 matches, in the first round of the tournament, PARIBC manged to get five teams into the quarter finals, (there was no last sixteen round this year), namely teams D, E, I, J and K, with teams C and F just missing out on also going through, due to a shots difference, as they finished in 9th and 10th positions from the first round matches. It must be noted that all through the first round, many PARIBC teams picked up some big scores and Team E in particular, looked unstoppable, as they racked up massive wins each time in their 4 matches overall, only conceding about 8 shots against, but scoring over 90 shots for, in the process.
In the quarter finals, PARIBC teams D and J were drawn against each other, whilst teams E, I and K were up against other strong Oppo teams from Boston IBC and Dunholme IBC. In the all – PARIBC affair, Team J prevailed, but only just, in a match that was decided with the last wood of the match. Elsewhere, teams I and K succumbed to aforementioned tough Oppo, leaving just Team E to go through as well, as they comfortably won their match. The semi – finals saw the two PARIBC teams luckily kept apart but pitted against the two Dunholme IBC teams. Could we get an all PARIBC final again?…You betcha!….oops that has spoilt the suspense! Again Team E, once they got ahead, never looked back and won easily, but the other match was nip and tuck till the last and halfway through, Team J were 2 down overall and on that particular end, 4 down, but a weighted firing shot by the Team J skip and a bit of luck, saw the woods come to rest in their favour and remarkably go from being 4 down, to somehow being 4 up, for that end. And from then on, they just managed to keep ahead for the rest of the match, to set up an all PARIBC final. Hurrah! The final itself was a very cagey affair, (think Fri night fish and chips roll up at the Club, but without the chips…you get my drift!), with each player matching their Oppo number when it came to their turn and as such, after 7 ends, the score was just 4 – 3, in Team J’s favour with the last end to go. This last end was equally as close, but with just the skips to play, Team E were 2 down on the green and despite 2 cracking efforts, the last, a “just missed by a whisker” fire, by the skip of Team E, nothing changed and so the last wood was not required to be bowled and Team J had won 6 – 3. Suffice to say they were in a bit of a shock at their win! Warm handshakes, kisses and smiles all round, (and that was just in the crowd!) and PARIBC could be proud not only of the 2 finalists, but the contribution of all 12 teams in the comp. The runners up and winners then collected their prizes from bowls professional, Les Gillett, (who is now in charge of bowls ops at Potters after taking over from Greg Harlow) and then came the praise and congratulations from all the watching PARIBC members and friends, as well as from other watching spectators. And handily, having the Club Prez and Club Vice Chairman on the hols, meant the Club hierarchy were able to be there to congratulate both teams in person. Good luck to both teams in December. This year there was no Top Club Trophy on offer to be won for this week, a point Potters failed to mention, till the end of the comp. Hugely disappointing, as the very good showing by all 12 teams in the first round matches, would have meant PARIBC would have won it. But hey ho, we all know we did rather well and besides, the excellent social and friendly side of the Club, shown off by all players and guests, towards all others at Potters, on and off the green, was very evident for all to see all week and that surely counts for more than any trophy. Up the Arthur!
An advance party of 10 people went up on the Friday, to enjoy a weekend of frivolity, (and it certainly was all that and more), before the massed ranks turned up on the Monday and it was here, in the quiet moments that you got to learn so much more, than what you just see of the people when at the Club. Talk about never judge a book, etc., etc. and so just a few points to comment on………
Although enjoying himself to the full, the quiet and reserved manner, (although not if he is losing in a bowls match, ho, ho!), of Mike R Smith was very evident, but we learnt that he not only builds and flies model aircraft, but he is also a national champion in his class. Who knew? Then there was Steve Timcke, (ex army and ex Tfl, good pensions there me thinks?), who, we learnt is an accomplished guitar player and plays in a band that regularly tours this country and Europe. Who knew? So much so, that he brought one of his many expensive bass guitars with him to practise and at night, could be seen in his room, headphones on, jumping around with guitar around his neck. We asked for a drugs test to be carried out, as to what he was smoking in his vape, (permanently attached to his body!), but the test was negative and just showed that his favourite vape, was a mixed asparagus and pickled egg flavour. Not a particular favourite me thinks on the vape scene, but I could be wrong?! And speaking of music, it seems Mick T Smith is rapidly turning into a finely tuned organ player, (of the musical kind!), who knew? And as such, he also brought this with him to play and like Steve , could often be found at practise in his hotel room. No wonder wife Gloria was at the bar so much! Thus, it seems we have PARIBCs answer to “Chas and Dave”, (more like “Daz and Shave”) and they could be coming to a concert venue near you some time soon, offering up their combination of shouty oi! and folk / jazz / funk / techno / house music! They only need a drummer to complete the trio, but a thigh slapping Club bar manageress, in her dungarees, does not count, despite how much she was getting into the Potters shows each night!
Meanwhile, those of a certain age will remember from the war films where the allies sent odd random sentences in their radio broadcasts, which the Resistance would pick up and understand that they were in fact, coded messages, about upcoming attacks or plane drops, etc., etc. Well, come Saturday morning at breakfast, we were approached by the PARIBC Ladies Capt. Deidre Williams and Ladies Vice Capt. Patricia Wells, (when this happens, be afraid, be very afraid!), who, after saying good morning to all, then blurted out that…“The seagull is on the nest” and then continued with their breakfast order. Our reaction was firstly to check if they were sober, (the jury was out on this one!), but ex – squaddie Steve Timcke nodded, winked and rubbed his nose and left the table and went off to the beach, as he thought the invasion had started, whilst “Squadron Leader” Mike R Smith, set about scrambling many a plane, rather than the eggs. After much consultation, “Hinge and Bracket”, were only talking about the nesting seagulls on the chalet roofs that were attacking the passers – by and for all to be to be careful. Needless to say, once the two ladies had consumed their full English, they washed these down with a couple of spritzers each!
Not only is he a top – class and many a trophy winning bowler, both indoors and outdoors, (who can also knit as well, is there no end to his talents?!), but Kevin Edwards, is also renowned for his fishing antics. Who knew?………we all know!!! So much so that his good lady wife Jane, hardly sees much of him…not that she is complaining on that point! Anyway, on the Saturday, old “Tight Lines” went off for a day’s fishing at one of the local lakes, (we won’t mention the size of his packed lunch and no, that is not a euphemism!), and those remaining on site, pledged not to mention fishing, or talk about it, when we he got back. Alas, Patricia Wells who had spent Saturday afternoon, partaking of different variations of Irish coffee, (with whiskey, brandy, rum and even vodka in them!), arrived at the dinner table and uttered the words we didn’t want to hear, “So Kev, hic, how was the fishing today, hic?!”, at which point all those around the table slumped. Some 8 hours later and we were still hearing about the fish that got away, let alone those that had been caught, but his story of him offering his parental advise, to one of the other fishermen and his young son on site today, was a nice touch from the big man, proving he really is an all – round good egg. If only we knew how old, he really is?!
Back to our favourite ex armed forces man, Mr Timcke esq., and he got rather hooked on the bingo, so much so that each day he went out and bought a new dobber each time and come Thursday, he was joining in with all the bingo call and nicknames and even googling the opening times for the Mecca bingo halls back in Kent! With the big money winner from 2 years ago, Kevin Edwards, (wife Jane has still not seen any of the winnings?), also present, then we were looking at a serious case of gambling addiction which was luckily spotted early by the welfare officer and as such, both men, have been offered counselling and the chance to go into re – hab for this addiction on their return to Kent. We can but hope that they take up this offer. And on the bingo front, over the week, in the Tony and Val bingo, (“Hoy, Hoy”) there were a couple of wins for Patricia Wells, (mass profiterole consumption, not good when trying to get into that outfit for the wedding next week!), whilst in the main nightly bingo there were wins for Roger Fitzpatrick and Roy Baston, so well done to them all. When Roger won, his was the first game of the night and as per usual with the first winner of the night, there is very little applause, although on this night in fact there was none. A point that was picked up by the compere, when the 2nd winner and subsequent following winners, all did get a round of applause. Thus, Roger was the “most unpopular” winner of the night and this joke was played out all week, with Roger actually revelling in his new found “fame”, but then again, he did have the last laugh, as he counted his winnings!
Away from the green, the more important aspects of the holiday and enjoyment, took place. Each day and night, there were numerous other activities to participate in, or alternatively, plenty of spaces to enjoy the warm, if a little muggy, weather and relax, with a bit of peace and quiet. I think there were only 2 PARIBC wrong biases bowled all week, (unless you know differently?), although Steve Timcke and Tom Heward have still to pay their fines. It was nice to catch up with Fran and Dave Sutherland again, after their time away from the Club, (have they changed….nope!) and here’s hoping that they will soon be back at the Club on a more permanent basis. And well done to Derrick Small and Mick T Smith, on winning 2 bottles of wine for the Club raffles, (so saving the Club money), by winning one of the daily music quizzes. We won’t mention Patricia Longhurst’s match planner skills and subsequent high stress levels…now is it rink 6, or rink 12, we are playing on today?, bowls bar or international? and at what time? But at least it meant hubby Henry was getting his steps in! No wonder Mrs L went with sister – in – law, Jackie Prankard, to all the various health and spiritual activities on offer all week…”Sit back, drift off and let your mind go blank and relax”! As per normal, the usual, late night drinkers again manned their posts till the last, to give PARIBC good representation in the bar, well into the small hours and then good to see them up and fresh, first thing in for breakfast the next day. If you ask any of those on the trip, they will gladly fill you in with the details of what went on, far better than I can recount here. Hopefully the PARIBC first timers to Potters enjoyed the trip, as well as hoping the two couples from outside clubs, Julie and Roger Fitzpatrick, (Townsend Hook BC) and Christine & Keith Stone, (Borstal BC), also had a good time, found us a friendly…ish enough bunch and enjoyed our company, as much as we enjoyed theirs?
On the last night, the tour group kindly presented the organiser with a more than generous monetary collection and gifts, one of which was a brand new PARIBC shirt, so no excuses now, (apparently?), on the dress code front and also, his annual PARIBC membership for next year has been paid from the collection. A bit of a dilemma, as this now leaves him trying to claim back his recently taken out annual membership for Sevenoaks IBC! All these kind gifts were certainly something very much appreciated, (thanks to one and all for their generosity), but very much undeserved, because as with all social bits we, as a club do, if people don’t support them, then they don’t happen, no matter how well / badly, they are organised.
Thus, looking ahead, hopefully next year’s possible fifteenth trip, will be just as enjoyable, rewarding and eventful, as the previous fourteen, so look out for the call up sheets, that will soon appear on the noticeboards. And if you are interested in going, or just want to know any more information, then please speak with any of the people that have been in the previous years. They will tell it, as it is, so it won’t be all good and hopefully won’t be all bad but will give you a more balanced view of the trip, (both good and bad points) , rather than all of the above. Everybody seems to mix and gel on the trips, you are not left on your own and we are a friendly bunch, even the miserable and grumpy old organiser, believe it or not! In terms of numbers taken each year, the figures are as follows:- In 2011 we took 35 people, in 2012 we took 52, in 2013 we took 57, in 2014 we took 64, in 2015 we took 67, in 2016 we took 68, in 2017 we took 79, in 2018 we took 58, in 2019 we took 28, in both 2020 and 2021, Covid meant there were no trips, in 2022 we took 36, in 2023 we took 49, in 2024 we took 55, in 2025 we took 70 and this year we took 62. So, roll on 2027, when we hopefully do it all over again.
Kind regards, your correspondent,
The Thin Man.
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Page Last Updated on 27th May 2026