Brighouse Vets and Sowerby Bridge Vets cancel Mon/Tues games

Bowling News

LATEST: *** Sowerby Bridge Veterans League cancel all matches scheduled for Tuesday and they have been added to the end of season programme. (Martin Holt)

*** Brighouse Veterans League cancel all Monday afternoon matches

*** Heavy Woollen League discussing postponement of all Monday matches *** Huddersfield Veterans pass decision back to clubs The Huddersfield League has opted to pass the decision on postponing matches back to clubs with the following statement appearing on their Bowlsnet site at 10.15am this morning. Displaying a typical lack of leadership the League passes the responsibility to clubs and doesn't say how the situation of clubs not agreeing to a postponement should be handled.

There is no mention of anything about this dilemma on the HVBA website. Thank goodness for HuddWeb keeping local bowlers well informed about what is happening (or not) in their league.

The League's statement says .... Due to the extreme heat forecast for next monday 18th july,and tuesday 19th july, the M.C. have given the league secretary permission to to use discretion regarding rearranged fixtures. so any teams that are having concerns about bowling on these dates can set up an alternate date. the league secretary must be informed, alternate dates must be agreed by both teams within 7 days and played within 28 days in compliance with our rules. any problems contact the league secretary on 07780445336 or 01484 323338 or email sykesdavid257@gmail.com

The Met Office have issued a Red Warning of Extreme Heat for Monday and Tuesday. They have never issued a RED weather warning before - ever! The forecast for West Yorkshire is for temperatures of 36 C which is 97 F - that's very hot. We have to ask the question - when does it become too hot and dangerous for old people to be outside bowling?

The Veterans League has fixtures scheduled for Monday and Tuesday afternoons when the peak temperatures are forecast. A number of clubs are very concerned about the welfare of their bowlers and David Erving of Shepley for one has decided not to bowl either day as he would normally. He says:

I read your site every day so I'm surprised not to read any comments from you or your contributors commenting on the wisdom of continuing to hold both the 6 & 10 Vets Competitions next Monday and Tuesday following the Government warnings about the outside dangers of the forecast heat wave. I know for a fact that at least 2 or more of Shepley 6 & 10 teams have members who have heart conditions. Games have been postponed in the past due to severe wet and cold conditions so why not heat? Please note that these are my personal opinions and not those of the team or Shepley Club.

I also now know that some teams have started contacting each other to see if their concerns are shared and some have already intimated that they are looking to postpone their matches this week.

All our bowlers are aged over 60, many are aged over 80. Should we be subjecting them and others with underlying health conditions to the obvious risks that the heatwave will bring? Bowls England has issued some guidance below which includes the guidance to 'wherever possible to stay out of the sun'.

Nationally there is concern about the impact the weather could have and there is wide speculation that many schools will close on both days. The impact could become even more widespread as people start to assess the potential risk to their health.

I have previously highlighted the dangers of asking over-60's to play three matches on Finals Day of some Veterans League competitions in the middle of summer but this is a new ball-game. When we know that it is going to be red hot and we are asking 800 over-60's to come out into the sunshine for a couple of hours when all the sensible guidance says don't come out in the sunshine.

The Over-70's KO Finals Day continues to include 3 matches in a day and this year's event thankfully was not overly hot but the winner, Eddie Haigh, still reported on his problem of coping with the conditions and advising others to be careful about dehydration. I really hope that we are not reporting a sad incident next week when it is easily avoidable.

Please feel free to comment on this posting by using the Comments facility at the foot of this page which is open to all.

I see that Beverley Races has been cancelled for Monday. Even horses are not being asked to go out in the full sun so how come bowlers are?

Bowls England issued the following guidance to bowlers when the Met Office on Wednesday 13 July issued an AMBER warning for Sunday and Monday. Since then the Met Office has upgraded the warning to RED and amended the dates to Monday and Tuesday but the Bowls England hasn't been updated accordingly.

BOWLS ENGLAND EXTREME WEATHER GUIDANCE

13th July, 2022 by Rob Short

The Met Office has extended an Amber extreme heat warning as temperatures build later this week and into early next week for much of England. The Amber warning, which has been issued for Sunday (17 July) and Monday (18 July), highlights likely adverse health effects for the public – not just limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat. Temperatures could be in excess of 35°C in the southeast, and more widely around 32°C within the warning area. With the outdoor bowls season in full swing, we wished to provide guidance for players and officials ahead of the weekend. Whilst common sense should apply, we have prepared the below to further assist: ALL BOWLS ACTIVITY • Keep hydrated (water) and avoid dehydrating alcoholic and caffeinated drinks. • Wherever possible, stay out of the sun. Try to avoid physical exertion at the hottest times of the day, and always remember to put on a hat and wear sunscreen. • Consider rescheduling the time of matches to avoid the middle of the day between 11am-3pm and/or reducing the number of ends played (subject to mutual agreement of both parties)

The latest warning from the Met Office