Page 42 - Summer Issue 2018 Final

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CLUB FOCUS
42 CLUB FOCUS

Ideford SMBC, Devon
Ideford SMBC, Devon

Ideford, pronounced without the “E”, is a small Parish of around 1130 acres (460 Hectares), in a
sheltered area of South Devon between the rivers Exe & Teign. The Parish consists of a the main
village of Ideford with outlying hamlets of Olchard, Ideford Combe and Hestow, all of which have
a very longstanding residential and farming history dating back to the 11th Century.
The ancient road from Exeter to
Newton Abbot, for many years, formed
the western boundary of the Parish and
when this was re-aligned in the 1970's,
a parcel of land to the west of the new
road was developed with a small number
of new properties which remain within
the Parish.
On the 12th April 1990 members of
the Village Hall Committee decided to
hold a taster session of Short Mat Bowl-
ing. This was a great success and
I.S.M.B.C. was born. We started by meeting every Tuesday and received a grant of £200 from
Teignbridge Council towards equipment.
For our first few weeks we hired a mat and bowls from Broad Meadow Sports Centre. In
1991 with this set of bowls we went to Dunsford Village to play a friendly game of bowls, but before
we got into their hall the bottom of the box fell out and the bowls all ran down the hill!
At this time we had twenty one members so two teams were formed to enter the Tolchard
(Exeter) League. Ideford "A" & Ideford "B" Both teams did well in this league until we lost several
members and had to leave through lack of players. Ideford was one of the six teams to start the
Teignbridge Fours and Pairs and both competition are still running.
From a twenty four hour bowling session we raised enough money to buy two new mats and
Jacks. From the beginning we were lucky to have Fred Crispen as the Club President, Who sup-
ported us with many donations and a Presidents Cup which members play for every year. ln 1994
we formed with other Teignbridge clubs Teignbridge Mini League, which was a success from day
one, with all clubs play each other on a home and away basis.
We have in the past had members play for the Devon County Team, which was very good
for a small Village club. At the moment our membership is only eight players but we keep fighting,
hoping for good things to come. We still compete in the Teignbridge League and also play friendly
matches in Torquay Leisure hotels and at the Langstone Cliff hotel in Dawlish Warren.
Ann Hunt

ED - Ideford is my club and is typical of the many small village clubs around the country struggling
to turn out a team to compete in the local league. As you would expect, they are a very friendly
bunch and would of course welcome new players to the club. Ann Hunt can be contacted on 01626
- 854479 Email ann.hunt500@sky.com

PLEASE NOTE: This is the first club Focus sent in for quite a while. They are always wel-
come so why not think about the story and history of your club? Either Short Mat or Carpet
Bowls, everyone deserves their 15 minutes.