Showing posts with label Earlston Bowling Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Earlston Bowling Club. Show all posts

Tuesday 3 April 2018

A Holiday, Curling & Bowling make the Earlston Headlines in the 1880's

Reader Richard Smith came across these headlines on Earlston in "The Berwickshire News" of the 1880's.    Old newspapers make fascinating reading for anyone interested in local history, as they  reflect life,  in all its aspect, as it was at the time.   

Read about:
  • News,  given at short notice, of the New Year shopkeepers' holiday, 
  • Activities of the Curling Club.
  • The early days of the Bowling Club and an impressive fund-raising bazaar - among the more unusual items for sale were clerical photographs, a Tom Scott painting, and live poultry.

NEW YEAR HOLIDAY - 20th December 1881.

"The shopkeepers have agreed to hold the New Year Holiday on Saturday December 31st inst., as New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. and Monday is an unsuitable day, being Market Day.  The Volunteers hold their annual ball on the Friday  evening the 30th  and their shooting on the Saturday following"

CURLING  -15th February 1878
"Nearly every day last week the members of the Curling Club enjoyed a game on Mr. Allan's pond at Georgefield. Thursday which was the Fast Day was necessarily an off-day,  and it is possible that the keen curlers begrudged letting it slip,   as the day was very favourable for this pastime.  Besides going to Dunse on Friday and beating the Dunse men, the Club played for the Silver Cup presented by Mrs Coteworth  of Cowdenknowes. The ice from the heat of the sun in the middle of the day was very soft,  and great difficulty was felt by some in getting their stone over the hog score.  The cup was won by Mr George Henderson with a score of 7, Mr J. P Smith and Mr. James Sharp  came next with 5 points each.  The weather was rather fresh and it is not unlikely that curling for the season is nearly over."
*Fast Days  were a tradition of the Presbyterian Churches,  whereby a special day was marked as a public holiday,and set aside for  a time of reflection,  ahead of attendance at the service of Holy Communion.   
More than 100 years later,  and members of Earlston Curling Club play out of doors at Lauder,  December 1995.     

BOWLING CLUB - 20th December 1881.
"This club now numbers over 50 members and they have resolved to the formation of a bowling green on the site of the old curling pond. This work is to be done by Mr. Smith, Hawick whose estimate for the work we understand to be £150.  Some farmers interested in the formation of the bowling green will do the  necessary driving of materials gratuitously.  If this bowling club proves a success, Earlston will be amply provided with means of recreation.
An early photograph of Earlston Bowling Club members
                           
 BOWLING CLUB BAZAAR - 16th July 1889
A lengthy article reported  on a Bazaar in the Corn Exchange, held:
"To liquidate a debt.....The club was formed in 1882 and the formation of the Green, together with a recent enlargement,  cost between £300 and £400  of which £80 remained to be paid....An energetic committee, consisting of Mr Dunn, Mr Murdison, Mr. Steedman, Mr Tait, Mr Aitkenhead,  and Mr Wallace (secretary) was formed  to carry out the arrangements;  the ladies of the town and neighbourhood  readily gave their cooperation and the result of their united exertions was the Fancy Fair opened on Wednesday.
There were six stalls  furnished abundantly with the usual cushions, scrapbooks, dolls, paintings,  clerical photographs,  live poultry,  firescreens,  shawls,macrame work etc. etc...... The paintings were a particularly excellent collection and included work by Tom Scott A.R.S.A. There were also some fine etchings.  The drawings over the two days  rather amounted to over £260.  The stalls were distinguished by the names of flowers....... There was also a refreshment stall and a flower stall  attended to by Mr. Gray,   gardener, Gladswood and Mr. Robertson,gardener, Cowdenknowes."


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Monday 11 July 2016

Earlston's Sporting Life

 A nostalgic look back at sporting activities in Earlston from the early 1900's.

RUGBY 
Earlston Rugby Club Club is thought to have been formed in the 1870s by two Yorkshiremen who were installing machinery in the local woollen mill.One  of their first games was against Kelso in 1876,   the result being a draw. On 7 March 1879, Earlston played Kelso  in one of the first matches staged under electric floodlights. The Club also played in the first Melrose Sevens  in 1883. 

In the early years the Club's pitch was located at the Georgefield Road close to where the school pitches are today. In 1921 the present pitch at the Haugh  was leased from A. Brownlie, Timber Merchants. Two years later the first Clubhouse was erected. 

During the Second World War,  the rugby pitch and clubhouse were requisitioned by the military.  One third of the pitch was dug out and concrete laid to make a "hull down" park for the tanks of the Polish Division stationed in the area,  preparing for D. Day. 

In 1968 the clubhouse was extended  with further major work carried out in 1988.


    Earlston Rugby Team, 1911-1912 
   Earlston Rugby Team, 1960

BOWLING
 
  An early photograph of Earlston Bowling Team success at a tournament in Selkirk 

 
 Earlston Bowling Club - but can anyone help date this photograph?

[UPDATE - We were pleased  to receive the following information from a reader:
I would say the photograph dates from the mid 1930's.  This was Mr & Mrs Stafford's golden wedding - they lived at The Terrace on the High Street.  The event was held in the Girls Club Building  on  Melrose Road,  where the filling station forecourt is now. The Club was used for many social occasions and I see The Rev  Peter Wylie (Ercildoune Church Minster) and Mrs Wylie and I recognize quite a few others].


 
Earlston Bowling Club Social, 1975

CRICKET

 
Earlston Rhymers Cricket Club, 1908

HARRIERS

 

FOOTBALL
Earlston Rhymers Football Team, 1903-4
 
Earlston Rhymers, 1973 

GOLF
Earlston Golf Club was founded in  August 1906, making it one of the oldest in the country. The course  was designed by Willie Park of Musselburgh on land owned by Lord Binning . The nine-hole course was situated in an area known locally as “Caldies Hill” on high ground with sandy soil. At the time of its opening,  it was stated that "there were some rough and stony parts but the course was gradually improving".

First Earlston Golf Club Gymkhana  in 1908 

The Course was closed during the First World War and was ploughed up to plant crops for food  to aid the war effort.  Play was further suspended during the duration of the Second World War.  Afterwards, however,   the Club, due to lack of funds, could not afford to maintain the course.    It was subsequently used as a motorcycle scrambling circuit. There were hopes that the golf course could be resurrected but unfortunately this never materialized

But Earlston Golf Club survived and continued to have outings and competitions to various other courses in the country.   In 2000, 91 years after its start, it launched a new initiative to create the first golf course on the moon!  Read more HERE.  


 SCRAMBLING AT HUNTSHAW

 


CURLING 
The story of curling in Earlston or as it was then known, Erciltoun began before 1756. A century later reports of curling in the village appeared in the local press, with the first pond at Georgefield.   In 1907 the Club built an artificial three rink pond “to cost £100 or thereabout, with a house for the storage of stones, etc in addition” on land granted by Lord Binning.   With Haymarket Ice Rink, Edinburgh opening in 1912 Earlston curlers started indoor curling for the first time.  In 1964 the Border Ice Rink at Kelso  was launched  and this has been the venue for the club to the present day.
 
Members of the Earlston Curling Club playing outdoors at Lauder, December 1995.

And finally - SPECTATING


 1953 Sports at the Haugh. 


Thank you to everyone who has donated or loaned old photographs for scanning.


Auld Earlston welcomes all contributions on the village's past. 
Contact us on auldearlston@aol.com