Clubs & Activities To Keep You Occupied This Winter

Clubs & Activities To Keep You Occupied This Winter

It is beginning to feel a lot like winter! At the end of this month the clocks change and days become a lot darker, a lot earlier. As we move from the outdoors to the indoors it does not mean that fun has to stop – there are many clubs and activities to enjoy.

Bridge
Contract bridge or simply bridge is a card-based game using a standard 52-card deck played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a table.

The game is popular with millions playing globally as part of clubs, in tournaments and also online, although the version online is a far cry from the game which first became popular in Britain in the 1890s.

The history of bridge dates back to the 19th Century and evolved through the 20th Century into the present game, departing from the traditional game of whist and biritch.

Consisting of a series of deals with each progressing through phases – the game of bridge entails dealing the cards, the auction, or bidding, playing the cards, and scoring the results of the bridge contest.

Bowls
There are many indoor bowls venues locally. The sport is similar to lawn bowls with the objective being to get as close to the jack as possible.

Earliest forms of bowling date back to Ancient Egypt and today it is popular throughout Britain and across the world.

Played on strips of replica green often called a rink which is 40m long and 100m wide – it can be played in singles, doubles, triples and there are also games which feature teams of four players.

Indoor bowls is accessible – it can be played by all ages, gender and, with modest adaptions, wheelchair users and the blind and partially sighted can also play.

Minimum equipment is required to play, just bowls and a pair of good quality bowling shoes!

Badminton
The modern game first played in the 19th Century, developed in what was British India.

The sport, part of the Olympic programme since the games of 1992 is most commonly played in either a singles or doubles format.

The sport demands excellent fitness from players. You will need a good level of aerobic stamina as well as good agility, high-end physical strength, fast-rate speed, great precision and hand-eye-co-ordination.

Points are scored by striking the shuttlecock with the racquet and landing it in the opposition’s half of the court – each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes the net.

Play ends once the shuttlecock has struck the floor of the court, or a fault is called by either an umpire or by the opposing team.