By Amanda Little

Last updated at 12:12, Tuesday, 26 January 2010

ONE of Carlisle’s oldest bowling clubs is set to shut after 112 years, blaming the devastation caused by the floods for its heartbreaking decision.

Closing: Edenside Bowling Club, in Carlisle

Members of Edenside Bowling Club in Stanwix voted at an extraordinary general meeting on Friday to wind up the club which has twice been wrecked by flooding in the last five years.

Feelings are running high over the decision which was passed by the narrowest of margins, 31-29, as the club has been going for 112 years, and some members have told the News & Star that the towel has been thrown in too readily.

The decision was prompted by concerns that the club may not be able to get insurance if it floods again and also because membership has fallen to just 70 players – 100 less than 20 years ago when it boasted the highest number of members in Cumbria.

The club suffered £50,000 of damage to the green and pavilion during the 2005 floods and was also engulfed by floods in November last year when the River Eden again burst its banks.

Treasurer Michael Watson said: “The decision is a big disappointment to everyone.

“Even those who voted for the club to be wound up are still very sorry that is has come to this. It wasn’t an easy issue.

“It was done with a lot of regret but a lot of people felt it was realistic not to go on.

“I’ve been a member for 45 years and I’m not the longest-serving. We would have all liked to have gone on but I can understand both points of view.”

Mr Watson said fears that Edenside, which leases its premises from neighbouring Carlisle Cricket club, would not be able to get insurance cover for future flood damage meant the writing was on the wall.

He said: “We have insurance cover for the latest incident but when the insurance comes up for renewal at the end of this year we are inclined to believe we wouldn’t get insurance for flooding.

“We can’t see them wanting to give us flooding cover and, if the excess is now £5,000, it will run into many more thousands next time.

“If we carry on and there is further flooding we would have to repair the building to a certain standard under the terms of the lease. The majority of members don’t feel we would have enough funds to do it because we wouldn’t have insurance.

“If it wasn’t for the floods it wouldn’t have come to this, but allied to the insurance problem is the falling membership and the difficulty in getting people to maintain the greens.”

ALittle@cngroup.co.uk

First published at 11:25, Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk