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On a whim - and being told by the wife to sod off out the house from time to time - I went up to the local bowls club the other week.
I've had a few practice goes and the club captain has obviously thought I'm not completely rubbish and has asked me to play for the team in their last few game of the season. So governing body membership pending I could be a competitive crown green bowler by the weekend!! 🤣🤣
My grandad used to play a lot and it's something I always said I'd do at some stage. And it's not just oldies - there were all ages at a match I went to watch last week from teenage lads upwards.
🙂
Lawn bowls here - we have a wide age range in the club as well. 18 months in and its a fantastic way to simultaneously destress and get frustrated.
Got the national champs bowls thing going down at the moment in my hood, Leamington spa. It might be worlds actually as there are different nation kits on display.
There are quite a few younger people there but it's mainly the retired to be fair.
My mate looks after the greens there which are immaculate.
It's nice seeing the greens packed (4 of them in a row I think)
True story.
I've played in distant the past with my grandparents, and at work we used have an indoor bowls tournament at Xmas for fun with drinks and a takeaway. It's surprisingly enjoyable!
I did catch myself looking at the Facebook page for the village bowling green a little while ago, but not sure how my knee and wrists would take it, which is hilarious looking at the age of most people there 😞
we have a wide age range in the club as well. 18 months
That sentence didn't end as remarkably as it started.
Membership to BCGBA has come through!
So straight in at the deep end - first match tomorrow - after only two practice sessions! 🙂
Only met one guy in the club so far too. 😬
For the uninitiated amongst us, can you explain the difference Crown Green and Lawn Bowls please?
A crown green has a slight hump in the middle of the green so you have to allow for the rise and fall.
Lawn green is flat. And other rules differences.
https://www.bowls.co.uk/crown-green/crown-green-vs-flat-green
Have you tried the new bigger bowls? They roll much better I hear
Have you tried the new bigger bowls? They roll much better I hear
the pitch must be Huge
Thanks muffin-man. 👍
Seeing 'hood' and 'Leamington Spa' in the same sentence is just a little incongruous and disturbing in equal measure.
Crown green is the pinnacle, non of that laser flat easy bowls. I used to play in small heath park on a team with my grandad and dad up until the late 80s. Some right rough pub greens with divots and odd lays around the Midlands. There was a distinct advantage to playing at home knowing all the quirky undulations off by heart
First game done!
Only just lost 19-21 - was 18-10 up at one stage then lost the jack and he kept putting it near edge of green.
He was a left hander too so difficult to follow for a first game!
Really enjoyed it though! 😀
…weather dependent - in the team again this afternoon! 😀
1st Floodlit League Match tonight!🤘🤘
Do you know the lingo yet?
Do you know the lingo yet?
'I'm 83 you know' is a favourite of mine. 😉
Season started last Wednesday night with the doubles league - one win, one loss so far!
Singles season starts a week on Saturday.
I seem to have ended up on the committee too - and may be let loose with the mower from time to time! 🤣
Tell everyone in your team that as a cyclist its obvious to you that the bowls aren't aero enough
Dad still has his woods in custom made monogrammed bags
Dad still has his woods in custom made monogrammed bags
Ooh Matron!
The club in the village have an open day on May 4th so I'm thinking to pop along.
What a lovely thread!
As for floodlit crown green bowling - who knew?
@longdog - don’t forget to pop along to your bowls club this weekend! 😀
Another doubles win tonight - 3 wins, 3 loses now - so not too bad for a beginner.
Yeh it's on the calendar 😉
👍🤣
Friends of ours just started playing, it looks a deeply pleasant way to spend a few hours. 🙂
Beef at the bowls club this afternoon!
Opponent* in one match kept time wasting as he wanted to bowl into his fancied corner - you only get one minute to bowl the jack. Deciding end and eventually he bowled into the corner but karma struck and he lost the game by one point. Sulked off without shaking hands with our player - and refused a cup of tea and a biscuit. Sport doesn’t get more tense than this! 🤣
(*not my opponent)
Still Bowling!! 😀
Cracking end to last nights doubles-game. It was a tight game throughout leading to us being 19-19 (its first to 21 that wins).
Opponents (who had home advantage) put two good bowls within a foot of the jack on a tricky length - my partner then put his bowl right against the jack. I had the last bowl of the end and normally you'd be careful at this point - and take it to another end - as you risk knocking one of their bowls up or knocking your own off.
But I thought sod-it, I'll go for the win. Could feel it was good as soon as I released the bowl - perfect line, perfect weight. Watched as it curved smoothly in and nestled against my partners bowl and against the jack to take the win.
I know everyone sees bowls as boring - but I got a buzz last night I've not had from a sport in donkeys years.
Give it a try folks - you might like it! 😀
Do you get to buy everyone a pint afterwards for a shot like that, same as golf hole-in-one?
... I've not had from a sport ...
**considers starting an , 'is it a sport if you dont' get out of breath?' debate. Thinks better of it. 😁
And in the blink of an eye the Wednesday Evening Double League ended last night! Short season as it can only be run while there's daylight as many clubs don't have floodlights.
Our team did OK - finished mid table which wasn't a true reflection of our level. Captain picking an unregistered player in one match meant we 'lost' that match which we'd actually won comfortably.
Really pleased with how I've come on in my second season. Win rate last year was 38% win rate this year was 67%. And I just pipped our team captain last night to take the top spot for best player in our team. 😎 And finished 23rd out of 145 players in the whole league.
Two matches left in the Saturday singles league (which we're comfortably top of), then floodlit league starts at the end of August.