22 Lawn Bowls
Southampton Old Bowling Green, Hampshire
Enjoyment - 90%
Success - 70%
Will try again - Yes
First timer’s recommendation – find a local club that welcomes new players, and check out how good the bar is first.
The Southampton Old Bowling Green has got a decent claim to being the oldest in the world, with their entrance sign stating they were formed circa 1299. They celebrated their 700th anniversary in 1999, and despite considerable development on two sides of the ground, this small square of medieval England remains intact. Bowls is one of, if not the oldest sport still played in England, if you discount archery, which was mainly practised for military purposes. The association you immediately make with the game is that it is played by old people, and is slow and boring. Yes, the average age of players at the SOBG was higher than when I played handball last week, but the game has a lot more to it than I first realised, and clearly requires a good amount of practice to master.
The club secretary Jeni who is also a player and coach took me through the basics and let me play a few ‘ends’ of four woods each, practising with the weighted side on the left and right, as you have to be able to approach the jack from both sides when in a game situation, with the ability to be able to bowl with either hand giving you an advantage. I stayed to watch the start of a Southampton & District fours fixture against Waterside, which they eventually lost 49-69, and saw how the role of the ‘skip’ as they direct the other three members of their team who have two woods each, before taking the final two woods themselves.
One element which I think should be advertised more is that you can have a drink whilst playing. As with pool and darts, this either helps or hinders players depending on when they reach their tipping point, but I can see why people are attracted to playing on long summer evenings, when the bar is within shouting distance. As you would expect of any sports club with an impressive history, there was plenty of memorabilia on display, including a wall of fame of the previous and current ‘Master of the green’, and the current ‘Knights’, who are previous winners of the annual Knighthood Competition, which has taken place since 1776.
