Ladywell's Bowls Open Day proves a success

Ladywell Bowling Club's Bowls Open Day on Sunday 24th May saw more than 40 new bowlers try bowls for the first time.

It was the start of a record-breaking heatwave and the sun encouraged many visitors to come to the green and have a go at bowls -- and to take advantage of the free cold drinks on offer. With a number of Ladywell members on hand to guide and introduce them to our wonderful sport, it was a great day.

Club Captain, Phil Welch, reflecting on the turn-out, said: "It was lovely to see the green so full of people enjoying a game of bowls. And there were people of all ages, from 3 to 73, showing how it really is a game that's open to everybody."

He admitted that the extreme heat may have put some people off, but emphasised that the Open Day isn't the only time that non-members are welcome at the green in Ladywell Fields. "We're a public club, so anyone can come along and have a go at bowls during our regular roll-ups, at 1pm on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, or at 6pm on a Wednesday evening - although it's always a good idea to check our website about Wednesdays and Saturdays, because we may be playing a match against another club on those days, so we might not have a session. But if you do come down to a roll-up, we've got plenty of spare sets of bowls for anyone to use. And as the Open Day showed, there's nothing our members like better than helping a new player to learn the basics so they can get playing straight away - except playing bowls themselves, of course!"

Phil also pointed out that, with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer featuring bowls as one of ten sports, the Club's expecting an increase in interest during July and August. "Bowls is going to be featured on the TV, and I'm sure that will raise interest and get people thinking about trying it out for themselves. In fact, that's what prompted me to start playing when the Games were in Glasgow in 2014. I'd played bowls when I was a kid, and thought I should take it up again. So, I Googled my nearest club, came down to Ladywell and the rest, as they say, is history."

And he points out that, if you do feel the urge to try bowls once you've seen it on the TV, the Club are hoping to hold more Open Days later in the summer. So, watch this space!