AUCKLAND PARK - BOWLS

OPEN LETTER FROM THE BOWLS SECTION

To all CCJ fellow members

Do you play golf, cricket, squash, croquet or go to the gym regularly?
Do you play bridge, or use the Club for social or business events?
Are you proud to have access to the wonderful facilities and gardens?

If your answer is YES, think about joining the Bowls Section!

WHY?

Bowls is a fascinating and challenging game. Yet it combines skill with an atmosphere of friendliness and sociability.

Our greens are acknowledged as being among the finest, both locally and nation wide.

We need YOU, to swell our membership. Unlike other Country Clubs such as Bryanston or Pretoria, our greens are not close to the golf course. We do not have the benefit of a visibility factor, and the casual interest which would result.

Don’t be put off by old clich's or ideas that bowls is a game for geriatrics. In Australia for example, the game is introduced at school level and worldwide is attracting interest among the younger generations.

WHAT TO DO

Come for a trial game or some coaching. At CCJ beginners are warmly welcomed, and given free informal coaching. All you need initially is a pair of flat shoes and casual attire. The Club will provide bowls. Later you will need white clothing, proper bowling shoes and your own woods. Bowls can be bought new, or second hand.

If you are no longer working, this is the ideal way to have exercise with social enjoyment. There is no playing fee for a game of bowls!

WHO TO CONTACT

Any of the following will be only too happy to make the necessary arrangements for you to get started.

Ann Tebbitt (011) 486-1122,
Diana Makin (011) 326-1228
Elaine Hurry (011) 442-0464
Avril Williams (011) 678-1306
Don Collie (011) 787-1773
Rod Macintosh (011) 883-6062
Don Graham (011) 786-9524
Mike Hurry (011) 442-0464
Mike Van Breda (011) 888-0888
Keith Nilssen (011) 268-5870

Facilities

The Club has two bowling greens at Auckland Park.

The CCJ Bowls Committee and Portfolios

Ken Cubberley, Chairperson, Mens Captain, Mens Grading

Trevor Taylor, Greens, League, CGBA, Grading and Selection

David Carrol, Competitions both Internal and External

Rod Macintosh, Treasurer

Keith Nilsson, Greens, Competitions

Mike van Breda, Development, Catering and Entertainment

Diana Makin, Catering

Val Hunt-Davies, Housekeeping

History of Bowls

Bowls historians believe that the game developed from the Egyptians. One of their pastimes was to play skittles with round stones. This has been determined based on artefacts found in tombs dating circa 5,000 B.C. The sport spread across the world and took on a variety of forms, Bocce (Italian), Bolla (Saxon), Bolle (Danish), Boules (French) and Ula Miaka (Polynesian). The oldest Bowls green still played on is in Southampton, England where records show that the green has been in operation since 1299 A.D. There are other claims of greens being in use before that time, but these are, as yet, unsubstantiated

Images show antique set of wooden bowls from the author's parents collection. Just visible on thefront of the box is the inscription "Slazengers 1902 Lawn Bowls".

Certainly the most famous story in lawn bowls is with Sir Frances Drake and the Spanish Armada. On July 18, 1588, Drake was involved in a game at Plymouth Hoe when he was notified that the Spanish Armada were approaching. His immortalised response was that "We still have time to finish the game and to thrash the Spaniards, too." He then proceeded to finish the match which he lost before embarking on the fight with the Armada which he won. Whether this famous story really took place has been heavily debated.
King Henry VIII was also a lawn bowler. However, he banned the game for those who were not wealthy or "well to do" because "Bowyers, Fletchers, Stringers and Arrowhead makers" were spending more time at recreational events such as bowls instead of practising their trade. Henry VIII requested that anybody who wished to keep a green pay a fee of 100 pounds. However, the green could only be used for private play and he forbade anyone to "play at any bowle or bowles in open space out of his own garden or orchard".

King James I issued a publication called "The Book of Sports" and, although he condemned football (soccer) and golf, encouraged the play of bowls. In 1845, the ban was lifted, and people were again allowed to play bowls and other games of skill.

The earliest documented use of the word 'Jack' in Bowls is from 1611 "Was there euer man had such lucke? when I kist the Iacke vpon an vp-cast, to be hit away?". It appears that Jack in some contexts meant a slightly smaller version of something - in this case a 'Jack-Bowl', later shortened to 'Jack'. In 1697 R. Pierce wrote "He had not Strength to throw the Jack-Bowl half over the Green". Back to the top!

Old English Bowling

There is still a league in South East Hampshire that plays an what they claim is the old version of Lawn Bowls. The woods used are a minimum of Jaques No 6 Bias and have to end up within four feet of the jack to score. The clubs in the league are at Titchfield, Gosport (Alverstoke Old English Bowling Club), Portsmouth, Havant, Hayling Island, Emsworth and Bosham.Back to the top!

Lawn Bowls

The English Bowling Association was founded in 1903 and it is very well organised sport which hosts numerous competitions from the club to the national level. The sport is most popular in the South of England with thousands of devotees. Because success doesn't require physical fitness, it is particularly favoured by older folk but there are a lot of younger players, too. As with many English sports, Lawn Bowls spread to the the British colonies from the 1600s onwards.Lawn Bowls was first played in North America in the early 1600's in the United States. Records show that President George Washington played bowls on his estate. In Canada, the sport was introduced around 1730 at Port Royal in Nova Scotia. In Australia, bowls first was played in Sandy Bay, Tasmania in 1844. The game appeared in New Zealand sometime during the 30 years after that. The World Bowling Board (WBB) is responsible for the standardisation of rules across the world, and is charged with the task of encouraging the growth of the game world-wide.

Lawn Bowls is usually played straight up and down a lawn. In "Singles", each player has four bowls called "woods" (although these days, 90% of bowls are made from a resin material) which are rolled alternately at a target ball called a Jack. Other games are "Pairs" - four players in two teams, each player having four bowls, "Triples" - three players with three bowls each and "Rinks" or "Fours" - four players two bowls each. Each bowl is less rounded on one side which results in the bowl being "biased" in one direction due to the extra weight on one side. The bias of a correctly rolled bowl ensures that it follows a slightly curved path as it rolls which accentuates as the bowl comes to a halt. The Jack is a smaller white ball without a bias. Back to the top!

Curling

The sport of Lawn Bowls is the forerunner of Curling, a tremendously popular winter version played in northern countries (including Canada and Scotland) on ice. It isn't clear if the Scots or the Dutch invented the game; the first written records on it are from the 1600's. At one time the stones that slide across the ice were pieces of granite weighing up to 56kg. Gradually they evolved into plump stone discs with a handle protruding from the top surface. The target is a circle 32 metres from the thrower and the game is played by 2 teams of 4 players, each player sliding 2 stones per go. The slightly bizarre final aspect of the game is that each player is equipped with a genuine broom which is used to scrub the ice just ahead of the stone as it slides towards the target. The scrubbing warms the ice which creates a film of water that the stone slides over speeding it slightly. Skilful work with the broom will successfully deviate the direction of the stone or lengthen the distance it travels in such a way that it eventually comes to rest nearer to the target..... Back to the top!

Crown Green Bowls

Crown Green Bowls is a game of arguably greater interest since it features an additional dimension. A Crown Green is a square lawn slightly higher in the middle than at the edges and play is conducted all over the lawn in any direction making for a great deal more variety than the flat green game.

The game has always been associated more with pubs and taverns than Lawn Green bowls and although it does not have the enormous popularity of the flat green game, it thrives very happily within its home base of the North of England and the North West Midlands.

Play is almost always singles and each player bowls just two bowls each end. The winner of each turn can play the jack in any direction and at any reasonable distance within the lawn boundary which is a ditch. Some players are best at bowling across the hump, others along the sloping side, some prefer short distances, others long and so many additional tactical complexities are introduced by the unusual lawn. Watching the multiple games occurring in all directions at once across a crown green bowling lawn is an spectating experience worth seeking out. Somehow, the individual games manage to intersect and cross over each other without any adverse consequences!

Crown Green Bowls is a well organised sport arranged on a county basis. Individual clubs, often affiliated to pubs form teams that compete in "midweek" leagues that are grassroots of the sport and, at the next strata up, counties hold their own competitions. Crown Green Inter-County bowls matches date back to 1893 when Yorkshire and the combined county of Lancashire & Cheshire began playing friendly matches and this tradition has carried on until the present day, with the British Crown Green Bowls Association taking over the organisation of the competition in 1908. A complete history of this and other competitions can be found on the BCGBA site. In the year 2000, 15 county teams entered the competition. As well as Wales, the sport is played in Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. The first officially organised international happened in 1995 between Wales and England and the following year, the inaugural International tournament was staged in the County Association of North Lancs & Fylde. This competition took the four teams from England, combined Scotland/Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man. The first competition was won by England, while in the 1999 tournament, the combined Scottish/Irish team were victorious.Back to the top!

Short Mat Bowls

When winter comes around, Bowls like many outdoor games, become less easy to play. So indoor variations of the game have come into existence. One popular variety is called simply Indoor Bowls and is essentially Lawn Bowls played on an indoor surface with the majority of the rules consistent with that game. However, another variant called Short Mat Bowls, with characteristics all of its own, has a really big following all over Britain and Ireland. Like many pub games, it is really a miniaturised version of the outdoor game to enable it to be played more easily indoors. It is played on a mat measuring 40-45 x 6 feet with full-size bowls, the mat being easily rolled up and put away for convenience. There is a ditch but this is simply an area marked at the end of the mat and to compensate for the shorter distance an intimidating block is placed in the centre of the mat. This makes it impossible for a bowler to aim a fast straight bowl at the jack area - all bowls must use the bias to curl around the block o their target.

The short mat bowls game was first played in South Wales by two South Africans who came to work in the area. They had played bowls outdoors in South Africa and, perhaps due to the poor climate and the long close season in this country, they began to play a simulation of the outdoor game on a strip of carpet in a church hall. Some time later, they moved to Northern Ireland and took the new game with them. Rules and conditions of play were drawn up and the game soon became well established in the Province. It was introduced into England by Irish expatriates, but development was slow until the 1980's when its potential as a low cost sport for people of all ages was realised. The English Short Mat Bowling Association (ESMBA) was formed in 1984, and is now the governing body of the sport in England. Thanks to the Cornwall County Short Mat Bowling Association for this information.CORNWALL COUNTY SHORT MAT BOWLING ASSOCIATION Back to the top!

Table Bowls

Other variants such as carpet bowls and indoor bowls have been popular at one time or another. The best known indoor version of Bowls is a pub game that appeared around the district of Carlisle called Table Bowls. In this game a miniature set of bowls and jack are played on a standard 12 x 6 feet Billiards or Snooker table. The bowls and jack are rolled down a wooden chute which is placed slanting on the table edge with one end on the table. No impetus is allowed to be given to the bowls - it is purely the angle of the chute and how far up it the bowl starts that determines its final position.

The author recently heard from two players in Queensland, Australia where there are apparently several locations playing Table Bowls - see the Pubs section below for further details. In fact, they have a number of competitions including a "World Championship" although they are having second thoughts about the title having now learned of the English game! Back to the top!

Rolle Bolle

Rolle Bolle was developed by Belgians, around the time of the Reformation, somewhat a cross between horseshoes and bowlings. It is played on hard packed sand, with stakes set 30 feet apart. Teams try to roll the beveled, hard rubber Bolle so that it stays closest to the stake. Back to the top!


DISTRICT SECRETARIES 2004 - 2005

BOLAND BOWLS BORDER BOWLS
Carol Jordaan Connie Schroeder
P O Box 53 P O Box 2197
Hermanus Beacon Bay
7200 5205

Tel No: 028 312 4306 Tel No: 043 748 1682
Fax No: 028 312 4306 Fax No: 043 748 1682
Cell: 072 309 0293
E-Mail: corolla@telkomsa.net E-Mail: bordbowls@weblink.co.za

BOWLS GAUTENG NORTH BOWLS SOUTHERN CAPE
Bert Steyn Des Clur
P O Box 15937 P O Box 2197
Lyttelton Mossel Bay
140 6500

Tel No: 012 664 7517 Tel No: 044 695 2480
Fax No: 012 664 7517 Fax No: 044 695 2480
Cell: 082 558 6784
E-Mail: secbgn@mweb.co.za E-Mail: bowlsc@absamail.co.za

CENTRAL GAUTENG BOWLS ASS EASTERN GAUTENG BOWLS
Les Rafferty Anne Rodwell
P O Box 85409 P O Box 17547
Emmarentia Benoni West
2029 1503

Tel No: 011 646 9574 Tel No: 011 421 2174
Tel No: 011 421 8781
Fax No: 011 486 1077 Fax No: 011 421 2174
Fax No: 011 421 8781
Cell: 082 748 1031
E-Mail: mwegbowls@mweb.co.za

EASTERN PROVINCE BOWLS GRIQUALAND WEST BOWLS
Sonja Clements Beryl Benn
P O Box 197 P O Box 10145
Port Elizabeth Beaconsfield
6000 8315

Tel No: 041 582 2052 Tel No: 053 842 0664
Fax No: 041 582 2052 Fax No: 053 482 0664
Cell: 082 290 3794 Cell: 083 250 9156
E-Mail: epbowls@cybertrade.co.za E-Mail: beryl@kimberley.co.za

KINGFISHER BOWLING ASS KWAZULU NATAL COUNTRY BOWLS
Kathy Hall Dorothy Crosbie
P O Box 60 P O Box 25232
Village of Happiness Newcastle
4280 2940

Tel No: 039 317 2773 Tel No: 034 315 5194
Fax No: 039 317 2773 Fax No: 034 326 4369
Cell: 073 647 9023 Cell: 083 757 4572
E-Mail: kingfisherbowls@telkomsa.net E-Mail: kzncb@epweb.co.za

LIMPOPO BOWLING ASS MPUMALANGA BOWLING ASS
Hennie Heymans Gussie Dick
P.O. Box 315 P.O. Box 1109
Groblersdal Witbank
470 1035

Tel No: 013 262 3582
Fax No: 013 262 5726
Cell: 083 228 9315
E-Mail: heymans@lantic.net E-Mail: gusdick@telkomsa.net

NATAL INLAND BOWLING ASS NORTHERN FREE STATE BOWLING ASS
Trish Robinson Christine Oosthuizen
P.O. Box 10-0394 P.O. Box 491
Scottsville Kroonstad
3209 9500

Tel No: 033 386 3347 Tel No: 056 212 8113
Fax No: 056 212 8113
Cell: 082 830 5488 Cell: 082 872 3734
E-Mail: niba@telkomsa.net E-Mail: jaoosthuizen@xsinet.co.za

NORTH WEST BOWLS PORT NATAL BOWLS
Herman van Rensburg Jimmy Anderson
P.O. Box 245 P O Box 50251
Potchefstroom Musgrave Rd
2520 4062

Tel No: 018 294 6078 Tel No: 031 201 1189
Fax No: 018 294 6078 Fax No: 031 202 3065
Cell: 082 355 6600 Cell: 083 462 3485
E-Mail: nwb@telkomsa.net E-Mail: pnb@bowling.co.za

SABLES BOWLING ASS SOUTHERN FREE STATE BOWLING ASS
Jenny Martin Alwyn Burger
P O Box 6073 P O Box 29743
Greenhills Danhof
1767 9310

Tel No: 011 692 4489 Tel No: 051 436 8895
Fax No: 011 692 4489 Fax No: 051 436 8895
Cell: 083 769 7934 Cell: 083 235 1856
E-Mail: sables@absamail.co.za E-Mail: albertstreet@telkomsa.net

VAAL BOWLS WESTERN PROVINCE BOWLING ASS
Ian Morrow Annette Gerber
P O Box 12168 P O Box 2606
Lumier Cape Town
1905 8000

Tel No: 016 976 3091 Tel No: 021 421 1894
Fax No: 016 976 3091 Fax No: 021 421 1890
Cell: 073 187 2085
E-Mail: vaalbowls@telkomsa.net E-Mail: wpbowls@mweb.co.za Back to the top!

BOWLS SOUTH AFRICA MISSION STATEMENT

To manage, control and develop voluntary structures within the bowling community and to create competitive opportunities for all participants within the spirit of dignity, respect and fellowship.BOWLS SOUTH AFRICA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:NAME DESIGNATION

DISTRICT

1. John McArdle President Eastern Gauteng Bowls
2. Piet Breitenbach Vice President North West Bowls
3. Debra Ferguson Executive Member Eastern Gauteng Bowls
4. Allan Freeman Executive Member Border Bowls
5. Tys Pringle Executive Member Limpopo Bowls Association
6. Isabel Smith Executive Member Sables Bowling Association

HISTORY OF BOWLS SOUTH AFRICA

Bowls came to South Africa in 1882 and the first green was laid and a club was founded at St Georges Park in Port Elizabeth. The sport quickly spread through the country.The South African Bowling Association was instituted in 1904 and became the official body for bowls in South Africa. The South African Women's Bowling Association was formed in 1935, which controlled women's bowls in South Africa.The two bodies unified in East London on 25 August 1996 to form Bowls South Africa. Today Bowls South Africa has over 40 000 registered members and 672 clubs.Back to the top!

BOWLS SOUTH AFRICA STANDING COMMITTEES:

1. Coaches Standing Committee
2. Development Standing Committee
3. Greenkeepers Standing Committee
4. Technical Officials Standing Committee
5. National Selectors (Men)
6. National Selectors (Women)

All Standing Committees are appointed by the Executive of Bowls South Africa and are therefore responsible to them.

COACHES STANDING COMMITTEE

The Coaches Standing Committee is appointed to assist and advise the Executive of Bowls South Africa in all coaching and player development matters pertaining to the game of bowls in South Africa. They must ensure that the evaluation systems of qualifying and upgrading of Coaches to the various levels is implemented on a national basis via the District Standing Committee structure. The design of the National Academy also falls under the auspices of this committee.The members of the Coaches Standing Committee are:

1. John Page (Convenor)
2. Averil Deetlefs
3. Roy Haupt
4. Graham McKenzie
5. Maureen Smith
6. Merle van den Berg
7. Margo Watson

DEVELOPMENT STANDING COMMITTEE

The Development Standing Committee is appointed to assist and advise the Executive of Bowls South Africa in all development of the game of bowls working in close relations with the Coaches Standing Committee. The development of the National Academy falls within this realm.The members of the Development Standing Committee are:

1. Ozzie Dawson
2. Con Dixie
3. Wimpy de Koker
4. Grant Dreyer
5. Chris Naidoo
6. Leif Olsen
7. Paul Papi
8. Gloria Turnbull
9. Frans van Vuuren

GREENKEEPERS STANDING COMMITTEE

The Greenkeepers Standing Committee is appointed to assist and advise the Executive of Bowls South Africa in all matters pertaining to the construction and maintenance of bowling greens in South Africa. Other duties are the to oversee the maintenance of greens for all Bowls South Africa tournaments, training of greenkeepers in each District to enable them to evaluate their greens in their Districts.The members of the Greenkeepers Standing Committee are:

1. Charles Louw (Convenor)
2. Fred Downing
3. Theuns Fraser
4. Bryan Hart
5. Ivor Johnson
6. Pat Mahon
7. Bill Moheren

TECHNICAL OFFICIAL STANDING COMMITTEE

The Technical Officials Standing Committee is appointed to assist and advise the Executive of Bowls South Africa in all technical aspects pertaining to the game and the laws of bowls in South Africa. They must ensure that the evaluation system of qualifying and upgrading of technical officials to the various levels is implemented on a national basis via the district standing committee structure and district evaluation boards. The members of the Technical Officials Standing Committee are:

1. Trevor Davis (Convenor)
2. Brian Bowman
3. Fred Kruis
4. Callie Smit
5. Don van Vuuren
6. Martin van Zyl
7. Renee Venter
8. Brian Watson

SELECTORS STANDING COMMITTEE

The Selectors is appointed to select players to represent South Africa within the framework of development of the game of bowls and the creation of role models as directed by the Executive of Bowls South Africa.The members of the Selectors are:

Men:

1. Willie Matthee (Convenor)
2. Bill Dillon
3. Frans du Plessis

Women:

1. Joy Klopper (Convenor)
2. Jill Hackland
3. Jessica Henderson

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