The club plays a variety of matches against other local clubs, which are either friendly, league or cup fixtures for ladies’, men’s and mixed teams.
Members are also active in county and district matches, and we hold internal club competitions during the season. Thanks to our all-weather surface, we also run a winter triples league, when we are joined by bowlers from nearby Congresbury Bowling Club.
We are glad to be part of a long heritage of the game as the roots of lawn bowls can be traced all the way back to ancient Egypt, over 5,000 years ago.
According to archaeological findings, a game using stone balls was played in Egypt around 3200 BC. The Egyptian version involved using sticks as targets and playing on dirt instead of grass.
Moving forward to ancient Greece, a variation of the game involved throwing light objects such as flat stones, coins, or stones as far as possible. Ancient Rome’s version was much closer to the modern understanding of lawn bowls, where players aimed to toss balls closer to a target than their opponents.
It is believed that the Romans brought this version of the game to the rest of Europe, with several countries creating their own adaptations, including France’s boules and Great Britain’s lawn bowls.
A rudimentary form of bowls can be traced back to the 13th century in England. The world’s oldest surviving bowling green is the Southampton Old Bowling Green, first used in 1299.
The game faced bans from both the king and parliament due to fears that it could distract from archery, which was critical in battle. Statutes were enacted by monarchs such as Edward III and Richard II to prohibit it and other sports from being played by the lower classes. Even when the advent of firearms made archery obsolete in battle, the ban remained in place. The disreputable reputation of 15th century London bowling alleys, which were often associated with taverns and gambling, likely contributed to the continued restrictive legislation. Although the severity of the bans decreased over time, it wasn’t until 1845 that all prohibitions were lifted.
In 1830, bowls took a massive leap forward thanks to Edwin Beard Budding’s invention of the lawnmower. This innovation made it possible to prepare and maintain greens to a much higher standard, allowing for a game that’s very similar to the one we know and love today.
In 1864, William Wallace Mitchell, a Glasgow cotton merchant, published the “Manual of Bowls Playing”. This would become the foundation for the rules of the modern game.
The Scottish Bowling Association was founded in 1892, while the English Bowling Association was founded in 1903. In 2008, the English Bowling Association and English Women’s Bowling Association merged to become Bowls England, the current governing body for outdoor bowls in England.
Bowls is one of the Commonwealth Games’ “core sports”, featuring at every event since its creation in 1930 (except for the 1966 Games), and is enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds. It’s played in over 40 countries and has more than 50 member national authorities, with various global competitions held every year.
We don’t quite reach that standard at Wrington, but we always have a good time! And, who knows, one day a world champion might come from the village!
