Hello you brilliant bunch of bowling beauties. My name is Sir Benjamin Owls esquire, Master of Lawn Bowls, Legend of the green and the smiling face you can expect to see when The Bowls Club rolls into Finsbury Square this summer.
For prodigal sporting masters such as myself, lawn bowls is as natural as sipping an ice-cold pint under the British sunshine. But, if your childhood didn’t consist of whites-clad grandparents and meandering bowls rolling across pristine greens, allow me to explain the history of this great sport.
First invented in 1476 by Sir William Shatner as a means to settle a blood feud between rival clans on the exotic isle of Margate, the game quickly grew into a local phenomenon. By the following summer, it was the ONLY competition you entered into! In its original iteration, lawn bowls was played with just a handful of soot, some sticks and a can-do attitude. However, after numerous complaints and 6 fatalities, the game evolved into the beautiful bastion of British sport we know today.
And let’s not forget my very own Grandpa Bowls - the loquacious, lawn bowls lothario himself! Childhood friends with Sir Shatner, he was pivotal in building the game into the juggernaut it is today. There’s even a statue of him perched high upon the Alphabeta building judgementally peering down upon every budding sports superstar who wraps their fingers around one of my bowls! The stories this man could tell… I’d have to dig out the archives pour myself a stiff sherry and create a standalone blog to truly bring his character to life (watch this space!).
Don’t let the rumours fool you though. This is the fastest growing sport in the galaxy - There’s a reason why ole’ Gramp’s statue takes such a prominent place here in the City of London. It started life as a jaunty battle to the death and has rolled alllll the way back to its highly competitive heyday. However, the blood now stays firmly in the oranges and Bloody Mary cocktails. Roll into Finsbury Square with The Bowls Club and you’ll find a short-form, easy-to-play and evocatively rambunctious game that brings young and old together on the green. Not to mention, some of the most delectable street food, ice-cold pints and un-bowl-lievable entertainment from caricaturists, DJs and, of course, me!
If I’ve piqued your interest, then come down to The Bowls Club this summer and let’s get you on the green . And more importantly, you can have a pint in the sunshine and have a lovely bit of street food. Come onnnnn….you know you want to.
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