• Geoff Behrent writes:
Many years ago I worked in a general office of about six people, two of whom belonged to the same bowls club. Every Monday morning these two older folks would discuss at length the various bowls games that they had played over the weekend.
Not that it meant anything to the rest of us in the office. We were at the time enjoying playing other sports like squash, tennis, cricket and badminton, etc. But years later, when looking back on those Monday mornings, I realised that these two folks never once asked us to come along and try our hand at playing bowls! I doubt that any of us younger folk would have accepted though, but the point is, we were not once invited to come play or even to come and watch a game!
Wind the clock forward somewhat. I now play bowls regularly and think back to those general office times. I realise that at that time bowls certainly carried an exclusivity tag to it. Men had to wear long white trousers, white shirts, a club tie, a blazer and brown leather shoes. Ladies had to wear white skirts that fell below the knee as well as at least one petticoat. Blouses had to be white and have arm-length sleeves. Stockings were obligatory as was the wearing of brown leather shoes. Headwear was also laid down and the hatband was all that identified a player as to which club he/ she belonged. Crikey! No wonder young people were put off playing the game. The ridiculous dress code was a deterrent in itself!
My, my, my, how things have changed since then! Today bowlers have a huge variety of bright club colours/ uniforms that they wear mostly at inter-club or regional competitions or when vying for honours within the mother club. All white clothing in any form as a “must do” no longer exists. Mostly, however, the game is played in everyday casual wear. The only stipulation is that footwear – if worn – has flat soles (for the protection of the green, the grass surface on which the game is played). Stockings? A thing of the past. Blazers, ties, skirts, long trousers, and the rest of it? Likewise.
Forget about the rather snobbish dress code of the past! This code certainly didn’t auger well for the expansion of the game; in fact, in itself, it led, I believe, to the decline in bowls membership the world over! Today, thank goodness, just about anything (within reason of course) goes. Really! For example, I once read about a bowls club in California, USA situated near a University campus. The students would come to play bowls in their swimming costumes after their lectures! Why swimming costumes? Well, the green at this club is surrounded by those fine mist sprinklers to help keep the area’s extremely high temperatures in the region down while playing …
The club to which I belong is the Noordheuwel Bowling Club and we certainly lack mist sprinklers. However, despite that, it gives me great pleasure to report that our membership is increasing, though we remain small in membership numbers compared to other nearby clubs.
So, if you live nearby and have some time on your hands or are looking to play a very socially friendly sport, why not pop into our club (we play on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons) and see for yourself what is what? You’ll be more than welcome! Here is a contact name and number if you want any further information.
• Details: Sannelie on 082 415 0383.
