Braais and bowling greens
FAIRMOUNT - Community members enjoyed a lazy day in the sun at the Fairmount Bowls Club open day.
A summery Sunday atmosphere prevailed at the club as community members gathered to enjoy a beer, a braai, and a relaxed afternoon in the shade. The club held an open day inviting the public to try their hands at bowls, and encouraging those who developed a flair for this ancient sport to join the club.
Bowls, or lawn bowls, has existed as a sport for at least 700 years, and has been included in the Commonwealth Games since 1930. According to the World Bowls Federation, in Shakespeare’s day, bowls was reserved for nobles, and lower classes were punished for playing the sport – but today, 46 countries around the world are registered with the federation, and the sport is played in several others.
At the Fairmount Bowls Club, meanwhile, in the holiday atmosphere created by jumping castles, braai smoke and music, it was the turn of 21st century Joburgers to discover for themselves the social and competitive appeal of a sport that has survived the ages.
