THE Ridge Park Sports Club’s Ladies first team was recently crowned Champions of the Joburg Bowls Association (JBA) Premier Division.
The team, consisting of Lynn Kruger (Captain), Heatherlee Boyd, Pat Dubowitz and Carol Ennion in the one four’s side and Lyn McKinnon, Olive Maguire, Sheila Smith and Felicity Leenaerts in the other four’s side, lost only one of their eleven games during the season and claimed the title on February 25 after their last game was tied due to excessive rain that day.
“This is a great honour for the club. The JBA (previously the Southern Transvaal Bowling Association and the Gauteng Central Bowls Association) is one of the strongest districts in South Africa. A number of the clubs which the team competed against – clubs such as Belgravia, Bedfordview, Linden, Roosevelt Park, Killarney and Bryanston Sports – have sport players of the calibre of Colleen Piketh, Tracy-Lee Botha and Esme Haley, each of whom has represented South Africa, and a host of players with district colours – players such as Linda van den Berg, Ashley Parks, Heather Pembroke, Tracy Herrington, Sharon Glenn, Peta Smith and Pam Landau, to name but a few,’’ said Heatherlee Boyd.
None of Ridge Park’s ladies are district players, although Lyn McKinnon and Olive Maguire have received colours in previous years.
Ridge Park, which has been going since 1952, is a club with many bowls honours. Players on the club’s honours board include names such as Bill Mosley, a member of the great South African World Bowls winning team of 1976, and Stan Greenwood. Mosley’s compatriot in that famous team of 1976, Doug Watson, also played for the club at one time. The club was also voted JBA Club of the Year in 2009.
Notwithstanding all these honours, no Ridge Park team has ever won a district premier division until now. The club’s ladies, who have been in the Premier Division since 2007, have always finished in the top half and were runners-up in 2015. The club is, understandably, very proud of their ladies and they are all looking forward to defending their title next season.
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