Bowling pair bag another championship
The pair enjoys socialising at the club playing with other bowlers, and the spirit of camaraderie during competitions.
CHAMPIONSHIP bowling pair, Cheryl Waterman and Jay Ratief will etch their names on the Wentworth Bowling Club (WBC) honours board once again after recently winning the WBC Ladies Nominated Pairs for the second year in a row.
This specific championship was a nominated pairs, which Cheryl regards as the more difficult competition as players get to choose their competition unlike the drawn pairs, where players are paired at random.
“We’re both quite competitive and it’s always amazing to win. We wanted to defend our championship from the previous year and we did just that,” said Jay who first started bowling in 2011. Last year she played for Port Natal for the president’s side and she also made the district squad for a second time this year.
Jay was first introduced to bowls when she attended a fun day at the club. “I was bitten by the bowling bug from then and have never looked back.”
Cheryl on the other hand did not take to the sport as instantly but was however married to an avid bowler. “I was more in the background and helped organise things at the club. I’d never been supremely competitive on the bowling green. However, obviously I do like to win and I always try to play my best at competitions,” said Cheryl, who particularly enjoys playing socially when she isn’t busy with the admin work at the club.
The pair enjoys socialising at the club playing with other bowlers, and the spirit of camaraderie during competitions.
“The only negative thing worth mentioning about bowls is probably when people don’t follow the proper etiquette of bowls. There are very stringent etiquette rules and you get players, from all over, who can be bad mannered on the green. But we’re a very proud club. Wherever we play, we wear our colours and uniform with pride. We also try to be role models for other bowlers to help encourage them to play their best on the green. We’re very supportive of all our members. It’s what makes bowls all the more worthwhile and you form lasting friendships along the way,” they said.
Cheryl, 67, vouches to continue playing for as long as she can throw the bowl and a more competitive Jay, 49, hopes to one day obtain Protea Colours for bowls. Jay also works very hard at coaching the novices, which is something that she is quite passionate about.
The pair dismissed the misconception that the sport is for older people and encouraged the youth, especially young women, to visit the club for a round on the green or even become a member.
“Our youngest bowler is 10 years old and we do have younger players. Some of our best bowlers are all U30 men. At national level there is an U20 championship and we’d like to have young members from our club go that far.”
Jay also serves as WBC’s competitions and club secretary and Cheryl the club’s president. They fought very hard to keep the club going during lockdown with various fundraising initiatives, including raffles and sales from their cookbook. With bowls back by popular demand, they encourage the community to support and join WBC. For more information contact Cheryl on 078-157-2668.
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