With the Island’s lawn bowls season about to get into full swing, Oliver Kidman heads to St Saviour’s Bowls Club to see if a session with a local legend can rescue his game
ST SAVIOUR’S Bowls Club were the ones playing host for this week’s edition of Tryout Tuesday, as I popped up for their open weekend to try a bit of lawn bowls.
With Jersey’s action-packed lawn bowls season all set to kick off this weekend, I thought it was the perfect time to give it a try – and with the St Saviour’s club inviting everyone and anyone to experience the sport for themselves, everything added up perfectly.
Founded in 1980, St Saviour’s Bowls Club has gone on to achieve a great reputation in the local bowls community, housing many of the Island’s top players while also placing highly in local competitions and inter-club leagues.
After my poor performance last time out on the green, I was determined to redeem myself – so let’s get into it.
Let’s find out more
Many people tend to get bowls and pétanque mixed up – but these are two separate games entirely, so let’s clear it up. It may be similar in that it’s all about who can get closest to the jack with their bowls, but this game brings in an entirely different dynamic.
As the bowls are a biased shape, they must follow a curved path when rolled. It’s usually played on a large, rectangular, precisely levelled and manicured grass or synthetic surface known as a bowling green which is divided into parallel playing strips called rinks, adding different elements to the game.
Bowls is a game steeped in history, with the first record of it being played going back to the 13th century, even though versions of the game can be traced all the way back to Ancient Greece.
In the midst of the vast number of years that bowls has been present in the sporting community, Jersey has sparked a busy, thriving local scene for the sport, with a wide array of clubs and competitions available to Islanders at a range of levels and abilities.
Jersey’s stars have also gone on to perform at the top-level, with the Island regularly competing and punching well above their weight in world-level competitions across the globe.
“In Jersey, you’ve got indoor and outdoor bowls, played either on the grass or a carpet, which we have down here for the outdoor players,” said Paul Du Feu, president of St Saviour’s Bowls Club.
“The perception is that it’s a sport for the elderly, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you look at the best bowlers representing us at the International level, they tend to be the younger ones who learned all the good habits from an early age – making them very hard to beat.”
Du Feu then went on to break down the local clubs and facilities on offer, adding: “Jersey has many great bowls clubs – I think they’re all pretty similar and they all do such a good job.
“There’s our club (St Saviour’s) and St Brelade’s Bowls Club, which are both of a similar scale, while the Jersey Bowling Club and the Sun Bowls Club have slightly bigger memberships.
“They’re all great for the Island, as each has brilliant facilities. The clubhouses have bars, kitchens, changing rooms and we’re so fortunate here at St Saviour’s to have the parking right at the back here, allowing everyone to simply roll up and have a bowl.”
The St Saviour’s Bowls Club president delved into his personal experiences, sharing what first drew him to the game: “I first saw bowls in 2006 in Melbourne during the Commonwealth Games and it was just brilliant. So, when I came back home, I was down here the next day and started bowling, as what I saw was just so good.
“What amazed me about it was how competitive we were at that level – I mean, how many sports can you be that competitive and good at the top level, especially heading into your later years.
“As I was a swimming coach for donkey’s years, the chances that a 56-year-old can become a swimmer and remain competitive throughout the rest of his life are absolutely nil.”
Now, St Saviour’s Bowls Club is hopping on the wagon to improve the sport’s already-bustling social element, through adding associate members to the club’s ranks, opening the doors to those who want to become part of the club without having to be a competing bowler.
“There’s a huge social element with bowls and you really need that – through this sport, I can honestly say that I have made genuine friends,” continued
Du Feu.
“We’re a bit behind the curve with this one, as other clubs have already got this in place, but we’re opening up the club to what we call ‘associate members’, who are basically social members. This means you’re insured to be on the premises, you can become a volunteer and be part of the club, but not necessarily as a bowler – even though you’d be welcome to play some social bowls.
“It’s such an easy game to start – all you need are a pair of flat shoes and a set of bowls, which last you a lifetime. Whatever your intentions with the sport, whether to compete or just enjoy the social side, all of the clubs are willing to work with you.”
With the club’s warm and welcoming nature comes an equally beneficial community, as Du Feu went on to say: “This here really is a well-being spot and a comfortable, secure and pleasant place to be – it’s almost like a second home.
“We have people here who’ve lost their wives, their husbands, their partners and this becomes a very important place to them, as they can come here and meet people who’ll be helpful and supportive.
“Everyone and anyone can play this game, as you can see from the wide range of levels and abilities on the green.
“Even those who aren’t the most naturally gifted at the game bring so much to the party in other areas of the club.
“You’re walking into welcoming organisations that are so well run – when new members walk in, we get their email, number and address and we send them an email the very next day, showing that we’re committed to welcoming more people to the sport at whichever club is the most suitable for them.”
Time to get on the green
Following what was a disappointing performance last year with the Island Games hotshot medal-winning team of Michael Rive, Kevin Le Long and Josh Band –which saw me literally roll every bowl into the ditch of the Sun Bowls Club – I was driven to right the wrong and prove I had what it takes.
This time my opponent/tutor was none other than Peter Le Long, Kevin’s father – talk about a small world. Still haunted by my abysmal prior effort, I headed out to the green with a point to prove, going through the motions and analysing Peter’s technique.
It looks easy enough, doesn’t it? Well, there’s so much more to this game than what meets the eye, there’s just so many components that have to work together to get “the shot”.
After a couple practice ends, Peter and I decided to go for it.
I have to say, being out on the green and playing was so relaxing and calming – but it still had that competitive nature, as I was keen to keep improving on each bowl. I’m happy to say there was much progress since that dreadful initial effort – it must have been Peter’s expert advice.
Play went better than expected, as I managed to pull off a few shots to give Peter something of a challenge and near his shot, but for the first few he still managed to have the edge.
However, I saved the best till last, as I pulled off an unbelievable shot – much to my own surprise, let alone everyone else’s – to take the shot and reign victorious in the lone end.
I may have lost overall, but I’m taking that as a huge win.
We even upped the difficulty by closing the distance and playing short – basically playing into Peter’s strengths. Even though I held my own, I just couldn’t compete with Peter’s experience.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable day – I even played a couple ends on my own to further refine my craft and see how much more I could improve, as seeing that bit of progress with each end got addictive.
I must give a big shout-out to everyone down at St Saviour’s Bowls Club. The atmosphere was spot-on and everyone was just so nice and incredibly welcoming – I felt right at home.
