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WPBC Shield Results |
It
may be bowling but it's just not cricket Residents of Kenton may have passed Woodcock Park Bowling Club (WPBC) many times without even knowing it's there. Situated at the beginning of Woodcock Park on the Shaftesbury Avenue side, the bowling green is a secluded oasis of peace, tranquillity and relaxation in the heart of the area. Here, local residents may have seen people parking their cars and disappearing out of sight behind a gateway entrance and wondered where they had gone; the bowling green and its pavilion being almost totally hidden from the outside. Once inside the gates newcomers are often surprised to witness the beautifully maintained grounds, pavilion and bowling green, which is the home of the bowling club. The club, which will celebrate its golden jubilee in 2003, boasts over 110 members. The men’s club has about 85 members and operates separately from the Ladies’ club. Whilst there are separate constitutions that govern the two clubs, there are many joint social and bowling events and not surprisingly there are a number of married couples who each belong to their club separately. On application for membership, a prospective new bowler will be invited to attend an informal interview where he or she will meet some of the club’s elected officials. The prospective new member will be told a little about the club and about the game of bowls and have the opportunity himself to ask questions. Provided he passes the interview (I cant remember anyone failing!) he will be asked to attend a number of coaching sessions provided by the club’s trained coaches. These sessions will explain the rules and regulations of the game of bowls, will teach the new applicants of the etiquettes associated with the game, familiarise them of the club rules and coach them to a satisfactory standard of bowling such that they will feel comfortable to integrate with the other members and play bowls immediately. The club is open seven days a week from the end of April to the end of September. Generally there are three set playing sessions a day, morning, afternoon and evening, although this is not a hard and fast rule as members are entitled to play whenever it suits them. All bowlers must wear special bowling shoes, which are perfectly flat bottomed. For casual games and matches it is necessary to wear white above the waist and grey below. For club matches the attire is often all white. There are specialist bowls shops that provide all the equipment, as do some of the larger department stores. For new bowlers, bowls (four make a set!) can be borrowed from the club although most bowlers prefer to buy their own. A set of new bowls can cost between £100 and £150 but because they are hard wearing, second hand bowls (or woods as they are often called) are readily available at a much-reduced price. The green and pavilion are owned by the local authority and are partly maintained by them. The club pays rent to the council and maintains much of the gardens, the green and the pavilion itself. This reduces the cost of subscription for members making bowling a very inexpensive activity. Whilst bowls is seen as the preserve of the elderly, this is often quite wrong. Viewers who watch the world championships will know that the best bowlers are often in their twenties and thirties and WPBC would like to encourage more young people to become involved with the game. Of course we are a multi-cultural club and encourage local people from all backgrounds to become members. The club is somewhat limited to the size of membership by the physical size of the green (it consists of six rinks) and the logistics of running club competitions. However we do have vacancies for new members, men and women, young and old and from all cultures. If you are interested to learn more about the club in particular or bowling in general, then please feel free to contact us for an informal chat. Ian Collier 020 8907 2701
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