“We hope you all come back, and the reason is, you’re all so young!” exclaimed Angela Lynch, Niagara-on-the-Lake Lawn Bowling Club secretary, as she made closing remarks to 19 members from the Niagara-on-the-Lake Social Club at the lawn bowling open house this weekend.
The social club members, who endeavour to try new activities in the area, had an hour of coaching instruction at Canada’s oldest lawn bowling club.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Lawn Bowling Club was founded in 1877, according to the bowling club’s website. For the first 133 years, play was on grass on the grounds of the Queen’s Royal Niagara Hotel on the shore of Lake Ontario. Built in 1869, the hotel also offered tennis courts and a dance pavilion. When it closed in the early 1920s, that land became Queen’s Royal Park.
The lawn bowling club moved in 1922 to a green at the corner of Regent Street and Johnson Street, where it remained for the next 88 years. In 2011 the club moved again, this time to the Community Centre on Anderson Lane.
Lawn bowling is played with a special bowl that is contoured so that the path it follows is curved. At first, the bowl moves in a fairly straight line, but as it slows it will swing to one side, explained the pamphlet that can be found in a box attached to the fence at the club.
The club is open from April to October. “Bowlers can rent bowls for $10 dollars a season,” said Julie Hagan, who is on the club’s membership committee.
Hagan explained the playing schedule. “On Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting at 1:30 p.m., we play jitney-style,” she said. A jitney is a casual game of bowls without regularly assigned teams.
“On Mondays and Wednesdays, we move play to 6:30 p.m. because of the heat,” said Hagan.
Coaches are eager to teach newcomers how to deliver a bowl, the objectives of the game, its rules, and the etiquette that goes with it. Coach Rose Connolly, a member since 2012, said that “when we have a new person come in and they are interested in the game, I get called and we spend the afternoon with them and teach them lawn bowling. We have two sessions, play a few rounds, then for the second session we answer more questions.”
“We try to get people to come out because it is a fun afternoon or evening,” said Connolly.
“We have a women’s league and a men’s league. It’s a soft exercise. It isn’t overly strenuous, but you definitely do a lot of stretching.”
Lynch, the club secretary, has been a member for 14 years, but has been lawn bowling for 30 years. “We’ve got about 70 members this year and can handle more,” she said. While lawn bowling is perceived by some as a sport for the elderly, Lynch says all are welcome. “The oldest player we have now is probably 90 years old,” she said. “Because we have carpet and it’s not natural grass, we can actually have people in a walker. We had one woman who was 93 who came with her walker.”
“We are very easy-going,” assured Lynch. “It’s the gentle exercise and fresh air and the social aspect we like. Every Saturday we have afternoon tea after the first game. We have a barbecue once a month for socialization.”
“You can bowl as often as you want or as little as you want, there is no commitment to a team,” added Lynch.
There is one more open house for people to try lawn bowling, which has its roots in old England and was called Bowling on the Green. It has been played since the 13th century and is very popular in many Commonwealth countries. More than 180 clubs exist in Ontario with about 11,500 members.
The next open house is June 11 from 2 to 4 p.m. “Coaches will be here for people who want to learn how to play,” said Hagan.