Dear readers,

Bowls is a global game played in a spirit of friendly rivalry (and often rich banter!) by thousands of devotees old and young across the length and breadth of South Africa. In this edition of Sporting Spirit, I will feature bowls in SA and Spirit’s support for this well-established community.

My first exposure was to the Constantia bowls club, which had a smart look about it with all the players dressed in white – Ladies and Gents. Indeed, to play, you could wear any colour - providing it was white.

I had played “Crown Green” Bowls in my native Lancashire (a far harder game), so I popped into the clubhouse to enquire about membership. I was guided to the Club President who after a brief interview, informed me that I could play on the coming Saturday on the fifth team. My bowling career had commenced, along with 350 other members!

Meanwhile, at virtually the same time, the Warwick Wealth Chairman was talking with a Scottish passenger on a Jhb – CT flight who turned out to be the President of the World Bowling Association. The rest, as they say, is history and Warwick became the main sponsor of Bowls South Africa (BSA).

Banks were then the main sponsors of bowls clubs and my new club Constantia was no exception. Yet, the general economic climate at the time was not good and banks withdrew their sponsorship of many clubs, Constantia included.  After a discussion with the Chairman, Warwick stepped in as the main sponsors of Constantia - arguably the finest bowling club in SA. Thus in 2002, was the first time the now famous Warwick sign boards appeared at aa bowls club.  

So, a short history of the state of bowls in SA “back in the day”. BSA was divided into 20 Bowling Districts, with over 400 clubs and some 45,000 members. Western Province and Johannesburg still have the two largest memberships.

Geographically, Boland was the largest District in SA, stretching from Vredendal in the North to Whitesands on the South Coast and inland to Touws River, with its headquarters in Worcester. In the early days, over a period of four months, we visited most clubs in the WP and Boland districts, with the ten best clubs in each district selected for Warwick sponsorship.

Rather simply popping a cheque in the post, we wanted to get to know the clubs and their players, so we actually played in the sponsored events, erect signage around the greens and conducted a short presentation at the prizegiving.

I would ask the club President to designate three players from his club to join me and that would constitute the Warwick team for the event. Thus, the Warwick team shirt was born, though its design has changed several times since.

Thereafter news of Warwick’s club sponsorship spread through the grape vine of BSA, with clubs and District Presidents wishing to know how they could become involved on behalf of their clubs.

In my list of sports sponsored by Warwick in the previous issue I missed out on a very important one – blind bowling. How is that possible you may ask?  Well, that’s another story for the next issue.

By the way, how many of you guessed that Egypt had the most croquet greens and had won most world titles?

Until next time, stay on the greens!