BOWLING LEGEND PASSES ON

he Botswana Bowling Association (BBA) is mourning the passing on of its veteran player, Tony Allen. He passed on last week due to ill health. Bowls director, Marea Modutlwa told Sport Monitor that Allen was a high value member of the bowls family who served the BBA for many years as an executive committee member.

He was a public relations officer and competition secretary from 1997 until 1998. Allen was the BBA chairperson from 1998 until 2000 and 2002 up to 2008.

“Allen qualified as an umpire in 1996. He was an umpire at the African States Tournament (AST) in 1997 and 2005. He was in the Local Organising Committee for the AST when it was hosted by Botswana in 1997 and in 2005,” she said. Modutlwa said in 1996, Allen was in the LOC of the Welsh Bowling Association tour of Botswana. He was then appointed as the national selector from 2008 to 2012.

Allen was president of Zone VI Bowls Confederation from 2011 to 2013. “Not only will Allen be remembered for his administrative prowess, he was also a bowler of repute who represented the country at many international competitions: Peter Richards Invitation Pairs (three times), Quadrangular tournament in Zimbabwe (2000),

AST in South Africa (1998), AST team manager in Nairobi (2003) and World Bowls Championships in South Africa (2000),” she said.

The 79-year-old was a member of Gaborone Bowls Club where he won many national tittles, notably his first title in 1996 as part of the quartet that won gold medal in the Fours discipline. Other successes at the bowls national championships include gold medals in the Pairs discipline (2003 and 2006).

Administratively, he served the club as competition secretary from 2004 to 2016 and he was a club selector at various times.