‘Mighty’ Mowbray back in the top flight

MOWBRAY BOWLING CLUB have a men’s Flag team back in the Premier League (PL) for the first time in many a year. Having come close last year to making a return to the elite 10-team league, this time round they weren’t going to be denied.

Campaigning in the Division 1A, Mowbray went on to win seven of nine outings and amass a whopping 101 points from a 135, 17½ more than Milnerton, not to mention the most in Flag made up of five leagues.

Old Oak competed in Division 1B and won seven times to end on 93½ and earn automatic promotion to the top flight.

The pair replace Pinelands and Somerset West, who were relegated from the PL.

Now for the Flag and Mixed League finals at Helderberg today.

Mowbray are favoured to add another piece of silverware to their collection.

”We’re all ready to end the season off on a high,” said lead Jules Horak.

“It has been a team effort from day one to get to this point.

“A neutral venue for the showdown with Old Oak should produce a classic encounter, so let’s get it on.”

Mowbray have been around for 99 years and produced myriad brilliant players who have left behind their names on an honours board that can hold court with the best out there.

Hence they were once known as “Mighty” Mowbray.

That tag earned in the early 1900s would stick around for decades, but like any other sporting club there were dark days, especially at the turn of the century that saw membership numbers take a dive, so much so that talk of shutting down did the rounds.

Thankfully that never materialised thanks to folk who saw the light at the end of the tunnel, one of them being relatively new member Tommy van Vlaanderen who saw potential in the venue and set a course for a brighter future.

Newbie Bowls being his baby allowed non-bowlers the chance to experience the game in casual attire and in a relaxed environment minus all the red tape associated with a sport labelled “old man’s marbles”.

Slowly new members signed up, and quality ones at that.

Joel Roëbert was Western Province’s leading player when he arrived from Western Province Cricket Club in the 2014/15 season.

He made it his mission to improve the skills of fellow members keen to learn, something he did with a passion knowing what the end goal was, and that was to be a PL club. And it’s become a reality in four years.

Mowbray Flag team: Joel Roëbert, Gareth Roslee, Tom van Vlaanderen (all skips), Jules Horak, Dave van der Walt, Craig Beckwith, Wade Pretorius, Gary Lyttle, Mwiza Soko, Errol Manual, Justin Fife, Peter Todd (captain).

Kudos to the WP men’s B team for their runners-up finish to hosts Johannesburg (JBA) at the South African Inter-Districts.

While the other provincial teams failed to make an impression at national tourneys, a new-look B team did the Mother City proud by bringing home a silver medal.

They won eight of nine matches to top the Red Section and set up the final with Blue-Section winners JBH, who also only lost one tie.