Row over etiquette at bowls club ends with a headbutt!
A GENTEEL bowls match descended into chaos after a player allegedly headbutted an opponent, it emerged yesterday.
The final of a prestigious county cup competition had to be abandoned when violence flared in a row about etiquette, it was said.
Astonished onlookers described how they saw one middle-aged player square up to another and inflict a headbutt.
They said the victim fell down, breaking a finger, and the aggressor was restrained – but angrily wriggled free to have another go.
The bust-up was said to have come after one player muttered a remark just as a rival was taking his turn at Atherley Bowling Club in Southampton.
The club was hosting the final of the Hampshire County Cup between teams aged in their 50s and 60s from Boscombe Cliff, near Bournemouth, and Portsmouthbased Southsea Waverley.
A witness to the incident said: “Everyone there saw the Boscombe player headbutt one of the Southsea players.
Bizarre
“He was restrained by some of the guys, but broke free and tried to hit out a second time.
“It was a really bizarre sight – you don’t expect it in a game for men in their 50s and 60s.”
The altercation – described as “unpleasant”– was said to have left Boscombe Cliff “embarrassed and disappointed”.
The match was called off and Southsea Waverley were handed the trophy.
The players resolved the row between themselves and no police or medics were called to the club.
Southsea Waverley’s secretary Peter Aldridge said: “I’ve been told there was a physical act against one of our players.
“The argument was something about the etiquette during play.
“Our player took an injury to the finger, he broke it when he fell. He’s okay now and just wants to forget it. Boscombe Cliff have accepted their player was out of order, they declined to play on and we won the trophy. It was very unpleasant and Boscombe were embarrassed and very disappointed by it all.”
Boscombe Cliff’s secretary refused to comment. A message on the Bowls Hampshire website stated simply: “Congratulations to Southsea Waverley who retained the County Club Championship with victory over Boscombe Cliff in the final.” Violence is very rare in bowls, a quintessentially sedate game where players are often in their 70s or 80s. It is one of the most popular recreations among the UK’s over-65s with 340,000 players in 7,400 clubs. Sir Francis Drake stayed famously cool finishing a game on Plymouth Hoe despite the Armada approaching in 1588. And the first set of rules, drawn up with the help of keen bowler Charles II in 1670, included one which said: “Keep your temper.”