Elderly bowls player sues all clubs on Jersey following ban

♦ An elderly bowls player sued every club on Jersey after being banned for calling bosses “little Hitlers”.

Ted Vibert, 80, has been unable to play lawn bowls for more than two years after he left his bowls club following a dispute.

He claimed applications were then blocked by all four available clubs.

Mr Vibert, who served as a senator in Jersey, sought £5,000 in compensation each from the Sun Bowls Club, Jersey Bowling Club, St Saviour’s Bowling Club and St Brelade’s Bowling club. He alleged at Jersey Royal Court that the clubs caused embarrassment, hurt, damaged his reputation and denied him the chance to play bowls. Mr Vibert lost all four claims and appealed, but the appeal panel upheld three judgments. The fourth will be heard again to decide if he actually resigned from Sun Bowls Club by storming out of a meeting.

Mr Vibert said problems started more than two years ago when he “complained” and fell out with officials.

“They would say that I referred to members as ‘little Hitlers’ which I didn’t,” he said.

An affidavit from Greg Davis, captain of Sun Bowling Club said: “He had sought a change to the constitution, and in doing so had made reference to Adolf Hitler in an apparent comparison with the attitude to his proposal.”