Bowls club rolls back the years
Burnham Bowls Club is celebrating 100 years at the heart of village life this year. Community news reporter Melissa Paulden found out more about its story.
One may not have considered Burnham Bowls Club to be ground-breaking but in the 1960s, when women still didn’t have the freedom to play the outdoor lawn game as often as men, Burnham’s membership committee accepted women as equals.
Other clubs were still asking women to ‘leave the green by 6pm’.
It was the Burnham women themselves who pushed for change.
Tired of ‘serving the teas at half time’ they asked to have a go and were hooked.
This is just one of the many tales that form part of the club’s 100-year history.
Back in 1922 two men from the then air rifle club found a set of woods and a mat at a local rummage sale and decided to have a go.
Little did they know that their ‘roll up’ would – decades later – result in a clubhouse being built in 1978 and the Stomp Road club becoming an essential hub offering not just sport and recreation but a place for friends, family and the community to gather.
Most recently, the club provided a lifeline to members throughout the COVID19 restrictions.
When outside exercise was permitted, members could open-up using their own keys and play, as long as they were in household groups. Whilst many clubs closed for two years, Bowls England complimented Burnham for remaining open as a fresh air and exercise venue.
Over the years, the club has collected an impressive number of trophies and accolades, and members are proud of a place they call their ‘home from home.’
One member, Hilary Hall, has held several volunteer roles over the years and joined in the 1980s with her husband when her children were young because they wanted to find a welcoming place where they could do sport and socialise that ‘wasn’t a pub’.
Many have been members since teenage years, or their early twenties, where they joined with playing parents.
Due to its inclusivity and ease of learning the basics, generations can play together.
It’s also a popular sport for couples to enjoy.
One of those couples is Frances Hope and her husband Mark, Burnham residents and volunteers.
“We enjoy doing something together,” said Frances. “Some couples play together and some don’t – it’s up the them but what’s nice is to find a sport that is more skills-based than strength-based so my husband and I can be equals out there and have a good match.”
Frances added bowls was a big part of working life back in the 1970s and 1980s.
“Many large corporations had sports teams and recreational facilities and it was the done thing for everyone to involved bowls,” she said.
“Now that’s all changed of course, so it’s down to clubs like ours to keep the sport going.”
The centenary celebrations are being held throughout 2022.
The season started with a reception for 70 past and present members in April.
Champagne was popped and a buffet and special cake was presented by club president, Jessie Clark.
Commemorative ‘centenary shirts’ were presented to all and an official photograph was taken to hang with the many others on the clubhouse walls.
Some weeks later a special centenary match was held with visiting players from the Bucks Bowls Association.
Another special match day saw a team from Bowls England visit Burnham, with players coming from 15 different counties to help honour the occasion.
In her after-dinner speech Bowls England president Terri Keen praised
Burnham for its success in keeping grassroots bowls thriving.
Burnham’s president Jessie Clark has played a part in developing the sport nationally as Bowls England’s 1999 president.
She has also shaped the sport through training umpires and chairing the English Bowling Associations Charity Trust, which helps players in need.
The club itself has also embraced other organisations into its community by sharing the use of the land and clubhouse with them.
Burnham Joggers and Bucks Blind use the clubhouse for regular meetings and Men’s Sheds have transformed a vacant plot behind the building, crafting items to sell and establishing a thriving allotment that feeds local people for free.
Jessie Clark said in her official centenary statement: “Foundations have been laid for the future.
“We are looking forward to increasing our membership, having more success on the green, continuing to be part of the Burnham community, and be the welcoming friendly club that records show Burnham has always been over the past 100 years.”
New members can contact Lee Collins on 07484 666453 or email burnhambowlsclub @btinternet.com.