Green, green grass of hope for Team GB’s bowling squad
SUCCESS FOR the Team Maccabi GB Lawn Bowling squad at the Maccabiah Games won’t just rely on them winning a medal — but on the enjoyment they take from the whole Games experience.
Stuart Lustigman will be managing the team out in Israel and will also be one of the 10 bowlers Team Maccabi GB will be fielding.
Certain they will face tough opposition, he says: “I can only ask my bowlers to play to the best of their ability against what will be very strong opposition from Israel, Australia and South Africa, all of whom play outdoor bowls the whole year round.
“Of course, achieving medal standard would be amazing, but success is also measured by the effort that the bowlers put in and their sheer enjoyment, which they will undoubtedly get out of this wonderful experience.”
While there is now Lawn Bowls played at European Maccabi Games, this squad also have Maccabiah experience among them on as four of the bowlers participated at the 2017 Games.
While not taking part in training sessions per se, the squad have been bowling regularly, both indoors between October and April and outdoors between May and September, when competing for their clubs and at various individual competitions.
Players who were selected for the squad were picked from six different clubs — Bishopswood (Hampstead Garden Suburb), Buckhurst Hill, Potters Bar, Sawtry and District (Cambridgeshire), Southend and Stanmore, though as Lustigman points out: “There are a number of clubs with a predominantly Jewish membership but, sadly, Lawn Bowls clubs in general are on the decline.”
Explaining the mental toughness needed to play the game, Lustigman says: “Despite the perception that Lawn Bowls is an easy game for mature people, the truth is that many of the world’s best players are relatively young. The game is actually very challenging, requiring concentration and accuracy, and matches can last over two hours. During the Maccabiah Games, my bowlers will often be playing twice-a-day, which will be very tough considering the heat. There are other sports in the Maccabiah Games that are not as demanding.”
Away from “The Green”, Lustigman, a seasoned veteran of the Maccabiah
Games, is hoping his squad lap up every unique moment the Maccabiah Games will offer.
It will be his ninth Maccabiah Games — he was a Team Maccabi GB assistant Manager in 1989 and Team Maccabi GB Manager in 1993 and 1997. Serving as Chairman of the International Maccabiah Sports Committee between 1998 and 2006, he continued to support the
committee through the 2009, 2013 and 2017 Maccabiah Games, but will now be there in a competitive guise.
“I cannot describe the excitement that my bowlers are feeling especially those who have not participated previously”, he says.
“But now, as a participant, I share the excitement of my fellow bowlers together with whom I am extremely proud to be representing the UK Jewish community.”