I’m great at first lines of poems
They just randomly pop up in my mind
But good second lines and beyond
Are SO much harder to find

As a novice it’s a matter of trying
Searching for words that might rhyme
But patience is clearly a virtue
It’s only ever a matter of time

I’ve recently joined a local Lawn Bowls club.  Is there anything that screams retirement more than taking up bowls !  I figured that finding an activity that, on the face of it, wasn’t particularly taxing would help me stay active and I could fit around my dialysis schedule.

I had already filled in the online form before I attended the introduction session, so there was no admin on the day.  I had planned to meet Kate for lunch, assuming I’d be at the club for a matter of minutes, for  quick tour and to finalise the paperwork.  Instead, I was introduced to another inductee, and we were immediately ushered to the end “rink” and told to get on with it !  My partner had been a club member for 9 years in Suffolk so had all the gear.  I was handed a set of club bowls.

As a junior and at young adult level (18 – 23), I had been a competitive tenpin bowler, so I knew I had some transferrable skills.  One of the bonuses of lawn bowls is that there isn’t different equipment for lefties like me.  For the uninitiated, bowls are shaped so that they will roll more in one direction than the other.  The bowls themselves have a large circle on one side and a smaller circle on the other side.  As the bowl slows, it will turn in the direction of the small circle.  This is known as the ‘bias’.

There was no doubting that my partner was a much better player than me but, as I said, my previous experience tenpin bowling meant I had a good sense of needing to be able to judge the amount of turn.  The hardest part was finding the right pace for the length of jack (small white target ball).  Occasionally the tenpin bowler took over, and I found my wood careering towards the ditch at the end of the rink. 

We played for about an hour on what was the hottest day of the year so far.  I won fewer ends than I lost, but the fact that I won any at all was reassuring.  I’m looking forward to going back and experimenting with a different size of wood.  I’d eventually like to buy my own set of woods, but I won’t do that until I’ve settled on a preferred size/weight.

One thing that took me by surprise was that the average age of the club members there on the day was much lower than I expected.  I was also pleased to learn that Bowls UK have relaxed the dress code, so there is no need for me to fork out for expensive clothing.  All in all, I’m pleased with my decision to join the club and look forward to testing myself against some of the better players.