City and Port of Bristol Bowls Club

The bowling club was established in June 1970 ---- known then as the PBA Bowls Club and operating primarily from the port at Avonmouth. All the initial meetings were held there and team sheets displayed there. Games were played on the original Avonmouth Green until, in 1974 the new green adjacent to the main Social and Sports Club in Nibley Road, Shirehampton was ready for use, and it has been bowled on ever since.

In the beginning things were established at an impressive rate --- affiliation to two County Associations, joining the Men’s League in Bristol and making a friendly fixture list so that bowling against other clubs in the area could take place. A President --- Mr.Edney was appointed --- he held office for three years and gave his name to a trophy still competed for today --- the men’s four wood singles.

One thing that took a little longer to establish was the end of season Presentation Evening or Dinner. The first one took place at the end of the 1970s. By that time the club was well established and playing a number of competitions that would require recognition for success at the end of the season.

There is no record or pictures from the early presentation events but in 1983 pictures were taken and some of them are in this edition. It should be noted that when the club was formed in 1970 it was entirely men. By the 1980s ladies had joined --- initially wives of existing male bowlers --- and they became very much a part of the bowling scene at the club, often achieving greater success than their male counterparts in competitions beyond club level.

The Annual Presentation Event has taken place most years since it first appeared in the late 1970s. Sometimes a quite formal dinner and on others a less formal buffet and entertainment. The Presentation Evening recognises achievement at club level but sometimes achievement goes beyond that level and on to county and even National Level. In 2021 Ken Davies reached the Bristol Section Final of the Men’s Champion of Champions Competition --- quite an achievement. In 2022 the City and Port of Bristol Club will have representatives in the Men’s and Ladies Champion of Champion, Gloucestershire County Singles and City and County of Bristol Men’s Pairs, as well as entries in both Men’s and Ladies Team Competitions. The second Sunday evening Social Event of the Winter took place on December 5th and it was an excellent Gordon Dimond Quiz.

One hundred questions divided into a wide ranging ten categories saw much scratching of heads and memory searching for the answers. In the end it came down to a tie break question – How Long is Hadrian’s Wall --- with two teams of four finishing level. The winning team was ---- Howard, Carol, Paul and Gill with Charlie Carol, Dave and Sue runners up. So --- how long is the wall? It is 73 miles long – more or less. A really good quiz and a great evening all round. The winning team each received a bottle of wine from Gordon.

The next Social Event will be on Sunday January 23rd and it will be an evening of Skittles, Table Skittles and Mini-Golf, at the Social and Sports Club starting at 7.30pm. Come along and enjoy it.

If you would like to know more about the bowling club and its year round activities please call David Hinksman on 07932387217. A Happy New Year to all who take an interest in the club.