Bowls

Convenor: Ganesh Ramanathan | Article by: Candy Lai and Melvin Tan

IN THIS ISSUE, WE FEATURE 2 STALWART MEMBERS OF THE SECTION:

THE MAN WHO STARTED A FEW THINGS

It was in 1961 when Teong Qwee Lim (fondly known as TQ) became a member of SCC. Among the many Sports Sections in the Club, he first chose to play Cricket, Rugby and Tennis. In 1980, when he was in the General Committee of the Club, the question of what to do with the Bowls Green came up. “There would only be about three or four people playing each time then. I started to research the history of Bowls at the Club to find out more”.

Until December 1986, the Green was merely a rough patch of grass of about 30 metres square surrounded by a drain which had to be covered with gunny sacks or rubber mats each time before play. TQ got the Club contractor to construct a grass Green of 32 metres by 37 metres. “I was on the Green almost every day throughout the construction time to see to the works. When the Green was reopened after Chinese New Year in 1987, it was quite unrecognisable and soon we had a large membership in the Section and players on the Green.” Also in 1986, TQ initiated an Interport arrangement with the Royal Bangkok Sports Club (RBSC). This was the first Bowls Trophy event with a foreign club and since then, it has been an annual event for the Section. In 1987, he also got the Club to be a member of both the International Bowling Board and Women’s International Bowling Board, representing Singapore. At that time, Singapore did not have an umbrella body for the sport of bowls. As such, SCC was the “Bowls Team of Singapore”. It was a decade later in 1995 that TQ initiated and formed Bowls Singapore with a core group of SCC Members, and was its first President. In 1987, TQ won the SCC Singles Championship. In doing so, he was the first local player to win it. It was also the first year he played for Singapore in the Pacific Games in the Singles and Pairs events. It was Singapore’s first representation in the Games. In 2002, in celebration of the Club’s 150th Anniversary, TQ initiated the Triangular with RBSC and Kowloon Bowling Green Club (KBGC), and it remains as one of the favourite annual events for the Bowls Section.

TQ said his fondest memories of the Club would probably be “working together for Bowls especially in the first few years”. He was the Convenor of the Section in 1986 and 1987, 2002 and 2016. In his own words, TQ describes bowls as “it’s only a game but it’s the friendliest game and you must be the first to be truly friendly!” Before he retired, he was the Commissioner of Appeals and now he is playing leisure bowls at the Club. He has even built a one rink bowls green in his own house! Cheers to the man who started a few things for bowls.

THE MAN WITH A COLOURFUL SOCIAL PERSONALITY

George V Abraham first joined the SCC in 1968. Being able to socialise with his army colleagues who were then Members of the Club was one of his few motivations of joining the Club. His social demeanour also allowed him to make great friendships in and around the Club. He played squash and golf, before age caught up with him. In 1996, he took up lawn bowls. Why lawn bowls? “It is a sport that met my physical exercise needs,” George recalled. “Also, the very sociable atmosphere on the Green as well as the after-match drinks at the Deli Bar”, he continued, which has inevitably become a regular fixture in the times spent at the Club.

George represented Singapore in bowls at the Brunei SEA Games in 1999, in which he described picking up a Bronze medal in the Men’s Fours event as his best achievement, and was given the Best Player award by Bowls Singapore in 2001. He was the official Bowls Singapore delegate for the World Bowls AGM, which was held during the World Bowls Championships in Johannesburg, George at the Annual Triangular Tournament 2018 in Bangkok. Photo credit: RBSC Lawn Bowls. South Africa in 2000. His best memories of bowls include participation in the annual Australian Tattersalls competitions, various bowls tours to Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia, and the annual Interport / Triangular events in Hong Kong and Bangkok. In 2015, he initiated a bowls tour to Kerala, India with a group from SCC to broaden their overseas bowls experience. For someone who is never shy of the spotlight, George enjoys participating in the many social events and in-house competitions organized by the Section from time to time. His strong social personality and organizing ability also saw him elected as Convenor of the Bowls Section in the years 2005 and 2006, 2008 to 2012. Bowls-cum-social events were aplenty during his Convenorship. He continues to serve the Club in the General Committee since 2013, and has been the Chairman of the Property Subcommittee since 2014. He still plays bowls actively and describes the game as “gratifying”. Cheers, cheers, cheers George!