New Horizons

Tomorrow I going to join Peters club and take up the gentle art of Bowin' , I've never done it before but, heard at our meeting on Sunday, Garswood Hall are skycking out for new members so. I've bowt a set of bows and going to join tomorrow and learn new skills and meet new folks , because,
I can,,,,

Tom

Some advice, and that is don't drop the bowl onto the Green, because if yoo doo, yoo will get shouted at, as I found out at that Bowling Club which was behind Pemberton Central Labour Club, off Enfield Street and Billinge Road, I have forgot the name of it

Thanks for that slaps, I'm new kid on the block on a bowlin' green and will ingest the protocol and rules as I go, I never go out to step on others toes but, I often dooo, I'll be wearing my cycling hard hat and steel capped toe boots for the initial few weeks, I've surrendered my spiked shoes as they are deemed a green keepers nightmare and I've been told to, not wee in the gutters

Enjoy TP....tried it myself...I was rubbish....finger peg thumb peg...too confusing as the bowl won't go straight

Tom believe it or not I have been a member for over 45 years and never bowled any time over those years. Its time I got myself in gear and started going to the club more to socialize just got out of the habit lately.Hope you enjoy your bowling and cover a lot of steps doing it

Me and my mate tried it in Wigan park when we were 17 or 18 in the 70's Here's a warning to you Tom, Don't do it in platform shoes like we did or a nowty man will come out of the hut and make you play in stocking feet or throw you off.

I went to level entry today and my 2 mates showed me the ropes and explained the ' thumb peg and finger peg' basics, From now on its a case of watching, learning and practice, All in all its just, old people having fun on grass with a bar nearby and , not spending a lot of money,
I'm taking it up a notch by, travelling there on me bike and with the weight of bowls on my back and the extra walking up and down the bowling green will send my fones, Health app, into overdrive,
I love Summer me,,,

Keep your eye open for a bloke called John Walsh. He’s an old mate of mine and a decent chap.
If you tell him you’re a mate of mine he might buy you a pint!

OK will do,
I'll tell him I'm the unluckiest man in the world because, I think like a Donkey and hung like Einstein

I tried 'Crown Green Bowling' when I was in my early twenties, I only did it once, but thinking back about it, I did enjoy it

Good luck Tom, I started playing regular about ten years ago, thought I could play as I'd played on and off since I was a kid, but struggled with the big boys in my first season, only won three games. Improved now though, and had some cracking days out on bowling trips, and won a few quid. stick at it.

Tonker, would that be the same John Walsh who was a ventilation officer at Golborne Colliery?

Tuddy the one and the same

Not seen him for years.

I see him in the Bowling Club .He lost his Wife Barbara in Dec last year.

Sorry to hear that, hope he's getting through it.

He’s bought himself two motorbikes and started spending more time at the bowling club. He lives just behind it!

Good that he's keeping busy, it's a hard time.

Tom, did you enjoy your bowling? I've never tried that, but I used to love 10-pin bowling when I was younger. Wasn't bad at it either.

yes Mollie, Its a new skill to learn, At first I was ' taking a run up' as you would in Ten pin but, I was soon corrected, In crown green they put a matt down and the rule is, one foot on the matt and send your bowl off to the jockey, Then its a case of, giving the bowl just enough paygo to reach and bare in mind that, as the bowl loses momentum the 'peg' leans the bowl left or right depending which side the weight is on, So after a while, you get the idea and after that, its practice,

That sounds like fun and, as you say, it's a new skill to learn, and out in the fresh air. Never too old to learn summat new, eh?

every day is a skool day Mollie, we went out today to the seaside and a picnic and a walk, We visited the local Bowin' club and there was this guy there doing something I've never seen before, He seemed able bodied but used a device like a litter picking arm but, was adapted to bowl the balls, he fitted his bowls into a grip at the base and aimed the bowls and he had a trigger to realise the bowls, I just has to ask him why and his answer was, his arm was injured many years ago and the tendons could not be repaired so, he had this bowling arm made for him,
Where there is a will, there is a way,
Never say die,,,,

It's quite amazing how people can adapt to a disability.

Many years ago I fell badly and dislocated my elbow. I had to go for a good few months of physiotherapy as I could neither raise or lower my left arm. She had me using weights to stretch the tendons and ligaments that had been all but destroyed and by the heck it was painful. The end result was I still can't stretch my arm to full capacity, so I have to lean into it, if you understand what I mean. It took a very long time to get to that point but, because I'm so stubborn, I got there. Even had to do exercises at home with my partner leaning on my arm to straighten it out. Brought tears to me eyes, it did, but I'm now back at around 90% capacity so it was worth it.

That guy you mentioned wasn't going to be afflicted, so was able to find a way of dealing with it. Good for him!

There's a chap bowls in Wigan who only has one arm, he's pretty good too, beat me when I played him.