Primary school pupils enjoy a taste of bowls

Pupils from St Mary & St Michael Primary School have been testing their bowling skills on one of the most picturesque greens in the British Isles thanks to a new partnership between the school and the Northern Bowling Association.

The club’s green at Delancey is a stunning and peaceful spot with fantastic views across the Little Russel, but the children only had eyes for the targets as they had their first go at trying a new sport.

Volunteers from the club gave the children some brief instructions and then it was time to play.

The Guernsey Sports Commission has been working closely with both the Guernsey Bowling Club who play at Beau Sejour and the Northern Bowling Association based at Delancey to organise taster sessions for primary age children. And its proving to be a great success!

‘I love it; anything to do with youngsters coming into bowls is good. We need them, we need them desperately,’ said Northern Bowling Association president Trevor Savident.

‘Straight away they are having a go and enjoying it.

‘It’s not an old man’s game but a lot of old people play it, but old people don’t last forever.

‘We’d love to have a junior section but, at the moment, we don’t have enough players,’ he said.

Both organisations are planning how they can keep the children involved in the sport.

‘On a Saturday morning we have an open session where they can just come along and play,’ said Trevor.

‘Bring Mum and Dad and they can come along and play too. We’ve got hundreds of bowls in our shed which we would loan out.’

The St Mary & St Michael pupils certainly seemed to enjoy their introduction to bowls.

‘I’m kind of good,’ said one.

‘I hit the jack earlier on with my bowl,’ said another

‘I quite like that you can all go against each other and then the closest wins.’

‘It makes us do more fitness and get more strong.’

Further sessions are being planned with one of the ultimate aims being the creation of regular lunchtime or after-school clubs. Judging by the fun being had at Delancey, there could well be lots of interest.

For further information about the Northern Bowling Club visit https://northbowls.com/