In the year 5000 BC and based on artefacts found in the Egyptian tombs it is believed that a form of bowls was played.

Roman soldiers also played a game where you needed to hit a target by throwing a stone with the nearest stone to the target becoming the winner, as the Roman empire expanded so did this game introduced to the natives and a variety of offshoots followed.

The oldest Bowling club is disputed but most bowling historians believe it to be Southampton which is on record as 1299. Those claiming to be older do not have the records to prove the claim.

King Edward III decided to ban the playing of bowls as everyone was supposed to practice archery in their spare-time and their skills were becoming eroded through lack of archery practice as they were too occupied playing bowls

King Henry VIII , a bowler himself, banned the sport for the poor by imposing a £100 levy on anyone keeping a green and making it illegal for anyone to play bowls in open space or in their own garden or orchard. However the levy was eventually lifted.

In Scotland however the game went from strength to strength and a set of rules was established in 1840 to standardised the game, these rules in fact have changed very little since then.

England did not form any association until 1903 and only did so with the help of W.G.Grace the English Cricket player who also became the English Bowling Associations(EBA) first president, but not everyone was happy with such strict rules and a few breakaway groups started up ,one of which still exists today that being the English Bowling Federation(EBF).

The EBA is regarded as the National Governing Body as it is affiliated to the World Bowls Council.

George Washington played the game of bowls on his estate in the USA where the game was introduced in the 1600's but it took a further 100 years to travel across the border into Canada. Sandy Bay in 1844 held the first bowls in Australia closely followed by the sport being taken up by New Zealand.

 

By Jeff Cole

(Who is Jeff Cole? sykic)