When we started playing outdoor in late April, the general feeling was, please let it be a good summer and for a lot of people it has been (writes David Corkill). The greens have firmed up and playing with reasonable pace. At least that is the case in the southern part of the UK. For those of us in the north, the weather hasn’t been so kind, but still it’s been great to feel the sun on our backs albeit only occasionally.
All the hard work by greenkeepers over the winter months are now being enjoyed. Sadly, some bowlers just don’t seem to be able to play on grass without damaging it. The photograph shows what happens when a player delivers their bowl from knee high.
I appreciate sometimes it can be difficult to deliver perfect bowls, but this damage was witnessed by a home team and they just didn’t know what to do. Almost every end was a problem, and the opposition didn’t appear to either notice or care.
The issue I have is what is the solution and maybe some of our readers can help. What are the home team’s options? Is it appropriate to highlight the situation and ask for more care to be taken or insist on the large protective mats to be put down? Either way it can cause embarrassment to the player and team involved and who instigates the conversation in the first place.
Maybe the team captains, if there are any, can deal with it. The chances are the greenkeeper would not be there and maybe just as well as he sees a lot of his good work making the surface as good as possible being ripped up in front of him. Look closely and you will see how deep the divots are. It’s more like a nine iron has been used.
I know this is a tough subject. As we all get older or develop bad habits delivering a bowl can become more difficult. Some players that have changed to a fixed stance with their lead leg in front and static. This can solve a lot of the issues and has proven to be successful strategy to overcome delivery problems.
I am unsure if there is a solution? Maybe we just have to just watch the damage being done. To highlight the problem further, the damaged rink has had to be taken out of commission to allow for repairs for the rink to recover. This is one of the best match rinks for both A and B teams in this club so like it or not they just can’t play on it for a while.
I also witnessed a similar situation recently where a visiting bowler was taking lumps out of the green. It wasn’t as if the green was particularly soft, no one else was having any problems it was just knee-high deliveries. I was tempted to go onto the rink and pat down where the damage had been done but it wasn’t my place to do so but others seen it and had done their best to put lumps of grass back into place.
We don’t want to deny bowlers the opportunity to play, but it’s a difficult one to manage. Either way, I just know how the greenkeeper feels when he comes in the next day and sees the damage.
Maybe it’s up to teams to admit that it may be better to put the ‘mats’ down to protect the green as some of their players are struggling a bit. It’s a big ask to do so but is it a satisfactory solution?
CHANGE IS NEEDED AT DOMESTIC LEVEL
Whilst I’m on the subject of change, we really need to get our act together on length of matches. This month, I played in an Irish Senior Cup match over the required 21 ends and it took four hours. Three rinks came off at roughly the same time, so it wasn’t due to one of two players playing slow. It was a very close match and that in itself can slow play down but the sun was out for most of it, so it wasn’t too bad. But the sport is struggling to attract spectators and recruit new members and some people wonder why.
Four hours is not unusual sadly in fact I expect some matches to go to four-and-a-half before the season is out. Some bowlers just discuss shots for multiple minutes then go and attempt to play the obvious shot that some players had taken a few seconds to work out. Too much thinking and not enough decision making.
This has now come to a stage were playing against easily identified individuals becomes turgid. Talk for talk’s sake.
Even at international level, officials, certainly in Ireland, cannot stamp it out or more than likely refuse to grasp the issue and deal with it and they need to. The starting point for me is reduce all fours matches to 18 ends in national and county competitions and leagues.
Triples must go to two bowls; if ever a discipline is ripe for change this is it.
I have already used the word ‘turgid’ but it’s a perfect description for this horrible format. Yes, I have played it and with some success indoors and outdoors but three bowls each is one to many.
The benefit would also be that the ‘middle’ player would stay up with the lead and not be allowed to come to the ‘head’ until all their bowls had been played. This quickens up the match to the point that it should be completed within three hours at the most.
I have heard of matches taking four-five hours before to complete the traditional format matches, yes, that long. Losing the will to even be there for that length of time comes to mind. It needs changed!
Pairs should also be changed to 15 ends if played with fours bowls. Alternatively, make it three bowls and keep the 21 ends. It might surprise you how much this helps the pace of the match. Again, it should take no longer that three hours to complete.
Singles is and always should be 21 shots. Matches rarely go beyond two and a half hours and if they do it is usual a very good match to either be involved in or to watch.
A lot this month, some of which I have covered before but the sport needs to change and adapt to today’s world. If we don’t, the idea of continuous and robust recruitment will pass us by and that would be a sad day for our sport.
FOOTNOTE: Please note views expressed by David Corkill do not necessarily represent those of the team at Bowls International.
Caption: The damaged green
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