The sun shone on Isle of Man Lawn Bowls Club in Onchan Park on Saturday for the start of the 2024 season, including the opening ceremony for the new clubhouse.
A large number of members and spectators gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony performed by Ralph Peake of the Manx Lottery Trust whose grant to the club enabled the construction of the clubhouse supported by Onchan Commissioners.
Club president Gary Lenton thanked Manx Lottery Trust, Onchan Commissioners, the contractors involved in the construction of the building plus all members for their support.
The opening was followed by the Yardstick competition where a large numbers of members were randomly paired into 14 teams, with junior bowlers also joining the competition.
The quality of the bowling on hand was of a particularly high standard, with notable performances from Trevor Quayle and Andy Dixon as well as John Piekalns and Caroline Whitehead.
But it was a stellar exhibition by Dee Lewis and John Kewley who showed immaculate consistency throughout the afternoon and dominated the green winning the cup by a country mile.
The committee would like to thank Manx Lottery Trust in particular Mr Peake, Onchan Commissioners present, club members for their support and contributions to the excellent half-time buffet.
All of the club’s leagues are now underway on various days of the week.
The mixed singles league takes centre stage on Monday evenings, with the premier pairs division being held on Wednesdays.
On Thursdays it’s the turn of the women’s singles league, then on Friday afternoons attention turns to the daytime pairs league.
For more information about the club and the various leagues, head to the https://www.lawnbowlsiom.com/ website or visit the ‘Lawn Bowls Isle of Man’ page on Facebook.
WIN KEWLEY