10 Year Old Boy Wins Men’s Title at Silverstream International

For the past few years, leaders in lawn bowling have been looking to open it up to younger generations and change the perception of the sport. This weekend, a 10-year-old boy by the name of Seamus Curtin took great strides to do just that when he won the men’s title in the Silverstream International Tournament. After winning three games and drawing on one, Curtin was tied with one other player; however, he ended up taking home first place after beating all other opponents with his combined points total.

It’s no surprise that Curtin found his way to the bowls’ greens early in life. In fact, he’s been playing since the age of three. His parents are also big bowls players, and Seamus has grown up watching them take over the greens in their own right. His parents always knew that he’d be a player some day, but they had no idea that their son would be making this kind of news this early in his life, or any kind of bowls career that he may want to pursue.

Seamus Curtin also isn’t just making a name for himself – he’s also inspired another boy his age to take on the sport as well, and the Plimmerton Club has also begun talking to Aotea College, in hopes that they can also bring in lawn bowling to interest younger people. The President of the Plimmerton Club and Seamus’ mother, Rachel Wybourne-Curtin, has stated that while they were looking to get younger people interested in the sport, her son’s age is still about 30 or 40 years younger than the audience the club had originally been targeting; but she’s very happy for it and for the recent publicity Seamus’ win has given lawn bowling in the area, especially to younger people.

But, she’s also very happy with her son, Seamus. As winner of the tournament, Seamus won a $50 sports voucher and a sports bag.

Leif Selby ‘Overcomes Demons’ to Win Men’s Open

It’s been a very good week for Leif Selby, who won the Men’s Australian Open, which was held at the Darebin International Sports Centre on February 19. The game certainly wasn’t an easy one for Selby and even though it wasn’t his first one, he said that it did help him overcome some of his demons from losing in the past.

In 2006 Leif Selby came to the Australian Men’s Open and faced Kiwi Russell Meyer in the final, only to lose out to him in the end. And even though Selby came back to the Open and won in 2008, he felt as though he still had some demons to overcome. That he was given the chance and in a very similar predicament, fulfilled what Selby had been hoping to do for the past few years and now he says, he can truly rejoice in his victory.

Selby looked almost out of the game completely when he was tied with opponent, Shannon McIlroy. McIlroy had one last bowl to throw, which he played out of bounds and allowed Selby the chance to draw and win the tournament, which he did. After the match, Selby spoke out about both of his wins, and revisited that time so many years ago that were really the driving force of both,

“Sheer determination drove me in 2008 to come back and win,” Selby said.

“Now to come back and win again, yeah it’s buried the 2006 loss a little bit deeper.

“I’m very proud to have made three finals, but to win two of them, it’s unbelievable.”

Maleny, Australia Paves the Way with Artificial Greens

The Maleny Lawn Bowls Club in Australia has been the first club in Australia to install artificial greens; and the chairman of the club, Ian Hansen, thinks that from the response its gotten before it’s even been played on, and the low maintenance costs, this is an exception that’s going to turn into a standard.

The Maleny Lawn Bowls Club has already had many visitors stop by to check out the artificial greens and see for themselves how they look and feel. Hansen said that the natural green was replaced in the first place because it was running pretty slow and he chose artificial greens to replace it because they had a “truer surface.” And he said, artificial greens also don’t take nearly as long to dry. Even after a heavy rainfall, folks can still be back playing on the new greens in about 20 minutes. In addition to that though, Hansen says that there are many other benefits to artificial greens.

One of those benefits is that there is almost no maintenance cost. While the Maleny Lawn Bowls Club did go into $165,000 worth of debt installing the new greens, they were also able to eliminate the upkeep maintenance services and they were able to get rid of the old equipment for maintaining their natural greens that were constantly breaking down and needing repair or maintenance themselves. And another benefit and eliminated expense? The lack of chemicals that artificial greens need! Of course these greens don’t need any fertilizer, pesticide, or any other toxic chemicals that normally comes with greens.

Maleny, Australia may be one of the first on the Sunshine Coast to install artificial greens in their lawn bowling club, but they’re pretty sure that they won’t be the last. And from the way people are already talking, they’re right! Mooloolah Valley, Mooloolaba, and Pelican Waters are all lawn bowling clubs that are considering having artificial greens installed in their clubs.

Bowls Can Get You Out On Bail!

We’ve all watched those TV shows and movies where an accused person has their bail set at one million, or a couple hundred thousand. But if you’re facing serious charges yourself, you don’t have to worry about coming up with this huge sum of money. Apparently, all you have to do is tell a judge that you’re in a lawn bowling tournament, and they’ll let you walk. Well, maybe not ‘walk’ completely free of all charges, but at least you’ll be free enough to participate in the great game of bowls. This is exactly what happened to one teenager this month.

That teenager is Joshua Larry Boyd, who was charged along with four other young people, for assault and unlawful assembly. There aren’t a lot of details on what exactly Boyd did that deserved the charges, or even what his punishment was. It actually seems as though the young man wasn’t sentenced to prison at all, but he was given a very strict curfew by the judge, and severe penalties would be dealt should he refuse to meet these requirements. That was until, a couple of weeks ago when Boyd’s lawyer appeared in court and asked a judge to review the curfew that had been placed on Boyd and to ultimately, remove it so that Boyd could participate in a lawn bowls tournament in Dunedin on Boxing Day. The court granted the removal of the curfew for the specified date and allowed him to enter lawn bowling clubs, but he is not allowed to consume alcohol while on the premises.

So there’s one more good thing about lawn bowling – it could get you out of an uncomfortable situation, as long as you keep participating in tournaments!

Ellen Falkner and Amy Monkhouse Bring Home Gold For England in Lawn Bowls

It was a big month for lawn bowling as the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi took place. But, it was an even bigger month in England as hometown girls, Ellen Falkner and Amy Monkhouse, beat team after team to emerge as victors in the Woman’s Lawn Bowls Pairs. The story isn’t only a triumph in the world of lawn bowling, but it’s a triumphant story that oozes of the human spirit and friendship.

Falkner and Monkhouse are not only serious lawn bowl competitors, they’ve also been best friends since childhood. Now, both 31 and into adulthood, the two are still the best of friends and couldn’t see winning the title with anyone else. Shortly after the win Falkner was quoted as saying, “To come out here, to play together as friends and win is something else.” And this wasn’t the first time that Falkner has made the news for her lawn bowling skills, either. She also was just recently the first woman to have the right to play against male competitors in the World Indoor Singles tournament, which took place in Norfolk.

Ellen Falkner and Amy Monkhouse won the gold in Woman’s Lawn Bowling Pairs at the Commonwealth Games on October 11 after beating Australia out in the semi-finals with a score of 5 – 2.

Leif Selby will Retire After Commonwealth Games

This morning, the first group of Australian lawn bowlers landed in Delhi to compete in the Commonwealth Games, a sport that has been a core tradition and part of the Games since the inception of the Games themselves. The team is already making news for many reasons. One is because the media is anxiously awaiting their response to the conditions in the Games Village, of which they have not yet given any. But the arrival and the presence of the team in the Games at all is mostly because one of the team’s star players, Leif Selby, will retire once he’s finished competing at the Commonwealth Games.

Leif Selby is of course, the Australian lawn bowler that has three World Championship titles under his belt, and who’s future in lawn bowling looked as though it could have been even more promising, and long. So, why is Selby walking away from the game that he seems born to play? All for the love of his daughter, 10-year-old, Jasmine. Selby has recently spoken of the long trips away from home he’s had to take, and how he’s only spent half of the year with Jasmine, every year for the past four years. Ready to give up one full-time job of professional, and brilliant, lawn bowler, Leif Selby is now ready to take on the other career of being a full-time dad.

Jasmine Selby is becoming a promising athlete in her own rite, only she is finding her sport solace in the waters of the pool rather than on the green. Jasmine currently swims for the Oak Flats Swimming Club and has recently swam in her first competition. Her dad wasn’t there as he was in Delhi practicing for the Games, and he says it was then that he made his decision to retire after the Games and focus on his daughter.

But first, Leif Selby has a goal to accomplish, and that’s to clinch the title at what he calls “the highest level of our sport.”

Canada and the States Gear Up for North American Challenge

Those who thought that lawn bowling was a sport reserved for those in Britain, Scotland, or Ireland couldn’t be more wrong! Across the other side of the Atlantic Ocean are two very big countries that are very big into lawn bowling – Canada and the United States. The two countries have hundreds of lawn bowling clubs spread throughout their nations, and now they are gearing up to face off against each other in the biennial lawn bowling match, The North American Challenge.

The North American Challenge is a lawn bowling tournament that’s held every two years between the two countries. The competition includes the best lawn bowlers from each country and they will compete against each other in a series of competitions involving singles, doubles, triples, and fours. This year the tournament will be held from September 9 – 11 at the Milwaukee Lake Park Lawn Bowls Club. There will be two matches held every day; one at 9:30 AM and another at 1:30 PM. Opening ceremonies will be held on Thursday, September 9 at 8:30 AM.

Spectators are welcome to come and watch free of charge as some of the best players from each country face off against each other in this competitive sport. One such competitor is Max Cavendar from Milwaukee. Max is only 18 years old and although he doesn’t currently play for Team USA, but he is a young athlete that has shown great promise in the world of lawn bowling and has won the singles title at the Central Divisions Open, where he played an undefeated matchup.

The North American Challenge is a great event that helps these two countries celebrate a sport that they love, even if it’s not what they’re known for. Those who are looking for more information on the event can find it at http://nac2010.wordpress.com.

Popularity of Lawn Bowls in Malaysia Increases Need for Umpires

Avid lawn bowlers are always saying that the popularity of the game greatly needs to be diversified, and that the game needs more participants and players. But, that popularity has come in grand form in Malaysia and while it’s good news for the local clubs, it also brings a huge need in a key area: umpires. The shortage of umpires in Malaysia right now is huge, and it presents a problem when there are only six umpires in the entire region who can referee international competitions. 

This also spells trouble for the Sumka 2014 competition, the large annual sporting event that features lawn bowling, and that is set to be held in Malaysia in a few years. And, the Sumka 2010 event is bound to only attract even more attention to lawn bowling. Great for lawn bowling clubs and participants in the area, but not so great when there might not be enough umpires to go around. 

Both Level 1 and Level 2 umpires are needed, and interested individuals should look up the local Sarawak Lawn Bowls Association. The Association holds courses throughout the year for those who want to train to become an umpire and move on to becoming an umpire for many years, and continually advancing on to higher levels of lawn bowling umpiring. The latest course was held from July 18 – July 20 and was attended by 24 coaches, teachers, and players. However, the Association has reported that only ten of these have gone on to become an umpire.

If you’re interested in lawn bowling and you live in Malaysia, then contact the Association. Not only is the area desperate for lawn bowling umpires at the moment, but lawn bowling is a great sport and jolly fun to become a part of!

Will Lawn Bowls Soon Be Extinct in Some Parts of the World?

There seems to be almost nothing wrong about lawn bowling. It’s a relatively easy game to pick up, and when one becomes more advanced in the game, they can work on their strategy of using the bias to get the ball exactly where it’s going. Keeping greens maintained properly is also relatively inexpensive, when compared with other sports venues such as baseball diamonds or ice hockey rinks. But, there is one flaw in lawn bowls, and that’s in people’s perceptions about it. The most common assumption that comes with lawn bowls is that it’s only for older people who are retired and looking for a new hobby. And while that’s obviously not the case, this misconception could cause major problems for the sport in future years.

One of the biggest examples that this problem is found is within the United States. While countries and continents such as India and Australia are highly known for the amount of young people involved in the sport, there are almost none in the United States. And this is because young people in the States seem to have the idea that lawn bowling is not for people of their age. And while this doesn’t seem like a big problem, it could be when you look at the future of lawn bowling in the United States, and in other countries that have this same type of problem.

The problem is that if no young people are going to start getting into the sport, then it could become obsolete when the older people that are keeping the sport alive, are no longer here to play. And with no younger generations to pass the game onto, it does seem as though the sport is in danger of becoming extinct in countries such as the States. But the United States isn’t the only country that lawn bowling isn’t popular among other people. Countries such as China and Canada also don’t see a huge popularity in lawn bowling among young people.

It seems the only answer is to start engaging these young people in the sport now, and promoting the sport among young people. The game doesn’t need to change, it simply needs to be presented in a way that will be more pleasing to those who might be future up and comers in the game of lawn bowling. Otherwise, these countries may not be able to enjoy it for that much longer, and lawn bowling clubs all around the world might just have to fold. Which is undoubtedly a shame that no one wants to see.

Who Should Pay for What?

Even if you don’t live in or near Cobourg, Ontario, if you love lawn bowling and always want to make sure that your club’s green are as spiffy as they can be, this story might interest you. It involves the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club in Ontario, Canada and the federal government of Canada. The Club is moving, due to some parking troubles as well as problems with the clubhouse. Looking for a new place for the bowlers to call home, they turned to the local community center, thinking that would be the most suitable place, if only the community center had lawn bowling greens. Because it didn’t, and entirely new ones would have to be built, the question comes into play: Who’s going to pay for them?

If you’re thinking the community center, you’d be wrong. Not only are they being gracious enough to allow the Club to come play in the first place, but the greens will not be used by them. So why would they pay. The Club had this exact same question though and decided to apply for a grant to the federal government to try and get the funds to pay for the expansion. The grant was approved and so, sure enough, you’d think that the Canadian government was going to pay, right? Guess again.

Since the time the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club has been approved for the grant, the federal government has now come forward to say that they won’t be paying for it, or at least not all of it. The government says that they will only pay for the land within the designated area and that any design, construction, or maintenance will be the responsibility of the Club’s. Still seems to be somewhat fair, if you don’t consider the fact that all of those inclusions were detailed in the grant application before it was approved.

Currently, the situation seems to rest with the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club sitting on their hands. They have filled in their local MP about the situation, and they have now been referred onto the Ministry.

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