Highworth Bowls Club Loses Green to Thieves

Lawn bowling is a very polite sport full of etiquette and courtesy, and never to be tarnished. But as the Highworth Bowls Club in North Wiltshire knows all too well, sometimes even the nicest game in the world can turn a little ugly.

It was on Monday morning when those at Highworth Bowls Club realized that a portion of their green was entirely ripped up and missing. Who would steal a lawn bowling green?

“It’s obviously someone who doesn’t know the difference between a bowling green and a lawn and wanted a bit of turf,” said Club Chairman Ian Thomas. The dry conditions of both the ground and the turf made it impossible to roll up and just take away, as it was obvious the thieves intended to do. Now, the damage leaves chunk of broken turf and areas where turf is missing altogether, where the green once lay.

Mr. Thomas says that it won’t interfere with play or tournaments at all, as the club has at least nine other rinks available for use. However, the damage done is probably going to cost the Club about sixty pounds, and it will be months before the area where the green once was is able to be used – something that could take all season.

The Wiltshire Police issued the statement that “CCTV coverage of the area was checked as was the possibility of forensic evidence. However, no new lines of inquiry have been established.”

Mr. Thomas said that he had asked the investigating police if they had ever seen anything like the incident happen before. Their response: “Never.”