Hit- LMUJIl Saturday Septembers Page Sports Outlook COLIN Herald Sports J Lawn bowling challenge pits mind over matter By COLIN GIBSON Herald Sports I had this strange feeling of pending doom shortly after I ac cepted the challenge but since I had committed myself to the match decided to throw caution to the wind and present myself in the proper all white attire at the Georgetown Lawn Bowling Club Besides if things started to go badly I could always use the defence of temporary insanity a plea that the majority of my friends would endorse wholeheartedly regardless of my sporting venture I had agreed to take on Georgetown Lawn Bowling Club Vice President Archie Pollock in an eightend game and learn a bit about the game the club and its history I had never met Archie but assumed incorrectly as usual that I should have no problem topp ing a 66yearold in any athletic event I arrived at the Lawn Bowling Club on the comer of Edith and William Streets and was greeted by a dapper man with a ready grin I was sure the club had imported a ringer after we shook hands and a numbness slowly extended from my fingers on up to my shoulder Club President Alice Gray who was to umpire the match assured me that such was not the case as I prepared for the game by soaking my still tingling fingers in cold water My opponent obviously in peak physical condition belying his stated years gave me a rudimentary introduction to the game He described lawn bowling as curling on grass with much the same rules Instead of a button as in curling a white ball known asa jack is roll ed a minimum of 70 feet down the green then centred Each player has four bowls two weighted on the right side and two weighted on the left side allowing them to curve either right or left and the object of the game is to get your bowls closest to the jack There is no minimum weight to the bowls but the maximum weight can be no more than lbs Archie was gracious enough to allow some practice shots and after retrieving my bowls which landed near the road on the other side of the club s fence I hinted that I was ready to get down to business I won the toss and the game was on Archie led after the first end but I got one in second end and we were tied Archie stole two points in the third end to go ahead 31 and all of a sudden I realized the game was not as simple as it appeared When the score reached 7 1 after four ends I decided something had to be done I could either drop kick Archie and claim I had slipped on the grass or engage him in tion to take his mind off the game I chose the latter recourse as the safer route after watching Archie tossing the bowls around as if they were feathers The Georgetown Lawn Bowling Club was established in 1908 and was originally located just off Main Street behind the present Canadian imperial Bank of Com It was moved to its present site in and the log cabin on the club property has a history of its own The cabin was erected in on the Fourth Line West Chmguacousy County and was the property of James McKane and Elizabeth Lyons In was donated to the club in In 1914 the club joined the and Central Clubs Associa tion The members presently com pete in the fiveclub District No 9 division of the Provincial Lawn Bowling Association District No includes Georgetown Streetsville Milton Oakvilleand Port Credit Archie Pollock Don Murray and Hobbs won District No 9 Men Seniors Championship The Georgetown club current 1 boasts members and the annual membership fee has been set at According to Alice Gray junior memberships are available for 25 The lawn bowling season runs from May to October and the club is open Mondays Tuesdays The Georgetown Lawn Bowling Club established in is still go ing strong at lis location on the corner of and William streets Club and club President Archie jre hoping for a resurgence of interest in the sport Herald photo Thursdays Saturdays and Sun days on a weekly basis The club has lights to allow for night bowling Although a set of bowls can cost upwards of a number of sets are available from the club for use players The equipment needed is a pair of flat soled shoes Meanwhile the challenge match was progressing I narrowed Archies lead to 7 2 after five ends and after seven ends the game stood at in Ar favor With one end to go things looked bleak Time to take drastic action Archie was sent off the clubhouse to get me some water as I claimed light headedneib This was verified the squirrels ching the match from the ding trees as they lo view me as one of their own kind Maybe this was just my imagination but I sure they were eyeing the bowls as something to be swiped and stored for the coming winter months Anyway the time Archie relumed two of bowls were estlingnext to the jack Being the gentleman he is he questioned how got there However he did refuse to get me more water The game ended 8d in Archie s favor and a good time was had by all including the squirrels who shrieked in anger after we put the bow Is aw a Further information on the club and its activities can be obtained contacting either Alice Gra at 2814 or Archie Pollock at ff7 Some tips on Lawn Bowling procedures Not quite right makes Alls well thai ends well