St Ives-a new millennium - Flipbook - Page 86
St Ives-a new millennium
4/10/02
3:54 pm
Page 84
Left: Glenys Cousins and Laurence Smith, bowls captains
Photo: Stuart Littlewood/Pentax MX
St Ives Bowls Club was formed in 1909 and established itself on its present
ground at the end of Priory Road in 1935. It plays Federation and
Association bowls, the latter being considered more ‘aggressive’.
Glenys, ladies captain and chairman, took up the game 4 years ago after
hearing the club needed more lady players. Her mother had been a life
member. Laurence, the club captain, has been a member for 20 years and
started playing when he inherited his brother-in-law’s woods.
For the beginner a set of 4 woods costs about £100 and shoes £20. The
club has 130 members and a fine competition record, and manages to
attract young people. In 2000 Emma Jepson and Michelle Barlow were in
the England under-25 squad for indoor bowls, and in 2001 Michelle
qualified for the outdoor under-25 National Championship at Skegness.
In 2000 St Ives was the Federation’s Victor Ludorum for having the most
players of any Huntingdonshire club qualifying for the National at Skegness,
while 3 St Ives players - Geoff Barlow and Robert and Jack Jepson qualified for the 2001 National at Worthing for Association bowls.
Page 84
Below: St Ives Clay Pigeon Club
Photo: Stuart Littlewood/Ricoh XR7
The club was started in the late 1980s, has
some 20 members and shoots in a field off
Meadow Lane. Pictured is Richard Askew using
a 3-shot Winchester automatic - an unusual
choice in a sport that still favours doublebarrelled over-and-under guns. Richard, a
maintenance engineer, had been shooting for 8
years and claimed he did it ‘just for fun and
because it makes lots of noise’. Sadly, he died
shortly after this photograph was taken in
2000.
