The Belgravia Bowling Club held its singles finals on June 27 on their home greens in Bedfordview.

Vice president of the club, Bridget Maudsley, explained that these were internal club competitions: players who have been registered for less than 3 years play novice singles, and then there are open categories for bowlers with more than 3 years. Players over 60 can play seniors or open, but not both.

She said two players would compete, and the top singles players would advance to the district singles finals.

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She added that the Belgravia Bowling Club falls under the Johannesburg Bowling Association (JBA) District.

Club competition secretary, Liezl George, who was also playing in the finals, explained that what makes singles different from pairs, triples and fours is the format.

“With pairs, triples and fours, you have a certain number of ends. Then the winner is determined after either 18 or 21 ends. What makes a difference for singles is you don’t play ends; you play shorts. So it means the first person to get to 21 shots wins the game.”

George admitted that in bowls concentration and consistency are very important, but it also depends on the strength that you’re playing. So you need to focus and concentrate constantly.

Otherwise, the opposition can pick up on inconsistency and lack of focus and end up winning points, she advised.

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“Winning the singles would mean I get to represent my club at a district tournament. All the clubs in JBA, all the novices, opens and seniors would play against each other. So I would get to represent Belgravia, which is also a very tough competition,” she said.

To bowlers hoping to compete in the future, George advised that singles championships are all about practice; the more time and effort you put in, the better your results will be.

Meanwhile, Maudsley noted that bowls is a very levelling game. She added, “In the open category we’re playing with people who sometimes have played for five years, or 30 years. It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, young or old, been playing for one year or 40 years, because we all start at one point on the mat and we all have got to bowl to the other side to the Jack.”

The vice president admitted that it can be a bit intimidating when you start, because you go up against players who have been playing for a while, but in tournaments and competitions like these, when you can win or just have a good game, it gives you confidence to keep trying.

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For new members, she said they offer free coaching. They have tabs, which is a social type of bowls. So people come up, put names in a hat, then different teams are drawn up every time, and they play socially.

Maudsley said in August they would like to hold a Women’s Day tournament. “It’s a tradition I started a couple of years back where we choose a women-based charity as a beneficiary for the day.

“This year we’re actually looking at an animal-based women’s organisation. There will be information on the Belgravia Bowling Club https://www.facebook.com/BELGRAVIABC Facebook page.”