What in the name of bowls is B20 cricket bowls?
It is a new type of game which was devised by Tony Norris who plays bowls at the Benoni Lake Club for the Lake Cobra's.
Cricket bowls is a new and exciting way of playing the ever so popular ‘old game’ bowls.
“B20 cricket bowls started as a joke,” said Norris.
“It was a challenge to raise funds to assist a junior member of the club in travelling to nationals, so we hosted a fun day and included B20 for fun.
“Other clubs in the area were invited and the interest in the game was so great that it was registered under the copyrights law.
“We started from very humble beginnings where the wickets for the first game were put together with plastic tubing and mounted onto a wooden base,” said Norris.
“The scoring area was made up from lengths of string held down with nails, since then we have progressed to the cricket bowls equipment we now have today.”
Since starting B20 cricket bowls, the club had a number of successes:
• It has now been accepted by Bowls South Africa as an official game of bowls
• A number of districts now use B20 as a training unit to assist further development in district bowlers
• Bowling clubs in SA use B20 for a number of things, such as fun days, inter-club comps, coaching new bowlers, self-practice, development and fund-raising.
• There is currently an excess of 50 clubs and a number of districts in South Africa using B20
• B20 has a strong following with younger people and Norris is looking to take the game to schools in the near future
• B20 is not only played in South Africa anymore, since it came out, a number of countries world wide are taking interest and implementing the new game.
“We are starting negotiations to enter the game into places such as England and other EU countries,” said Norris.
So how does the game work?
“The game is simply based on two bowl trips, but obviously with wickets, a score mat and a few rule changes,” said Norris
“With there being a score mat there is a jack in the centre to use as an aiming point only, this is practice for the draw.
“With wickets, this is the ‘pound-on’ shot.
“All rules of play are in the hand book that is supplied with each set of B20.”
Sets have already gone to places such as Zimbabwe (12 wickets and mats), with orders still coming through from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and India.
“We had a bowler from the UK contact us because he wants to take B20 to England, Spain and Portugal, so we hold thumbs,” said Norris.
Bowlers of South Africa, stand proud. This is a South African game developed in South Africa by a Benoni Lake club bowler and it has taken off to such an extent that by the end of the year, it’s going to be known everywhere.
Norris assisted in a B20 Big Bash to find the B20 team champions of 2018, they had competitors of all ages the youngest being 11 and 13.
They managed to raise over R8 000 to assist players in their travelling to Cape Town from the Z team.
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The winners were June and Mike Blackstock and Alan Cross from Benoni Lake club, followed very closely by Angus Ramsey and his team from Avion.
It has been nearly two years since the first game of B20 was played and has since grown from strength to strength.
“Being an ardent T20 cricket supporter, I wondered, I am past my sell-by date to play T20, so why not play it on the bowling green?” said Norris.
If you put your mind to it, then anything is possible.
Are you interested in B20 cricket bowls? check out their website www.b20cricketbowls.co.za
