On a very pleasant Saturday, October 5, teams from Mpumalanga Lowveld took on their visitors from Mpumalanga West in a mini interdistricts tournament at the Nelspruit Bowls Club, with each district comprising five ladies’ teams and five men’s.

Five rounds of rinks were contested over the weekend among teams of four bowlers each. The sides were a good mixture of extremely experienced players together with some comparative newcomers.

The first of Saturday’s three rounds started promptly at 09:00, with the men on the bottom green and the ladies on the top. Both of the bowling greens looked in excellent condition, despite the hot and dry weather that has prevailed for some time now.

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It was a splendid sight, as MP West in their brilliant red shirts took on the hosts in their own stylish black, green and white attire.

All the games were keenly contested in a spirited and friendly atmosphere. It was lawn bowls at its very best, with MP West holding the upper hand to a greater degree.

When the players returned on Sunday morning, they were met with extreme heat and cloudless skies. Luckily there were only two games of 15 ends each to contend with, on rinks that were providing quite a challenge, before everyone could take refuge in the clubhouse for well-deserved refreshments and a tasty lunch.

This was followed by the results and the announcement of the Lowveld teams for upcoming tournaments.

In the ladies’ competition, MP West ran out the winners by 78.5 points to 46.5, with the best home team being the Lowveld Vets Yellow combination of Marie Sayman, Joy Goodison, Elinor Starkey and Anne Coetzee in fourth place, while the best local men’s combination were Lowveld Open Green, skipped by Charl van der Ham, in a creditable third position.

Overall the MP West men were also winners by a similar margin, 72.5 points to 52.5.

The entire weekend was a fantastic showcase for the etiquette and camaraderie for which the sport of lawn bowls is rightly proud, not to mention the skill and stamina required, together with the benefits to one’s health.