Woodlands Bowling Club president shares her passion

LAWN bowls is the game that tickled Linda Hewer’s fancy years ago and has stuck with her ever since. She and her husband took up bowls after he went into early retirement and were looking for a hobby to enjoy together.

“We joined Yellowwood Park Bowling Club and when they closed down we moved to Woodlands Bowling Club (WBC) in 2009. I loved bowls right from the moment I tried it and couldn’t wait for the next time to go back to the green. I love the people and the social aspect of this sport. You meet such interesting and different people in this sport. At WBC we have a relatively little club as we have a small number of members. We’re like a little family who is very close and has a lot of fun together. I love the atmosphere of it all, even when we’re playing competitions away from home, we have a great time and we love it. Honestly, I wouldn’t say there is anything that I don’t like about bowls,” she said.

Although she is more of a social player now at 67 years old, her highlight was winning against more experienced bowlers at a tournament very soon after taking up the sport. “It’s like a feather in my cap because I didn’t consider myself a good bowler. It was just a wonderful feeling. However, what stands out for me the most was playing at an SA bowling tournament about eight years ago with just the four us women in the club. I think that was the best bowls I’ve ever played in my life. The women in the opposition kept saying they wished our team would go home. We played like stars. We didn’t win in the end but we went quite far through,” reflected Linda.

Not one to let yet another bowling club succumb to a doomed fate, she became the WBC’s club president in 2011. “That was the same year the previous president was stepping down and the Woodlands Sports Club was considering closing the bowling section down. We had a meeting and I stood up and decided to take the presidency to salvage this sport. It has come with its challenges but the club members have given me a lot of guidance. I have a great team and we work well together.”

In addition to social bowls, members participate in monthly competitions as well as league tournaments. WBC recently held their Fun Day to promote bowls in the community. She encourages the Woodlands and Yellowwood Park public to come down and try it out. “Bowls isn’t an old people’s sport as many would be led to believe. We’d love to see more people take up the sport and join the club.”

Woodlands Bowling Club can be found at 65 Secker Rd, Woodlands.