September 12 2014.


Thursday 4th September saw the annual Council versus Crouch Bowling Club match take place, followed by supper, friendly banter and a sharing of stories.

Councillors, Council Staff, the Young Mayor, Deputy Young Mayor and families, donned their flat shoes to take part in the mixed team bowls game. With each team consisting of an equal amount of Council players and Bowling Club players, the games were highly competitive and the final result was incredibly close with just a handful of points in it.

The Crouch Bowling Club leases their grounds from Seaford Town Council within the peaceful and picturesque setting of the Crouch Gardens. The Club was first started in 1935 and next year will be celebrating its 80th anniversary.

With over 90 members the club has a lot to offer during the bowling season from May to September. Members can enjoy the social aspect, the team atmosphere and camaraderie, the gentle physical exercise from playing - id you know that 18 overs of an outdoor bowls match will have you walking over one mile - and the competitive challenge when trying to judge your bias and the weight behind your woods.

Bowls historians believe that the game developed from the Egyptians. Certainly the most famous story in lawn bowls is from July 1588 when Sir Francis Drake was involved in a game at Plymouth Hoe and was notified that the Spanish Armada were approaching. His immortalised response was that, "We still have time to finish the game and to thrash the Spaniards, too." He then proceeded to finish the match, which he lost, before embarking on the fight with the Armada which he won. Whether this famous story really took place has been long debated.

Anyone interested in joining Crouch Bowling Club or wanting further information can visit the Club’s website at www.seafordcrouchbowlingclub.co.uk or contact the Club Secretary, Brian Bodsworth, on brian.bodsworth@btinternet.com or 01323 896 344.