Bryan Stevens reflects on Sydney Gardens Bowling Club
I joined Sydney Gardens Bowling Club in 1997. I’d never bowled before. I’d seen people bowling, and thought that looks like a nice leisurely way of spending an afternoon — no rush, so relaxed, so easy. I could see myself doing that, but only after I retire.
One day I walked into the stock room at work and caught one of my colleagues parading down the room with a lovely bowling action. I asked him ‘What on earth are you doing?’ and he told me ‘I’m practicing my bowling’. It was October, so he was bowling indoors, at the sports centre. I wasn’t interested in that. I said ‘I’d like to bowl outdoors, when I’m retired.’ He said ‘Don’t wait until then, it’s too late. I bowl outdoors for Sydney Gardens. When we open up again in April come down for a roll up and see how you like it.’ Basically, that’s how I joined.
I found it a very satisfying and absorbing game to play. And the most frustrating game you could ever play as well. It looks so easy just to roll a wood down through the green and rest on that jack down there, but the green doesn’t play fair, it rolls things in all sorts of directions. It’s great fun.
All the way through the game the green is changing the whole time because you’ve got four people on each side walking up and down the rink all afternoon. Weather makes a big difference. After a few days of dry weather greens can be faster than when you’re playing indoors. When the green is very fast the game takes longer because you’re rolling the woods more slowly to have more control so it doesn’t fly into the ditch at the far end. It’s like playing in slow motion.
Sydney Gardens was a very small club. We would have closed down years ago if we were on our own, but we were sharing the green with the post office team. That was another small club, but between us we could afford to pay the running rates of the green. When the post office closed down that left us high and dry. Numbers had dropped and we only just had enough players to put out a full team midweek and Saturday, with 16 players on a team. We had enough money in the kitty for a couple more years and we were determined to get to our centenery, which we did, with another year on top.
For the last few years it was the runners up trophy for the two wood competition which Bryan Stevens received in the final season, 2016
We were a strong competitive team, even though we were a small club. We had good players and we went in for every competition we could. We played every club in Bath, went to Paulton, Midsomer Norton, Keynsham, a couple of teams in Bristol. We signed up for top club competitions and played further afield. An away game is a long day. As well as travel times, a match can take two and a half hours, then you have tea afterwards. It’s a lovely way to spend the day.
One year we were lucky enough to get a home tie against Clevedon, with the famous England player David Bryant. It was a privilige to play on the same rink as him. He could read the full green. When we went in the club house for tea he looked at our honours board going back 30 or 40 years, pointing out people he knew and had played against, in county games and national games. He was in his early 70s then, a marvellous easy-going bloke who lived and breathed the game.
I never reckoned myself a good player, but I didn’t do too badly. I was above average and enjoyed the game. Because of our low numbers I finished up being a skip. There’s four people on a rink — lead, 2, 3, and skip. It’s very much a team game. The skip’s job is to rectify other players’ mistakes! Then I became captain when there was no one else to fill that role and I carried on until the club closed. People put their names up to play and I picked the teams. I had the knack of getting the best out of people.
The club was a good social scene. Everyone knew and supported each other in difficult times. In the winter we’d play whist to keep ourselves together. Even now our secretary still has our email addresses and share news.
When the Sydney Gardens club closed in 2016 we had 16–18 playing members, all of whom then went off to different clubs. Eight of us joined the Bath club, also to Bloomfield, Alexandra Park, Weston. For a year, when I was a full time carer for my wife, I couldn’t play, apart from an occasional roll up on a Tuesday afternoon, but after she went into a care home I got back into it and now I can play matches too. So Sydney Gardens is still going in its own way.
Bryan Stevens interviewed on the telephone by John Edwards.
BOWLING AT SYDNEY GARDENS — A POTTED HISTORY
1793 Two bowling greens opened on Sydney Gardens reduced to one before 1915.
1915 Sydney Gardens Bowling Club formed with 45 members including 5 Councillors + Alderman Percey Jackman who as the first President died still President 23 years later.
The annual subscription was 10 shillings (50p) including a capitation fee of 7 shillings 6 pence set by the Council. Expenses in the first year were £22 3 shillings
1916 Subscription increased to 10 shilling 6 pence
1919 Sydney Gardens BC affiliated to the Somerset County Bowling Association
1926 36 members — subscription raised from £1 1 shilling to £1 5 shillings
1930 Local MP and Mayor of Bath elected Honary Vice Presidents
1932 Bath Post Office Bowls Club formed with green sharing arrangement
1933 Council capitation rate reduced to £1 1 shilling
1937 Bath Post Office affiliated to Somerset County Bowling Association
1939 Sydney Gardens BC received £1 from Post Office BC “for many kindnesses received”.
1980 New pavillion above the bowling green opened at a cost of £10,000. Council capitation rate replaced by an annual charge (initially £675 per annum.
1988 Club rules changed to remove any distinction between men and women.
1989 Green close for repair and re-turfing following major subsidence. Stothert & Pitt BC hosted Sydney Gardens.
2015 Sydney Gardens celebrated 100 years. Bath Post Office Bowls Club closed due to lack of Officers and members.
2016 Sydney Gardens Bowling Club closed due to lack of members (37) and the inability to meet the annual rental (£3,250) plus running costs.
