The Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club has been in existence in Peterborough, Ont., for more than a century.
“It started in 1901 downtown at Fleming Park,” said club president Steve Russell, noting the club is now located at the McDonnel St. Activity Centre.
“We will be celebrating 125 years in 2026 so we are going to do a history and have been working with Trent Valley Archives.”
He said they have amassed a number of photos and stories detailing the club’s past, including one showing a group of bowlers from England who visited in 1910.
“And they came by ship and by train,” he said.
“They came to Cobourg and then to Peterborough to play and then Toronto, so there is a rich history.”’
Now he is hoping to carry on that tradition by expanding club membership and attracting a younger demographic to the sport.
“It is great for people of all ages,” said Russell. “We like to think we have a game that is both physically and mentally challenging.”
The aim of the game is to get your bowls (what the balls are called in lawn bowling) closer than your opponent’s to the jack, the smaller white ball used in the sport.
Club member Ivo Nightingale said he enjoys the community and the strategy involved in the game.
“You don’t aim right at the jack because the bowls are not round,” he said, meaning their path curves depending on how you hold and release them.
“The idea is to release the bowl just about by your front toe as close to the grass as possible or that will stop it rolling.”
Nightingale said the sport is great for the whole family because kids and seniors can both enjoy the activity. In fact, his granddaughter, and now competitive lawn bowler, Bridget Masterson started at the club when she was just 10 years old.
“I love the competitive aspect to it and the strategy because every green you play on is different,” said Masterson.
“I am so glad I got into it because I’ve been able to travel all around the country because of lawn bowling so it has given me a lot of opportunity.”
And she isn’t the only one at the club who has competed. Recently, club member Anna Panton was inducted into the Peterborough Sports Hall of Fame for her competitive success in the sport and her involvement with the organization.
“They were having an open house here and suggested maybe I should come and roll the bowl and I did, and I just loved it,” said Panton.
“So, I practiced here morning, noon and night and each year I improved, and I went into as many tournaments as I could to learn, and you have someone to take you in and show you the ropes.”
Now club members are hoping to show others the ropes and said they will offer introductory lessons to new, interested bowlers. To contact the club for more information you can visit the Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club website.
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