Bowls  25 Year Celebration

 

This season is a very significant one for St Margaret's Co-operative Bowls Club, who have now been at their Birstall Road ground for 25 years.  This major milestone was marked with a celebratory match last month against a team from Bowls Leicestershire led by their President Deepak Tanna, followed by a meal in the clubhouse.

The County President addressed the meeting, speaking of the huge achievement of the club members. The founding members originally played for the Corah club on their Thurcaston Road ground. Corah was a Leicester hosiery company, in its hey-day one of the largest in the country. In 1990 Corah decided to sell their land which had already been reduced by the development of Red Hill Circle and the inner ring road.

The members rallied together and moved the whole of the bowling green complex to a new site on the Co-operative Sports Ground in Birstall. The Club was named St. Margaret’s Co-operative Bowls Club - St Margaret's being the original name of the Corah club.

Only two of the original members are still with the club. One of them, Johnny Wesson, told the story. "Imagine it. Four inches of turf, 38 yards square, all removed by hand and brought over here. All the paving surrounds together with the old pavilion. We were novices doing a professionals' job. It was a colossal effort. The green was laid by eye and is now reckoned to be one of the finest in the county. My life has been dedicated to bowls since 1977 and this is one of the proudest achievements."

Johnny went on."Since then, the members have continued to work hard and instead of operating out of a portacabin we have a fabulous club house and function area with full kitchen and bar facilities. I am still amazed at what we have achieved."

The club welcomes new bowlers of all standards. The club house can be hired for events and will comfortably accommodate up to 80 people.  For more information click here