R.I.P. Allan Dobson, Terry Giles & Denis Lowery

Rest in Peace

It is with deep sadness that we have to announce the recent passing of three prominent local bowlers. Allan Dobson of Kirkheaton C&BC and former President of the Veterans League; Denis Lowery of Linthwaite Hall and finally Terry Giles a well-known and well-regarded Crosland Moor bowler who passed away on 7th March aged 79. The Funeral Service for Terry will take place on Friday 14th April at Huddersfield Crematorium at 12.30pm. By request family flowers only please.

On Friday morning in tragic circumstances following a house fire, Dennis Lowery, a Linthwaite Hall bowling club stalwart, was found in his bed in the property. A 999 call alerted the fire and ambulance services but despite their best efforts Denis, aged 74, was pronounced dead later that day in hospital.

The grandfather was a well-known figure in Slaithwaite where he had lived and worked for many years. After 37 years in the chemical industry at L.B. Holliday & Co. Ltd, a dye manufacturing company, he came into the world of antiques by accident. After David Hirst of The Antiques Warehouse, Slaithwaite, asked him to help organise his paperwork, he quickly learned more about the antiques world, and enjoyed helping "in a small way to the success of the business."

Head of Sales, David Jennings, said: "He was a member of staff at Antiques Warehouse for six years. "We told him not to come so often but he said he'd rather come here than be stuck at home. He would come in seven days a week. He was our key holder and a lovely man. "He left Thursday evening and said 'see you tomorrow'. Sadly that never happened. He leaves behind a daughter and a granddaughter."

Denis was a keen bowler, a team captain at Linthwaite Hall Bowling Club and a member of the Veterans League team that won the Division 3 Championship last year. He was looking forward to another season to add to his 55 seasons of Crown Green Bowling.

Allan Dobson passed away on Sunday after a prolonged illness which didn't prevent him from following his Kirkheaton C&BC teammates playing in the Winter League at Lindley Liberal Club over the past season. A shoulder injury prevented him from bowling at all in the 2022 season but when I last spoke to him last month he was very hopeful of returning to action for the 2023 Summer season. Allan was also a former President of the Veterans League taking over early in March 2020 following the passing of John Hoyle. He stood down from that role in July of the same year after 'no longer being prepared to take the aggravation and infighting within the Management Committee'.

Allan was a career policeman rising to the rank of Chief Superintendent in the West Yorkshire force and among his regular duties for many years was being the lead individual for events at the John Smith Stadium. I was better informed for the insight Allan offered about the Hillsborough tragedy and more mindful of the pressures such a role placed on individuals.

For many years I produced a monthly newsletter for the Veterans League and there were a number of contributions from various people called 'My Bowling Life'. Allan was one of the individuals featured in the series and that amounted to two articles published in December 2019 and January 2020. Later this week I will reproduce here the second of those two articles when Allan spoke about why he became a Referee.