Club News
Last week we shared the details about the 2024 Enid Blackburn KO but behind that story there is growing concern from the Blackburn family that this may be the last year that the competition is contested. This is the 20th anniversary of the competition being held but the problems in getting 32 lady bowlers to enter the competition has become a real threat to the continuance of the competition.
Bill Blackburn shares his thoughts about the demise of individual bowling competitions with fast-reducing support for such events.
What is happening to individual bowling competitions? In the first Huddersfield Merit after WWII there were 595 entries and over 20 greens used for qualifying. Bowlers had to travel to their destination by bus. Last year some individual competitions were one-day affairs.
Since my wife died 20 years ago, our family has sponsored a ladies competition in her memory every year since 2004. With prize money of over £600. It has difficulty reaching the 32 bowlers required for a one-day event. Last year only 25 entered out of over 700 lady bowlers in Huddersfield. I ask, is the day of competitive bowling finished?
The Enid Blackburn competition to be held at Linthwaite Hall on June 9th, may be the last.
Bill Blackburn
Entries are now invited for what may be the last-ever Enid Blackburn competition.
It's a fair question & possibly one that needs an answer from the local, county & national organisations too. I believe an ok is needed from both County & BCGBA to run an Open comp & fee paid, one has to ask what do you get for that fee? Locally, you'd expect a high uptake of Div 1 bowlers to commit providing i tdoesn' t clash, I think the 2nd Sunday clashes with Junior & Federation fixtures which limits the field to no Junior girls U18 & some Ladies do bowl in the Fed too for Halifax & Leeds. Regarding promotion, it's 21 years since Peter Muff retired & around 5 years since the Examiner gave up the ghost on…