Summer Sports - Bowls Timeline
1908: First public flat bowling green in Leamington Spa is constructed in Avenue Road, close to the current site – although slightly smaller than regulation size!
1909: The new green is opened and Leamington Spa Bowls Club (the ‘Royal’ was adopted later) formed
1912: A second green is built in Victoria Park
1918: Tournaments, which had been halted during World War I, resumed
1922: Third green opened, giving two full size greens. Avenue Road green converted to tennis courts
1930: After much debate and funding issues, the pavilion is finally opened
1935: ‘C’ green, the third at Victoria Park, added
1936: First ‘open’ tournament held
1942: Iron railings around the greens removed to be melted down for munitions
1950: Plans for fourth green announced and then abandoned due to council wrangling. Finally completed just in time for that year’s open championship. Ladies’ section formed.
1970: Incorrect sand spread on greens in the winter killed off much of the grass, but they had recovered by the end of the season
1975: First Ladies National Championships held at Leamington
1984: Hosted Ladies British Isles Championship
1985: Season opening match abandoned due to a blizzard which made it impossible to see the jack!
1994: New pavilion built, fifth green constructed to PGA standards
1996: Ladies World Bowls Championship held at Leamington for the first time ‐ greens appropriately prepared by a female greenkeeper, Veronica Tabor
2004: Leamington agrees, at short notice, to host the Ladies World Bowls Championship after political unrest in the intended host country, Malaysia
2009: Centenary, Mike Finch appointed head greenkeeper
2018: Victoria Park is announced as the venue for bowls for the 2022 Commonwealth Games
with STRI, who carry out regular testing and then I make adjustments to regimes and treatments to meet their recommendations.” He adds that he receives steadfast backing from the council: “It’s a real partnership approach between Warwick District Council, idverde, Bowls England and STRI.” Mike comments that whilst Bowls England is very satisfied with the condition of the greens, a meeting has been planned with the Commonwealth Games organising committee for this autumn to discuss their requirements. “We’ve already had visits to discuss security and spectator facilities; and the greens themselves are next. It may seem like early days, but a green can take two to three years to come back to its best after major renovations so we need plenty of time to put any new programmes in place.” He explains that the greens have to be micro‐managed to withstand the heavy use and the vagaries of the weather. “It’s a dry site, and very open and windy, which favours the use of fescues and I’m working to increase the amount of finer grasses in the greens, which has been well received by the club and Bowls England.” The wet winter of 2017‐18 also took its toll, he adds: “We had to rethink our management as it allowed poa to take hold, which causes issues when trying to achieve the required smoothness.”
The five greens all behave slightly differently, even though four were
constructed at the same time. A fifth was added in 1994, built using a sand‐based construction to PGA standards.
Topdressing has become more significant, with two or three applications a year now used ‐ a heavy dressing in autumn and two in March and April to make the greens more ‘true’.
The latest technology is helping to address levels on the green with satellite mapping dividing each up into a grid which is then drawn on a CAD system, allowing dressing to be localised to remedy any depressions. The addition of the Commonwealth Games to the 2022 bowling programme at Victoria Park will place significant pressure on the greens.
“It could affect our end of season renovation, as we do need some warmth for overseeding to be effective, so it is another aspect that needs planning,” says Mike. Staffing will also come under the spotlight ‐ the Victoria Park greens are currently cared for by three staff, and Mike also has responsibility for football and cricket pitches for Warwick District Council.
“We may need more groundsmen and machinery to ensure the standards required ‐ as well as the greens themselves, the bank tops and edges need maintaining. We may also be looking at techniques such as watering by hand.”
The Commonwealth Games are expected to occupy Victoria Park for three to four
The central location of the greens in Leamington Spa brings significant income to the town during major competitions
Victoria Park is part of an award‐ winning portfolio of parks and gardens in Leamington Spa
40 I PC JUNE/JULY 2018 Greenkeepers (Mike Finch on the right) prepare green ‘E’ at the start of a busy season
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