Alexandra Park BC: 1924-2015

B&DBA: A History of Current & Bygone Bowling Clubs

Alexandra Park Bowling Club was opened in 1924 having been petitioned by potential members in 1914, but the opening was delayed due to the first world war.

Looking back at the early years, Debbie Kilpatrick recalls: “My grandad, David John Thomas, was a member of Alexandra Park BC. I believe he joined in the late 1940's when he came back from WW2, but may have played prior to being drafted as well. I have memories of going to Alexandra Park and watching my grandad play here. My Nan and I did get asked to leave a few times though, as we sometimes used to giggle at the various leg lifts and manoeuvres. My grandad claimed he beat the world champion at one point, although I was not convinced, as he liked to spin a good yarn.” Debbie would go on to hold strong memories of Alexandra Park as she also lived in the park lodge during the 2000's. Her grandad won many trophies and collected pin badges during his time playing. Two old badges were of the club itself, and the B&DBA celebration 50 years in 1956.

In its existence, Alexandra Park was a very competitive and successful club. They had top players including 8 current or past Middleton Cup players. In the 2000s, the club were in Section One of the B&DBA League, and were also past County Champions and County Cup Winners. Eleven players reached the National Finals in the same year representing the County in all four competitions. In 1997, they were Champions of Section 1 in the B&DBA League, having only been promoted to the top tier two years previously. Twice in its history Alexandra Park had members who became the President of the B&D - 1939, H. D. Hunt, and in 1976,R. E. Willis.

Alexandra Park was outside the Tuesday triples area, due to the original concept that all clubs in the BETBA League played within the boundary of Bournemouth. To get around this, "The Wanderers" who were predominately members from Alexandra Park had a team playing within the Bournemouth conurbation. Records indicate the use of Knyveton Gardens green, along with "Spion and Koop", which is another bygone green within Meyrick Park. After the closure of Alexandra Park, a team continued for a couple of years as Alexandra Nomads, using Bournemouth BC green at Meyrick Park.

Having successfully been in the top section of the Bournemouth & District Bowling Association for a number of years, they finished in the bottom two of their section in 2015 and therefore filled a relegation place at the end of the season, Alexandra Park became defunct during the close season, in October 2015. The main reason for the closure was the fact that Poole Council made drastic funding cuts, in particular, the grant to maintain the green, whilst also putting up their rent. Remaining club members had to find £9000 a year to continue, however, with a dwindling membership of just thirty, that equated to £300 per member. On average annual membership for clubs is around £150.

Having just 30 members in 2015 meant the club was always going to be on life support, regardless of council cuts. The location did not help - there was always a lack of available parking spaces for players, and the hills in the park made it difficult to access the club. Alan Stockley, a former club member, recalls on social media: “I used to play for “Alex”, up to the year before they closed. One reason it went into decline was that the hedges were too tall and people couldn’t see in and we were always in danger from youths in the park, who regularly threw stuff over the hedge at us when playing, then constantly breaking into the pavilion at night and using it as a drug den.” A decade on and Alan still plays the game as a member of Broadstone Wessex BC.

It was seen as a great shame when Alexandra Park left the bowling circuit, as its green was considered one of the best in the B&D. In an interview with Geoff Jones in 2024, he recalls: “Whenever you played on rink one, going away from the pavilion, we used to have string in those days to mark out the rinks, and you would need to bowl right over the string in order to find the line and get close to the jack.”

Currently there are plans to open a community cafe, although lots of work and money spent on repairing the pavilion is required first. Fruit trees and planting areas have already been placed on the green.