Christchurch BC: 1925-2013

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

There had been a Bowling Green/ Croquet Green in Christchurch since 1784, however, there was a large demand for a bowling club in the town, but Christchurch Town Council never seemed to want to entertain the idea. Luckily for the town, in 1925, the proprietor of the Kings Arms stepped in and constructed a green opposite his premises, known as the Kings Arm Bowling Green, which was land he owned but leased it to Christchurch Council. This was when Christchurch Bowling Club was formed, and at the time was the only club in the Borough until the 1970s.

The setting of the green being close to the Priory and overlooked by the ruins of the Castle Keep right by the river was probably one of the most picturesque Greens in the Country 

The club got their first success as Champions, winning League ‘A’ Section 2 in 1951, and then again in 1966, finishing top of the second section. There were other promotions along with relegations at the turn of the century, having won Section 3 in 2000, but then after two relegations, finished Champions of Section 4 in 2004. 

Twice the President for the B&DBA came from Christchurch BC, in 1959, Arthur “Toby” Hornby, and in 1974, H. E. A. Burton. Arthur went on to become a Life Vice-President in 1972 until his passing in 1973. John Waller also achieved the same honour in 1994.

In 1991, Norman Blandford was the Club Captain and Club Champion and had been for many years. His daughter, Sarah Park, described how her late father loved playing bowls and the club. Norman died at the green playing the game he loved. Sharing on social media 33 years later, Sarah wrote: “The family were kindly allowed to scatter Norman’s ashes under the green itself - so it has always been a special place for us as a family.” Norman was often seen with his hand on his hip, and this was depicted perfectly in a painting by Terry Harrison that the family owns.

The club got the council to maintain the green, however, many visiting teams found it was not up to an acceptable playing standard. This was one of a number of factors that saw the sad demise of the club. Membership was dwindling, in part to the quality of the green, with some citing it as unplayable, but also there were always problems with parking for the players. The final nail in the coffin came in 2013, when the hotel that once brought bowls to the local community, squeezed out the bowling club. The club only had a small shed to store all their equipment, and the pavilion for the players started to be used as a wedding venue, which was not ideal as a game of bowls and a wedding tend not to go hand-in-hand with one another!

Steve Burns was the last captain and club champion. Reflecting back at his time at the club over a decade ago, Steve states: “Once it was a fantastic green, maintained to a high standard and a credit to town. Lovely pavilion and bags of history all lost now to corporate greed, broken promises and a council that couldn’t care less. So sad.”