Doors Open Hamilton took place May 4th and 5th. One of the newest editions was the Roselawn Lawn Bowling Clubs.
The Roselawn Lawn Bowling Club started in 1925. Situated at the base of the Niagara Escarpment, it has two regulation-sized greens in Gage Park. Lawn Bowling is often compared to curling in that the idea is to get bowls nearest to spot than your opponents. A white ball (called a jack) is thrown to establish the target, then each team tries to out bowl the other. The tricky part is that the balls are not round and are weighted to one side so they don’t roll straight. The art of the game is judging the path of the ball needed to arrive where needed. This varies according to the distance of the jack, and the weather conditions.
When we visited the site with my three nephews and mother, they were telling us that they were looking to start a family league. Where sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and grandparents can all play together. What the representative was also pushing with the sport is that it is fun to play and it won’t give you concussions. For an Asian family, less contact is always best. From first glance, it appears to be a ‘senior’ game, but as we started playing it actually needs some skill and accuracy. I initially thought it was bocce ball, an Italian game with similar rules but the fact that the ball is a biased added a new level of intrigue and expertise.
What I liked most about the game was that despite your skill level, acknowledging your opponents’ successes and near misses is normal and quite fun.
Richelle Sibolboro 