Why Bowls.
Bowls has been around for centuries. Francis Drake was alleged to have been playing the game at Plymouth Hoe when he was informed that the Spanish Armada was approaching the English Coast on 8th August 1558. It is reputed that he was so keen on the game he insisted on finishing it before taking any action. It is one of the oldest forms of sport played throughout British History.
It is a gentle game and can be played by almost anyone. Bowls offers so many things from gentle exercise, competition, relaxation, camaraderie, socialising, team play and friendship. The game can be played as singles, pairs. triples, fours and teams. You can also enjoy having a practice on your own.
You don’t have to be ultra-competitive to play bowls. You can just have a roll up with friends and family alike. The facilities are available at most times throughout the warmer months. After only limited experience you will be encouraged to join in friendly and competitive matches. However, it’s not compulsory and you can just continue to play for the sheer fun of it.
The best way to learn the rudiments of the game is by joining a bowls club. This way you get to learn from experienced bowlers, you get free coaching, you get the facilities, you get to join in the social aspects of the club. You also get the opportunity to progress in the sport as far as your skill and ambition will take you.
Why The Grange
The Grange Bowls Club is a well-established bowls club. One of seven in Rugby. It has been established since the mid 1940’s. It is unique in that it offers more than just bowls. The club boasts two all year-round outdoor tennis courts. These courts have recently been resurfaced and are considered to be some of the best in the town. As a full member of the bowls club you will get full use of these courts throughout the year. You can also take part in the various Tennis leagues if you so desire.
We have a very well-maintained clubhouse with a bar, kitchen and social area. This enables the club to hold various activities throughout the year and includes a very active social section that hold fund raising events throughout the year. The bar opens every Friday evening from 7.30pm to 11pm and although the bar is run for profit it is without doubt one of the cheapest in the town.
In the winter months, when the bowls green is closed down, as it’s too cold and wet to play bowls, the club offers other activities, mainly the local Men’s and Ladies Skittles League. The social team also run Lunch Days, Games Night, Quizzes, Horse Race Nights and a Christmas Fayre, and other events to keep us entertained and out of mischief. There is always something going on.
We welcome families and have a large number of husband-and-wife players. We also welcome youngsters who are able to take up the sport from as early as 10 years old.
When you join our club you will be welcomed with open arms. We pride ourselves on the friendliness of our members and in a way it’s a bit like joining a family. We have a maintenance team who take care of the buildings and property. We also run several committees who take on essential sections of the club, and then there is the general committee who ultimately are responsible for managing club affairs. If you are retired and have spare time, I can think of no better way to spend your time and do something useful and worthwhile. You can get as involved in as much of the day to day running of the club as you like.
One of the major benefits of belonging to a bowls club is the opportunities it offers for progression in the sport. We run annual internal club competitions where you can hone your skills. Once you have gained a little experience and confidence you will be encouraged to join in the teams that play in the local leagues. From here you can enter the County competitions and hopefully one day you will be selected to represent Warwickshire at County level. We boast a large number of our members who have attained their county badge.
Without doubt the ultimate objective in bowls is to play at a national level. The Grange Bowls Club is affiliated to the Rugby Bowls Association (RBA), The Warwickshire County Bowls Association (WCBA and WWBA) and Bowls England the national governing body for the sport in England. By becoming a member of the Grange you will have access to all the competitions run by these various governing bodies.
Note: Our club is proud to declare that two of our existing members have, in recent years, reached and played in the National Bowls Finals. These national championships are held every year at Royal Leamington Spa. Our bowlers Heather Mills and Phil Bale have represented our club in the National Finals with pride on several occasions. Heather, as recent as last year (2022). They are both their respective most successful bowlers of all time in the club’s 77 year history.