Summer wipeout could force some bowls clubs to close for good

Both Bowls England and the English Bowling Federation have cancelled their County Championships and competitions which were due to start in early May leading to national finals at Leamington and Skegness respectively in August.

The Peterborough League have already written off the first half of the season and scrapped all three cup competitions, but will continue to monitor the situation until early May in the hope of introducing some form of truncated league programme from July.

The neighbouring March and Stamford Leagues have already scrapped their programmes for the entire summer.

The local indoor clubs closed their doors at the beginning of last week with several weeks of the season remaining, while the English Bowling Federation’s prestigious National Indoor Finals, scheduled for the end of April, have been provisionally rearranged for September.

The Northants County Finals at Burton Street just managed to beat the coronavirus cut off, but successful players like triple-winning Chris Ford and mixed pairs champions John Earl and Katie Bailey are unlikely to be able to seek National glory.

A considerable loss of revenue for busy local outdoor clubs will have several financial implications for some, with the threat that some might not be able to cushion the blow, possibly resulting in closure.

Another fear surrounds the future of club memberships as once the cycle of playing on an annual basis is broken there is the distinct danger that some players might find alternative interests in the summer and therefore decide not to resume the sport next year.

These are worrying times for local bowls clubs and the full impact of the summer shutdown will not be known for several months.