Lostwithiel Bowling Club

Founded 1926

The story of Lostwithiel Bowling Club, 1926 to present.

Following a meeting of 23 citizens held in The Guildhall on January 18th 1926 and chaired by the then mayor Cllr G. H. Hoskins, it was decided to form the Lostwithiel Bowling Club on land to be leased from the Duchy of Cornwall at an annual "peppercorn" rent of £5 and with an annual subscription of 1 Guinea. Although our subscriptions have risen, we are still at the same site, albeit with many additions and improvements.  A committee of 13 was established and by March 1926 the membership had more than doubled to 51.  The first committee was chaired by Mr J.S.Hicks with Mr J. Phillips as Secretary and on July 7th, 1926 the green was formally opened by Mr L. Pease.  

On show at the club house we have a significant volume, put together by Rosie Smith, which details honours from 1955 to the present day and two pictorial archives covering the period from 1947 to the present day — a proud history with significant contributions from many.

Brief highlights are listed below: 
 

• 1929 – Green extended to 6 rinks
• 1933 – Ladies permitted to play on the green
• 1945 – Ladies invited to join the club
• 1951 – The pavilion extended
• 1964 – A Ladies section established
• 1990 – Green lifted, levelled and enlarged.
• 1992 – Construction of new clubhouse commenced – all work carried out by existing members.
• 1993 – In May the new club house was opened.
• 1997 – Electricity supply was connected, and extension built to clubhouse to provide a changing room.
• 2012 – Improvements to the landscaping around the green.
• 2014 – Purchase of new green maintenance equipment; green ditches, banks and paving surrounds were all updated.
• 2016 – Installation of automatic watering system
• 2019 – Construction of new changing room
   

Volunteers and resources permitting, there are always jobs to do and improvements to make on the green, the surrounds and the buildings.

THE PRESENT DAY

Lostwithiel Bowling Club is seen as a friendly and welcoming club, open to all ages, and is very well placed to offer help and advice to all players of abilities. The green and clubhouse are located in a fantastic spot overlooking the Fowey Valley and is a favoured spot for many County Games and touring clubs.  A large car park is available for members and visitors and catering facilities are available.

The outdoor bowling season starts in mid-April and finishes in the latter part of September. Both Men and Ladies Sections are affiliated under Bowls Cornwall, the men playing in Group 2 and the ladies in Group 3. The men (and w.e.f. 2026, the ladies) also play league matches in the East Cornwall Bowling League (ECBL); these matches normally take  place in the earlier part of the season. Friendly matches are also played throughout the season, normally on weekend afternoons. Members are also encouraged to enter Club Competitions which are held annually, concluding in a Finals Weekend.

Members can also enter County Competitions in Singles, Pairs, Triples and Rinks, and represent the club when so doing.

League matches require that members wear the Club shirt; this was designed in 2018 and can be purchased from the club. Also available to purchase at the club are second-hand bowls clothing and bowls.

Friday afternoons are "Club afternoons", when members can get together for a friendly roll-up, and the 2nd and 4th Friday afternoons of each month (from June onwards) are designated "open afternoons" to which anyone (member or not) can just turn up and play.

The club is run on a day-to-day basis by the Club Committee; the AGM is normally held in September, giving members the opportunity to be elected onto the committee and thereby play a significant rôle in the running and advancement of the club. Membership fees are currently set at £100 per annum with free membership for those under 18 years of age.

New members, both young and old, are encouraged to join at our ”Taster Days”, held at the start of the season. Contact the club if you have any interest in playing by using the “contact us” button on the web site.