Club HISTORY

Ards Bowling Club History 1927 – Present

ARDS  BOWLING  CLUB

70 SOUTH STREET, NEWTOWNARDS, CO DOWN, BT23 6JU

DATE OF FORMATION :-  1927

Lacrosse is not a game the average bowler would know a great deal about. The skills for which the game call for are completely different, whereas bowling is a lot more leisurely.

Nevertheless, Ards bowling club had its beginning as a section of Ards lacrosse club.
In the twenties lacrosse was a popular game in Newtownards and records show that the men had quite a successful team. There were also hockey and tennis sections of the club equally successful .

Bowling was first played at Ards on a strip of grass near the present green around 1927 and in 1929 the management committee of the lacrosse club give permission for a new bowling green to be laid.

Bowling members and friends subscribed to the effort, with the approximate cost being £380. Well over 35 members and freinds contributed to this amount and it went ahead. Although the majority of these pioneers have passed on, some of the present members have played with or have links to these members.

In 1958 the playing fields surrounding the bowling green were taking over by the education authority and at this point Ards Lacrosse Club became Ards Bowling Club.

The pavillion consisted of an old hut of 1914 – 1918 vintage and over the years it soon became increasingly apparent that a new building was urgently needed.

A building fund was set up in 1968 and a sum of £4,000 was raised, a figure which included the sale of the old structure for £35. In March 1973 the new pavilion was officially open by Margaret Spence.

This advance meant that the club could have their own short mat bowling during the winter and hold fund raising bowling tournaments. Thanks to the concerted work of the management and the newly formed social committee all the clubs debts were completely cleared.

All the efforts were then focused towards purchasing ground from the Department of Education and planning another clubhouse, a dream which consisted of the provision of facilities that would be the equal, if not the envy, of those of other clubs.

On May 9th 1985 the dream became a reality when Mrs Gretta Graham, wife of the Hon Secretary officially opened the building. A ladies section was formed in 1966  Before and after it came into being, the ladies were a tremendous asset in the clubs progress.

I B A  MEMBERSHIP:- 18TH MARCH 1931

HONOURS

The IBA singles was won by W Curragh in 1973 and the NIPGL singles in the same year.

In 1978 W J Thompson and J Campbell were winners of the NIPGL pairs title

In 1984 the A team were runners up in the NIPGL senior event and won the Castlereagh Cup.

P G L  DIVISION 2 WINNERS                          2003     2005     2014    2017   2019

I B A   INTERMEDIATE CUP WINNERS  (A)      2016     2017

P G L  DIVISION 5  WINNERS                              2017

P G L (B) DIVISION 2 WINNERS                          1935     1986     2000     

P G L  JUNIOR CUP WINNERS                             1933     1937     1991     2001    2017

P G L MIDWEEK LEAGUE WINNERS                 2015     2016

P G L MIDWEEK LEAGUE 2 WINNERS               2023

P G L MIDWEEK CUP WINNERS                          2014

P G L PRESIDENTS -  1950:-  J BLACK  JP     1977:-  J LOWRY    2015:-  D MC CLOY

I B A PRESIDENTS -  2019:- David McCloy



FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEDSITE AT:-      ardsbowls.blogspot.co.uk

History photos can be found by clicking on link belowhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/pickie_bowls/sets/72157644774840386/
Ards bowling club had its beginnings as a section of the Lacrosse club which was formed way back in 1892


Ards Lacrosse Team -1892

Lacrosse is not a game the average bowler would know a great deal about. The skills for which the game call for are completely different, whereas bowling is a lot more leisurely.

Nevertheless, Ards bowling club had its beginning as a section of Ards lacrosse club.
In the twenties lacrosse was a popular game in Newtownards and records show that the men had quite a successful team. There were also hockey and tennis sections of the club equally successful .

Bowling was first played at Ards on a strip of grass near the present green around 1927 and in 1929 the management committee of the lacrosse club give permission for a new bowling green to be laid.

Bowling members and friends subscribed to the effort, with the approximate cost being £380. Well over 35 members and freinds contributed to this amount and it went ahead. Although the majority of these pioneers have passed on, some of the present members have played with or have links to these members.








In 1958 the playing fields surrounding the bowling green were taking over by the education authority and at this point Ards Lacrosse Club became Ards Bowling Club.
The pavillion consisted of an old hut of 1914 – 1918 vintage and over the years it soon became increasingly apparent that a new building was urgently needed.



A building fund was set up in 1968 and a sum of £4,000 was raised, a figure which included the sale of the old structure for £35. In March 1973 the new pavilion was officially open by Margaret Spence.


This advance meant that the club could have their own short mat bowling during the winter and hold fund raising bowling tournaments. Thanks to the concerted work of the management and the newly formed social committee all the clubs debts were completely cleared.


All the efforts were then focused towards purchasing ground from the Department of Education and planning another clubhouse, a dream which consisted of the provision of facilities that would be the equal, if not the envy, of those of other clubs.

On May 9th 1985 the dream became a reality when Mrs Gretta Graham, wife of the Hon Secretary officially opened the building. A ladies section was formed in 1966  Before and after it came into being, the ladies were a tremendous asset in the clubs progress.

A formidable list of honours have come the club's way down the years:-
1933 and 1935 Ards won the Junior NIPGL








 The Junior cup in 1933, 1937 and 1940

The IBA singles was won by W Curragh in 1973 and the NIPGL singles in the same year.

In 1978 W J Thompson and J Campbell were winners of the NIPGL pairs title

In 1984 the A team were runners up in the NIPGL senior event and won the Castlereagh Cup.

2014 The A team won PGL Senior Division Two to gain promotion into division One




In the Ladies section, the Junior league IWBA championship was won in four successive years, 1970, 71, 72, 73







Years may have passed since Ards Bowling Club came into being as an off-shoot of the Lacrosse club.

Lacrosse may be a thing of the past, but the foundations laid by those involved were indeed firmly laid by that very ambitious move .