FUTURE PLANS: COUNTY SCENE

This coming season our Club has agreed to host the Warwickshire Junior's in a match against our adult club side. We would hope to have several players involved for Warwickshire and obviously some of our other junior's will be selected for the home side. If this is a success, it is intended to take the Junior's around the County and 'show the Flag' so to speak.

It will also demonstrate to clubs the pleasure and excitement that is so enjoyed by those that get involved with junior's, and by doing this it is hoped that ordinary club members at clubs (after all, many club members are parents and grandparents of children who are not bowling -but could be bowling), will perhaps sit up and take positive notice of the great spirit and enjoyment so obvious at junior games and perhaps they may become energised to 'get pro-active'in recruiting youngsters.

This obvious and traditional source of new junior bowler's is sadly declining at the moment, and this is a great loss to bowls. Even so, the influence of 'friends and family' should be far more 'fertile' than it is, and it is certain that if present membership's did more to recruit from friends and family, both the sport and the youngsters themselves would gain enormously. Bowler's! Everyone! Please take an interest in youngsters and try and motivate them away from the TV etc. Treat them to a coaching course... or take them yourself...join them in a junior section...let them

"Give bowls a try"

We have written to our County Committee (SEE UPDATES ON NEWS PAGE) to request consideration that the above event be given a higher priority. We would like to see this made into a prestigious annual event -to run alongside and complimentary to the EBYDS Singles. Our proposal would not cost EBYDS, County or Club any money and its another great day for the junior's as well.

We propose that two places at the Regional School of Excellence are made available to the winner and runner up of this event. We think this would be well received at grass roots level, and would probably bring younger talent to the fore earlier than now- perhaps in a way the the EBYDS Singles does not. Make no mistake, we are rabid fans of the EBYDS Singles event -warts and all- but as so much hangs on this one event for junior's, the question has to be , 'why put all your eggs in one basket'? Also, why don't we have such an event anyway when the Regional School of Excellence is 100% skills exercises and also the National School is 50 % skills exercises. Something does not add up here, because, as stated, if you look at the EBYDS NATIONAL and REGIONAL FINALS, all, quite correctly, include skills exercises, as one of the main assessments that mark out talent and potential.

Locally, this event has always been won by a good home bowler...the one exception was when Rugby's talented 11 year old Chris Allen (who is now selected for our U25's Inter County Dual Rink Team) lost at home (at Rugby) in a nail biting final, to a good experienced player, five/six years older, by 5 shots to 4 shots.

The pattern seems to be that an older or oldest player or a 'tidy' home bowler, seem to get to the final year on year. It is difficult to break that cycle because a 'tidy' home bowler with one good performance will knock out an excellent bowler who is playing away... particularly over 5 ends. This "one size fits all" approach is almost certainly holding back some of the County's great younger (but sometimes just slightly too inexperienced away from home) bowler's who are just off the pace, or unlucky on the day. It is very difficult to play away all the time in the EBYDS -and succeed- as we have found out. Under this system, it has taken us four years to have a player qualify and this has unfairly affected our club. We can cite the case of Kirsty, who unexpectedly qualified as a promising loser (a 10 year old female) ...and she promptly posted a considerably better score than any other previous Warwickshire player, boy or girl, although Emma (Solihull) on the day, carded an all time Warwickshire record total -scoring 3 points more. Hence our proposal.

We believe it is recognised that we have some terrific young talent around and we think the above proposal would give them the chance to come through, perhaps a little earlier than is allowed by the 'heavyweight' contest that the singles essentially is. Remember also, that there would be no luck of the draw in this event either, no tricky rink to master, where a couple of vital woods-or lucky woods against -or unlucky woods, cost a big score...which is often irretrievable in just a 5 end singles game. Another point is that in the singles 50% of the kids have finished bowling for the day by mid-day, and 50% of the rest finish in the next round.

In a skills competition, it is rather different. The kids bowl all day together, and are called upon to produce all the skills that are the basis of our sport. A skills event is definitely not 'a walk in the park' and calls for great concentration. Also, the fact that all the junior's bowl competitively all day, has got to be a big plus too.

We therefore feel that an event such as this is worthy of the higher status we are suggesting...giving a new big junior event...popular with parents and kids...and a good companion to run alongside (and complimentary to) the EBYDS Singles. A constructive 'twin track' youth development strategy.

So! What do you think? What does the EBYDS think? What does your County think? If you agree with us, we suggest that you contact your county representative to take this matter forward. Also, please feel free to let us have your feedback -for or against. As you know, these matters take a long, long, time to come to fruition...even if everyone is in favour but nevertheless, we should continue to put new ideas forward.