Our reporter Joe Williams gives his verdict
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00:14 Lawn bowls has long had the reputation of being a sport for older people.
00:18 For those that have retired and are looking for ways to keep active and socialise.
00:21 But we're looking to challenge that view today and speak to Jackie Buckley, the chair of Waterlooville Bowling Club,
00:26 who believes that the sport should be open to everyone.
00:28 Now, I'm here today because I love all sports.
00:30 Whether it's watching or playing, I love it.
00:32 But I've also yet to find a sport I'm good at.
00:34 So I'm hoping this could be it.
00:36 And maybe the start of my athletic career.
00:38 Let's find out.
00:39 I'm a bit nervous actually.
00:41 I feel like there's a lot of pressure on.
00:44 Unfortunately, there's not too many people here today.
00:46 I'm hoping, you know, as I say, I'm not very good at all sports.
00:51 I love sports, but I'm hoping that this could be something that I'm good at.
00:55 Maybe a future for me here.
00:58 So how long have you been playing bowls?
01:01 About 10 years.
01:02 But of course, with Covid, there was a break in the middle.
01:05 Okay.
01:06 But what made you want to get involved?
01:08 Well, I needed some sport.
01:10 And we wanted something that myself and my husband could do together.
01:14 And this is something that is really good.
01:17 We're both competitive on the green.
01:19 So it's really a good way of getting some physical exercise.
01:24 But also having a bit of social life as well.
01:27 Yeah, yeah. So you said about 12 years.
01:29 How has it impacted your life since you started it?
01:31 It's made a big change.
01:33 We've met a lot of new people.
01:35 I think it's a good sport.
01:37 We live quite close, which helps.
01:39 But I think it's made me fitter.
01:41 Because you do have to become more supple to be able to do it.
01:46 And also you've got to think.
01:49 And we were kind of saying about obviously it's got the reputation of it being better for older people.
01:53 Why do you think it's got that?
01:54 Well, I think over the years they've assumed that everyone who retires takes up bowls.
01:59 Which to a degree is true.
02:01 But what we're trying to do is encourage some of the youngsters to come along.
02:06 There's a big youngster section in Portsmouth.
02:09 And we see no reason why we shouldn't have one in Havant.
02:13 And they can bowl from the age of about seven.
02:16 We have the right size bowls.
02:19 It's not a really expensive sport.
02:22 And there's a lot of encouragement to get them going.
02:25 There's a lot of championships to go in for.
02:28 A lot of kids go around the country actually entering competitions.
02:33 The difference between ten pin bowling is like I mentioned is that you're bowling with weight.
02:46 And you're trying to literally destroy or take as many pins out as you can.
02:49 But with the art of lawn bowling it's like trying to make the bowl feel part of your arm.
02:54 So you're all in one.
02:56 And you just get that feel that you've got the weight when you release it.
02:59 Because it feels part of your arm.
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03:54 Yeah it was actually really quite difficult actually.
04:00 I think maybe where I'm a slightly taller person it was quite difficult getting down.
04:04 To be honest I didn't think that core strength and knee strength would be an issue with bowls.
04:09 But yeah I did struggle a bit getting down to it.
04:12 But no it was really good fun. Definitely a challenge.
04:15 Definitely I nearly beat the coach.
04:17 So I mean I was using his balls.
04:19 But yeah it was really good fun.
04:22 Definitely don't knock it until you've tried it.
04:24 And I think yeah definitely recommend it to people that are looking to get out, get active and to socialise a bit.
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