Bowlers ready for 24-hour challenge

A group is preparing to play indoor bowls for 24 hours to raise money for two Newark-based charities.

Mr Steve Ayling, chairman of Newark Indoor Bowls Clubs, and seven other club members will play for an entire day to raise money for Beaumond House Community Hospice and the Children’s Bereavement Centre.

They will start their 24-hour Bowlathon at 10am on Saturday and, playing in pairs, will take it in turns to play non-stop.

At any one time at least two of the four pairs will be bowling and there will be no breaks in play until the challenge is over at 10am on Sunday.

Newark Indoor Bowls Club already holds an annual tournament to raise money for Beaumond House every April.

Mr Ayling, 66, said: “It is something that has played on my mind for a year or two and I said I wouldn’t mind doing it.

“We do the tournament for Beaumond House anyway, and we are still doing that in April, but I thought I would do something different.

“I spoke to a few guys I bowl with and they said they would give it a go.

“If we raise somewhere between £800 to £1,000 then I would be over the moon.”

Mr Ayling said some other club members would be stepping in every now and then to help out bowlers with tired arms.

“Four people said they would like to have a go and put some money in the pot for it,” he said.

“A couple of the ladies who have offered to help are in their 80s.

“The scoreboard will fill up and hopefully by the end of the 24 hours we will know how many ends we did and reveal what the score was.”

Mr Ayling, who has been a member of Newark Indoor Bowls Club for 25 years, is the oldest member of the group who will compete regularly over the 24 hours.

The rest of the group is made up of men in their 40s, 50s and 60s and one woman in her 20s.

“We are all up for doing the whole 24 hours,” Mr Ayling said.

“There is quite a lot of banter between us and there will be a lot of encouragement.

“I don’t want to cheat doing it so we cannot stop when it comes to changing over.”

Anyone who wants to support the players during the bowlathon is welcome to attend Newark Indoor Bowls Centre at Newark Showground any time between Saturday at 10am and Sunday at 10am.