200 year old Newark Town Bowling Club providing a pathway for people to get into the sport

The Newark Advertiser and Newark Sports Association have joined forces to highlight the huge sporting history that the district has to offer.

In this edition, we shine a light on Newark Town Bowling Club, an institution with a proud past.

The club is the oldest bowling club not just in Newark but also in Nottinghamshire and it can trace its origins back more than 200 years to 1809.

Members believe their club is one of the oldest in the entire country.

The club’s green was officially opened Monday, May 8, 1809, with around 80 people believed to have attended the ceremony.

Tucked away just off London Road, behind the Castle and Falcon public house, the setting is without a doubt one of Newark’s best sporting treasures.

“The Newark Town Bowls Club boasts a former clubhouse which, with its richly ornamented Regency gothic pediment and elegant balcony, has been identified as one of Newark’s foremost architectural gems,” reads the club’s website.

The clubhouse still exists on the site but was sold in 2006, the building originally housed the club’s greenkeeper and their family.

At one time the site had stables, and other buildings indicative of the period.

The facilities today include the clubhouse, the kitchen, the bar, the gardens, and the bowling green.

The Club also has the honour of having been awarded the town crest and bears a fascinating inscription on its’ under the balcony of the original pavilion that reads, “Let no man be biased.”

There are several theories for the inscription from what is believed to be a call to fair play for all who have set foot on the green to perhaps referring to the method used to originally accept new members.

In 1909 the club celebrated its centenary and an Edwardian photograph of the event shows people dressed in their best clothes in front of the clubhouse and on the balcony.

Today, the club isn’t just a hub for bowls but also for the wider community and has around 70 members.

It hosts bingo, entertainment, and music nights, focusing on being a social place where people can gather in a friendly atmosphere.

“This club also has a charitable side, we give back to the town by providing a place for the patriotic fund to meet,” said vice-chairman Mac Mallard.

“We have been doing this for the last few years.”

The club is also keen to bring in new people into their ranks, especially younger members, and they have the structures in place to make it happen.

“We want to bring in younger people into the club and have younger players participating in bowls,” said club member Paul Hatherley who has been at the club for almost ten years.

“We have our own coaching team with four coaches,” he added.

This weekend (April 22 and 23) the club will be holding open days for non-members who can go down and have a look at the facilities from 11am to 3pm.

They can meet some of the members who can answer any questions they have about the club or the sport of bowls.

People can also attend on Wednesdays when the club operates an open policy for people to come and have a look.

The club said that Bowls is a great game and they want to get the next generation interested in the sport.

The club is offering free membership to all under 18s for the upcoming season, offering an easy way for young people to get into a popular sport in the cost of living crisis.