Rookery Park and Dennington in great bowls duel

On a very hot and sticky Saturday afternoon, the two regional finalists, Rookery Park and Dennington Bowls Clubs, went head-to-head at Saxmundham Sports Club to decide the winner of the Suffolk Senior cup.

And what a match it turned out to be.

All four rinks were battling it out and at the halfway mark, Rookery were forging ahead with several shots in hand.

As the game progressed Dennington then began to put the pressure on and forced their way into the lead, but not without anxiety. On the last end, they lost six shots on one rink.

However, the strength of Dennington’s lead was enough to secure a seven-shot win.

This was another fine example of a traditional village sport being played on a much-loved and nurtured bowls green, like many other bowls greens that are dotted all over the country.

During the summer evenings the bowls players will travel to other villages in their area to compete in their various bowls leagues and cup competitions to, perhaps get – “a bit of silver on the table” – which is the symbol that shows a reward for their efforts during the season.

This year Dennington Bowls Club has got that “bit of silver.

However, the club continue to struggle to keep their membership up (they only have about 25 members).

They also have the age old problem of raising the money to keep their bowls green in a reasonable condition, during the winter and summer.

That is why the club values their local sponsors’ help each year, enabling them to compete at the highest level and to win silverware.

Without the financial support from sponsors, Dennington, as a club, would certainly be in jeopardy. It is hoped that other sponsors will be encouraged to help bowls clubs in the Suffolk area, and so share in the pleasure of keeping bowls clubs alive for future generations.