Glasgow 2014 - Let the Games Begin

The XX Commonwealth Games commence tonight with what promises to be a spectacular opening ceremony.

I arrived in Glasgow on Monday after a hassle free flight from Gatwick and a simple taxi ride to the Technical Officials Village. After dumping my case in my room, which is one of 5 in a shared dorm in the University campus, it was straight off to the Uniform and Accreditation Centre (UAC).

It was great to meet old friends from around the World and it was not long before the micky taking and banter started. The Scottish officials had already collected their accreditation and uniform a few weeks earlier and it was now just the handful of international officials that were on this bus to the spectacular Kelvin Hall.

The accreditation process was quick and simple. I had already received a Non Validated Pass prior to my arrival and this was converted to a full laminated pass at the UAC. It was then on to collect my uniforms. It was evident by the number of other sports officials that I would be in for a long wait. The atmosphere was jovial though and it made the wait bearable.

We were in for a long wait

When my number was called I was ushered into a cubicle and a selection of clothing was provided for me to try on. I must have been lucky and must be a fairly normal size and shape as pretty much everything I tried was a good fit.

Armed with my sheet of sizes and list of clothing it was off to a long counter to collect my wares. The Warehouse was enormous and packed with boxes, pallets and bags full of accessories and uniforms. After collecting my business suit and working uniform I had a fairly long wait for my colleagues, some of whom were without some items of clothing as they needed to be altered. By the time we had left the UAC to return to the accommodation it was almost 9:00pm.

Back at the village we all met up for a quick meet and introduction and it was again great to meet to some familiar faces and some officials who were at the Games for the first time. Following the meeting we popped into town for a very late meal and a few beers.

Kelvingrove overlooks the main greens

On Tuesday we all attended the venue and following a hearty breakfast we boarded a Games bus for the Kelvingrove Venue. Security was already in operation and we had to pass through airport style checks on entry to the bowls complex. We made ourselves comfortable in the very warm and somewhat cramped Technical Officials Lounge before being introduced to the Competition Managers.

Glasgow University dominates the skyline

The venue for the bowls is spectacular, arguably the most stunning backdrop to any venue. The complex has 5 competition greens and 1 practice green. The two main greens are surrounded by huge seating stands with the University Building in the background. We were taken on a tour of the venue to familiarise ourselves with the layout and important locations – such as toilets!!

After lunch we gathered for a meeting and a run through of the Conditions of Play. It was an opportunity to check some of the equipment we would be using for the event and to become familiar with some of the competition specific jobs that we would need to do each day prior to the games starting.

Myself, Graham Gibbins and Andy Ewens represent England

It was a warm day which is slightly out of character for Scotland but it was much better that rain. Bizarrely the Met Office had issued a hot weather warning for Wednesday where they predicted that the temperature could reach 25 degrees. Of course this was much to the amusement of our Antipodean colleagues who would most likely be needing a fleece to keep themselves warm in that temperature.

We had some official photos taken in our business uniforms in the evening and then it was back to the Village and a wander into town for a bite to eat.

The full team of 40 Officials

So far, I am very impressed with Glasgow, well the little part that I have seen, and the friendliness of the workforce and volunteers

Today we have a free day as the final preparations are being made in the run up to the Opening Ceremony. The excitement is building and I predict a fantastic games in Glasgow for the next 10 days. 

Let the Games Begin.

BIBC Championships Day 2

The finals of the BIBC championships were contested yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately England were not represented in any finals. Ireland dominated by reaching 4 of the 6 finals.

Martin McHugh threw a small spanner in the works by qualifying for both the Pairs and Singles so the pairs were played first against Scotland with the Scottish pair running out the winners. The Singles followed straight after in which Martin played David Kingdon of Wales. It was an incredible game but unfortunately Martin was not able to overcome David’s amazing shotplay.

England’s Senior Fours players were very unlucky in the Semi-final losing to Wales 21-18. Wales fought back in the final two ends picking up 3 and 4 shots to see them through to the final.

So the winners of the respective championships are as follows:

Singles: Dave Kingdon, Wales

Junior Singles: Gary Kelly, Ireland

Pairs: Scotland

Triples: Scotland

Fours: Wales

Senior Fours: Wales

From an umpiring perspective all games proceeded without a hitch and I must pass on all my thanks to the team for giving up their time to officiate at these Championships.

This morning we kick off the International Series with England playing Ireland and Scotland playing Wales in the first session at 9:30am

BIBC Championships Day 2

Day 2 of the Championships and the programme may potentially be thrown into chaos today for two reasons. Martin McHugh from Ireland keeps winning! He has qualified through to the final of the Singles due to be played this afternoon but is also playing in the Pairs Semi-Final this morning and of course if he wins he will have another final to schedule, most likely this evening.

All of this is very dependent on the Weather. The forecast is dire and already we have had a couple of big downpours and a 30 minute delay to play when the green was awash. In this situation the BIBC impose a 4 hour rule. If there is a delay to play or suspension then a time limit of 4 hours will be imposed which includes the trial ends. I a game is not completed in that 4 hour period a minimum of 11 ends in the pairs and fours must be played to get a result.

Last night Martin McHugh played England’s Andrew Walters in a stunning singles match. It went right down to the wire with some amazing shots being played by both players. Martin eventually came out the winner with a 21-18 score line.

This morning we have the Pairs Semi-final featuring Martin McHugh and also the two semi-finals of the Senior Fours. This afternoon we should have the majority of the finals.

Lunch time at the BIBC Championships

British Isles Bowls Council Championships

This week I am the Chief Official at the B.I.B.C. Championships and Series being held at Leamington Spa.

My role at these championships is to coordinate the umpires and markers making sure they arrive on the correct rinks and greens and making sure they are fed and watered. I also act as the liaison between the governing body and the umpires should any issue arise or any schedule changes occur.

This annual tournament sees the winner of the Home Countries National Championships contest for the titles of British Isles Champions. Players from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Guernsey and Jersey compete in Fours, Senior Fours, Triples, Pairs, Singles and Junior Singles.

The competition actually started on Wednesday evening with two preliminaries in the Pairs and Senior Fours. In the Pairs, Ireland ran out the winners in a very close game against Jersey. The Senior Fours was a little one sided with Jersey dominated Guernsey all the way through to win 24 shots to 8 shots.

This morning I arrived at the venue for a 9:00am start. All matches were preliminary rounds with 3 singles ties together with a Pairs, 2 Triples and 2 Fours. All games are played to the traditional format of 21 shot singles, 21 end pairs and fours and 18 ends in triples.

Unfortunately this morning we had two sets of bowls rejected having out of date stamps. Thankfully, additional sets of bowls were found and the players could continue in the competition. 

The afternoon session commenced at 2pm and was dominated by Semi-final ties in all disciplines.

The final session of the day commenced at 6pm with 3 singles ties being contested.

Tomorrow is finals day at the championships. Let’s hope the weather does not spoil things.

During the week you can get live score updates and results on the B.I.B.C. Website

Angie Thompson Marking a Singles tie this morning

The scene during this mornings matches at Leamington Spa

EBYDS Surrey Tournament

On Sunday 16th I was up with the lark and on my way to Wey Valley Indoor Bowls Club in Guildford to officiate at the EBYDS tournament.

EBYDS is the English Bowls Youth Development Scheme, a partnership between the English Indoor B.A. Bowls England, Bowls Coaches and the English Bowls Umpires Association. Its purpose is to provide a pathway to enable children and young people to participate in the Sport of Bowls and to develop their potential to whatever appropriate level they so wish. The Scheme provides a series of County Invitation Singles events followed by Regional Schools of Excellence and then a National School of Excellence. This event at Guildford was one of these regional events.

I was officiating with two colleagues, Ken Bickley and Wendy Dunn. It was an all day event commencing at 9:00am and finishing at 6:00pm - yes we were knackered and so were some of the kids.

The morning was dominated by a round robin mixed singles tournament. Each game was played over 7 ends with player using 3 bowls each. Points were awarded for a win and a draw. The groups were divided into two age groups - 15 to 18 year old and under 15's.

It was incredible to see the little ones, some aged just 6 & 7, competing against the older children. The standard of play was really impressive as well and filled us with hope for the future.

The markers for the tournament were all qualified members of the coaching scheme and really took the time to help the children with their games. It was a very relaxed and enjoyable few hours. Us umpires were also on and off the green constantly and it got the kids used to having officials around helping with their games.

After lunch the coaches set up a number of skills which tested the children's ability to play a range of shots and score points for each skill they did well at. I helped with the measuring of the running bowl skills. A row of 4 bowls were placed just in front of the jack and the players had to play a controlled weight shot to try and disturb the head and get as close to the jack as possible. They scored a maximum of 3 points for getting the shot bowl, 2 points for second bowl and 1 point for third bowl. It was a really difficult skill and one that I admitted to the coach I would struggle at.

Following the skills tests we played the semi-finals of the singles competition with the two age groups playing separately. This was followed by the final. I was honored to mark the final of the seniors (15-18 year old) with both players displaying some excellent skill and an impressive range of shots.
The final formality of the day was to present the trophies and certificates and each child received a medal as well. It looked like they all thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was certainly an eye opener and a fabulous experience for me and it was excellent to see so many talented young players. It just goes to show that this is not "Old Mans Marbles" and the future of the sport is looking great if we can hold on to these guys and girls and develop them in to the top players of the sport. 

I would like to thank fellow umpire and organiser of the event, Shirley Clarke for inviting me to officiate on the day and I really hope I can make the date next year.

If you would like to read more about the work of the EBYDS please take a look at the following webpages:

• Surrey County EBYDS
• EIBA Website