Glasgow 2014 - Days 9 and 10

A bit of culture in the Kelvingrove Museum 

Friday was the culmination of 9 days of hard work and good fun. There were 3 medal matches played through the day. Having already officiated in a Gold Medal match, when I did the Pairs, I was not needed for the final day. We had a nice relaxing morning and then took a leisurely walk down through the parks to the venue at Kelvingrove. Spent a little time in the Kelvingrove Art Museum and listened to an organ recital whilst enjoying a coffee and a sticky bun.

Myself, Daryl & Graham decided we would watch the two medal matches in the afternoon. We took our places in the centre of the main stand which was reserved for technical officials and other accredited people. We were right at the front and could see both the Fours Gold medal match between England and Scotland and the Bronze medal match between Australia and India.

Australia took Bronze, James Irwin Umpiring.

India had performed superbly during the games especially as a developing bowls nation and to find themselves leading Australia for a medal showed their dedication of level of improvement. Unfortunately for them they didn’t have the experience to finish the game off and Australia claimed the Bronze medal after playing an extra end.

In the Gold medal match, the machine that is Scotland dominated. The formidable force of Alex Marshall, Paul Foster, Neil Speirs and David Peacock was just too powerful for the English quartet. I managed to get some decent photos from my vantage point.

Prince Edward is a great supporter of Bowls.

About half way through the game there was some random applause from the crowd and when I looked to see what it was about, Prince Edward was entering the stands. He sat just two rows back from me. I managed to get a couple of photos and a pretty poor attempt at a selfie. At the end of the match, Graham called up to his assistants and gave them one of our umpires badges for which he was grateful and chatted to us for a short while.

The evening game was the Men’s Singles final with Scotland’s Darren Burnett playing against Ryan Bester from Canada. We were disappointed for our mate Graham for not getting the opportunity to Mark the match but he was an umpire for the game. It is the highest accolade a Lawn Bowls Umpire can get to Mark a Commonwealth or World Final and I was proud to have achieved that in Manchester in 2002. Scotland yet again dominated the match and beat Ryan quite comfortably with a 21-9 scoreline.

Team England can be proud of their achievements

England can hold their heads high with their success from these games. Every one of the 11 men and women in the squad walks away with a medal bettering their performance 4 years ago in Delhi. Overall in the Lawn Bowls competition England finished third in the medal table behind South Africa and Scotland. We finished with a Gold, 3 Silvers and 2 Bronze medals. Our total medal count was just 1 less than South Africa so we finished second in that respect but with 5 Golds’ the South African team finished top of the table.

Saturday was a spare day in case competition was delayed by rain or other factors. We have all been very surprised by the weather, indeed we have had some very warm days which have even caught the Scots off guard. So a lazy day was in order on Saturday and typically the only day we don’t have to worry about going to the venue and can please ourselves and it throws it down with rain all day.

Best buddies - the International ITO's

So as I write this final blog from the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on a wet Saturday, I look back at the great memories and the great friendships and team spirit that Team ITO have had. Naturally, groups of people bond with those they know best but overall the team, has bonded very well throughout and it has been a pleasure working and living with some fantastic people for the last 2 weeks.

Can’t wait to get home to my family now and will be travelling home Sunday morning.

Glasgow 2014 has been one of the best and another fantastic experience. I hope you have enjoyed my blogs and have found them of interest.

Goodbye from Glasgow 2014

Glasgow 2014 - Days 7 and 8

And so we reach the last couple of days of a fantastic bowls tournament. All of the usual stereotypic media coverage has been blown out of the water despite some attempts by some hacks to keep plugging away at the “old age” storylines. It is reassuring to witness some of the young talent that has been on display not only from the home countries and developed bowls nations but also the up and coming nations.

The River Kelvin

On Wednesday I was not working until the afternoon session and so I had a bit of a chance to pop back into the City and do some last minute gift purchasing for loving family who I have missed these last two weeks. I went into town with Graham and we had a leisurely stroll around and a coffee for the morning. We then took a walk back to the TO Village through the park and botanical gardens along the beautiful River Kelvin.

The afternoon session started and 3:45 and I was umpiring on the back green out of the way of the hustle and bustle. There were quite a few measures that I had to deal with which kept me busy. There was also some altercation between two players as there was an accusation of “riding bowls” – willing your opponents bowl to miss or be unsuccessful. Definitely not etiquette. I didn’t need to get involved as it was sorted out with the players and managers in the end. There is also very little I could have done in terms of the laws.

8 of us enjoyed a fantastic meal in an Italian restaurant in a back street somewhere close to the village. Mark Cowan, one of our Aussie colleagues had his daughter over travelling and spending a few days at the games and she joined us for the meal. I am not really sure what she made of us mad Poms but we did have a good laugh.

Up early again for what was to be my final session of the games on Thursday. I was allocated a marking duty in a Quarter Final of the Men’s Singles between Darren Burnett of Scotland and Martin McHugh of Northern Ireland. It promised on paper to be a fantastic tussle and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The crowd were standing 4 deep around the back of the green and the stand was packed. It was a great atmosphere. The match went to the wire with the scores level at 20 – 20 before Darren scored the final shot to earn a place in the Semi-Final. Marty was naturally extremely disappointed not to win the game. He is a true gentleman n and off the rink and it was an absolute pleasure to mark for them both.

In the afternoon we three English Umpires played against our three Australian colleagues in what has not become a regular fixture when we meet called the “trashers match”. It was a great opportunity for us to relax, unwind and try out the commonwealth greens, albeit the practice green. It was a great laugh and to be honest the standard of bowling was shocking but we had fun. We were even blessed with a very special spectator for some of the match – Prince Edward stood and watched a few bowls being delivered but clearly was not impressed and so left with a wave. We thrashed the Aussies by the way!

Aussie and English Umpires

Action in the Trashers Match

There were some important deciding matches played in the afternoon session. The English Men’s four qualified for the Fours Final beating India in the semi-final, they will play Scotland in the final on Friday. Natalie Melmore and Jamie Lee Winch qualified for the final of the Ladies pairs and will play South Africa on Friday. But the best new from today was the English Ladies Triple of Sian Honnor, Ellen Faulkner and Sophie Tolchard winning the Gold Medal by thumping the Australian girls 22 shots to 4. An amazing result for England who had very little funding to support the elite squad in the build up to these games.

Our proud Gold Medalists from L to R: Sophie Tolchard, Sian Honnor & Ellen  Faulkner

The big game on Friday is the Gold Medal final of the Men’s Singles and will be contested by Ryan Bester of Canada and Scotland’s Darren Burnett. The stands will be packed and it will be noisy – a great showcase for our sport. Let’s just hope that it gets some airtime on the main TV channels.

As for me, my games is now over. I can relax and enjoy Friday and the men’s final. It has been a very enjoyable games for me. I managed to get through all the sessions without any major mistakes which is always a bonus. My final report of the games will come on Sunday whilst on my way home.

Please tune in Friday afternoon and support this fabulous sport – one of only a few core Commonwealth Games sports.

Glasgow 2014 - Days 5 and 6

Scotland win the Pairs with England taking the Bronze

We are in to the final week of the games now and on Monday my only session of the day was the afternoon Men’s Pairs Gold Medal match. I was one of the two umpires for this match between Scottish legends, Paul Foster and Alex Marshall and Malaysia.

The atmosphere at the venue was incredible with the main stand and the rink side stand being completely full I had to pick my spot to stand carefully to avoid abuse for blocking anybody’s view of the game. I think it was predictable that Scotland would dominate this match but I don’t think anyone could have predicted just how much they did dominate. It was not until the 12^th end of 18 that the Malaysians were able to add a score to the board making it 19 – 2

I had a couple of measures to do during the game one of which needed assistance from my colleague and a long string. One of the leaning bowls was wedged by the Malaysian lead using a cloth which must have looked really good on TV!

The Malaysians waved the white flag at 15 ends with a final score of 20 shots to 3 at Alex and Paul added yet another medal to their impressive haul.

Andrew and Sam claim the Bronze medal

England's pairing of Andrew Knapper and Sam Tolchard came away with the Bronze medal with is a fabulous achievement.

We decided to walk home from the venue again and were joined by local Alastair Douglas who is acting as deputy head ITO at the games. He took us through the University which overlook the greens at Kelvingrove. What an impressive building, stunning architecture and so much history.

On Tuesday it was another early start with breakfast at 6:30am ready for the first bus to the venue at 6:55am. It was grey and overcast and slightly drizzly so we didn’t hang about setting the greens and timing them before a nice warm coffee. My first session was umpiring 2 rinks of Para-sport Open Triples. Officiating for players with disabilities is an incredibly humbling experience and you have to admire the players abilities. The Para-sport Open Triples is open to mixed or single sex teams of 3 players with category B6, B7 and B8 disabilities. Some players are wheelchair bound and some have prosthetic limbs or limbs missing. They play with two bowls each over 15 ends and can have assistance on the green for wheelchair movement and placing the mat.  

Bob Love from England

On one rink 3 wheelchair bound Welsh athletes took on Scotland and on the other 3 English players took on Malaysia. Probably the most impressive display came from the English lead Bob Love. Bob has no arms and bowls barefoot by placing the bowl on a specially constructed overshoe on his right foot. It is incredible to watch the accuracy and skill that he displays. There were quite a few measures during the session as the players very much depend on umpires to carry out all the measures for them. England beat Malaysia 19 shots to 9 and Scotland beat Wales 16 shots to 8. It was a great morning and a brilliant experience.

Off to Specsavers today!!

My next session was in the afternoon and I was honoured to mark for Darren Burnett, Scotlands Singles representative against Matt Le Ber from Guernsey on the TV rink. I know both players and have marked for Darren many times on the World Bowls Tour events. It was a brilliant game to mark and the standard of bowling was excellent considering the rink was particularly tricky. It does seem a bit strange that rinks with tricky lines are used for TV games as it does not so the best standard of bowls. I was reasonably happy with the way the game went from my point of view but I was off to a shaky start by calling only one shot to Darren which turned out on a measure to be easily Matt’s. I was just getting my eyes warmed up and in the following end I apologised to Darren and promised that I would be straight down to Specsavers. Darren came out the winner with a 21 – 12 score line The crowd were noisy and the atmosphere electric and it was a great game to mark.


We are entering the final stages of competition now with the Men’s Singles sectional play well underway leading to the Gold medal match on Friday. Our sessions are very much decided on the day and mostly we are only getting one session per day now. A chance to try and battle our way through the crowds in the city centre and get the last minute gifts

Glasgow 2014 Gallery

Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

Glasgow 2014 - Days 3 and 4

As predicted the weather changed over the weekend and we had a first rain of the tournament. It was nothing that would disrupt the schedule – we just got wet!

The Medal Ceremony commences

On Saturday I was the “On Rink Official” for the Bronze match between New Zealand and Australia B2/B3 Mixed Pairs. The para-sport athletes have visual impairment and although not classified as completely blind many have very limited vision. In the mixed pairs competitions each team has a man and lady player and each player has a Director. The directors job is to provide information to the visual impaired player to allow them to play their shots. This level of involvement can vary depending on how much vision they do have. It was a great game and also a humbling experience. I had a good laugh with the players during the game and they are certainly not afraid of mocking themselves.

Also on Saturday we had the first instance of a team requesting their opponents be placed on the time clock. This is a new concept for the Commonwealth Games designed to prevent slow play. The normal time limit for a game is 2 hours 15 minutes. If a team feels that their opponent is playing too slowly or deliberately slowing down the game they can call for a time keeper. For each session we allocate two time keepers and they are called upon to sit at the end of the rink and use a stopwatch to time the amount of time it takes the offending team to play their end. It’s all very complicated and in my opinion rather unnecessary but that unfortunately is the nature of the beast nowadays.

An extremely busy city centre

On Saturday afternoon Daryl Rowley, one of our antipodean colleagues and I, ventured into the city centre and have a look round. We managed to negotiate the small Glasgow subway system and get ourselves into the centre. It was packed! It was very difficult to walk round due to the sheer number of people. In the end we took a few photos, had a pint and then decided it was too busy to achieve anything. However, getting back was a little more of a challenge and we were initially faced with a queue for the subway which snaked its way round the corners of 3 streets before we found the end of it. We then decided to catch a bus, but we had no idea which bus.

The big G

The people of Glasgow have been incredibly friendly and have embraced the whole Games atmosphere. It was thanks to 2 very kind bus drivers who guided us back to the Lawn Bowls venue. We could have still been walking back on Sunday if it wasn’t for their kindness. Also worth mentioning that anyone with Games accreditation can use public transport free of charge.

Sunday, it rained!! It was also my Birthday and I was on early shift umpiring one green of Semi Final matches. The atmosphere around the green was fabulous as the Scotland ladies fours were playing against South Africa for a place in the final. Crowds of Scottish supporters surrounded the green and it was standing room only. South Africa eventually came out the winners.

Later in the day my colleagues very kindly presented me with a present, a lovely reminder of my time in Glasgow, a card signed by all the ITO’s and also a card signed by the England Team which was very nice. It is always a worry as you wonder what pranks my so called friends could pull. In Delhi we held Graham down and painted his face with makeup, that sort of thing could happen at any time with us lot.

In the afternoon session I was marking a Mens singles match between Malta and Jersey. It was a great game and good to mark. Unfortunately there was a little controversy at the end of the match when the Maltese player asked if he could consult with his Manager, which they are entitled to do, only to discover that he was consulting with his Manager AND Coach at either end. This had gone unnoticed during the game and is not allowed. Only one person can advise players during a game. It’s a very difficult situation especially now as technology has progressed and many of the team officials are in communication with each other via two way radios. There is very little to prevent them from sitting in the stands and communicating with each other. Not sure what the answers is to that one.

The impressive Glasgow University - Hogwarts?

The transport to and from the venue is provided by buses every 15 minutes. Unfortunately, Glasgow 2014 has not been very successful in providing a reliable service and a number of officials have been caught out with buses not arriving or departing when they should. A few of us have decided that the easiest route to the venue is to walk. It is only about 20-25 minutes and a very pleasant walk through the Botanical Gardens and round the impressive Glasgow University. There are some amazing peaceful places around the parks and some amazing history in the buildings.

The Botanical Gardens

The final of the Ladies singles was played on Sunday evening between defending Gold Medallist, Natalie Melmore from England and Kiwi Jo Edwards. Natalie walked away with the Silver Medal, a fabulous achievement to win Gold and Silver in successive Games in the same discipline.

On Sunday evening a few of us went out for a nice curry and a few drinks. The schedule slows down a little this week and a lot of us are allocated duties on the day due to the unpredictable scheduling that takes place during singles play. 

Glasgow 2014 - Days 1 and 2

Spectacular is the word that can only describe the opening ceremony at the Celtic Park Stadium. We had great seats on the side the athletes marched on and just below the Royal Box. It was a late night though and when we finally arrived back at the Technical Officials Village at 1:00am it was straight to bed with an alarm set for 6:00am – yes 6:00am!! 

The start of the Opening Ceremony

The amazing venue as play gets underway

The first day of the bowls tournament was on Thursday and we had an early start. The first games were due on rink at 8:30 for trial ends but there was quite a bit for us early birds to do before they games commenced. This job is not all about standing in the corner of a rink and looking pretty. Oh no we have some important jobs to do at the start of the day. Each of the 5 greens in use has 2 umpires plus two time keepers so at any one session there are a minimum of 12 of us plus any markers and on rink officials (I will come to that later). The first task of the day is to set out the 2 metre markers in the rinks. We do not have to measure the rink widths as they are already preset and checked by the green keeping team. We have to insert small plastic markers into the rink on the centre line and 2 metres from each ditch. This is so that the maximum jack position can be marked and also the respot position. It doesn’t take long for 2 people to lay these out. The second task is to check the pace of the rinks and this is done by bowling a bowl to a distance of 27 metres and timing how long it takes to get there. Very simple if you are not too bad at bowling. The time is recorded and displayed in the players lounge so they get an idea of the pace of each green. We do this process twice per day.

Umpires kits, boundary scopes and other items we require during the games are placed in large black containers on each green. The kit that we need to carry out our duties are carried on us when we are working. When everything is ready we wait for the march on and the start of the trial ends. 

Play on one of the 4 main greens

 There are 4 sessions of play per day and each session is timed at 2 hours 15 minutes. At the start of the sessions a horn is sounded and play can commence. The format of play is quite unique and is as follows: Singles is the traditional format of 21 shots up with four bowls per player. 
Pairs players have three bowls each and play 18 ends
Triples have two bowls each and play 18 ends.
Fours players have two bowls ad play 15 ends
The same goes for the para sport mixed pairs and open triples only they play 15 ends instead of 18 with no time limit.

The weather for the past two days has been very warm and working out on the greens with little of no shade has been quite tiring and very sweaty. I have umpired on 3 sessions and marked one session up to now. Thankfully nothing too taxing or controversial and I hope it stays that way.

The team spirit and banter between all of us officials is great and we are also having a good time with the many volunteers and workers involved in all aspects of the venue and the sport. Of duty we have also had some good fun and it has been great catching up with our overseas colleagues and getting to know new friends. We have had a couple of late nights so far and so its time to get some needed sleep. 

Thankfully Saturday is a slightly easier day for me as I will only be officiating in one of the three sessions. I will be the on rink official for one of the Gold medal matches in either the pairs or triples. An on rink official simply stands on the rink and indicates the numbers of shots held during the end and at the completion of the end for the spectators and TV viewers. I know it’s a tough job but someone has to do it.

The forecast is for slightly cooler temperatures and a spot of rain for the weekend, lets hope it does not affect the play too much.

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