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The ESMBA sent out around 800 copies of the OPORTUNITY ESCAPES 9
Winter issue of the magazine (for which I paid
the printing and they paid the postage), as they
had intended (notice the past tense), to include
their news in the magazine and want the grass
roots bowlers to know what is going on.
However, just a few subscribers have
added themselves to the list, a very small per-
centage of the magazines sent out. Yet amongst
the non-subscribers there will be a number of
clubs who will no doubt complain that nothing is
being done for them and no-one tells them anything! But I will keep on printing!
Add to this the luddites living in the last and even the previous century, who wish nothing
to change and continue as we are, who still tut-tut over coloured bowls and stick to whites and
greys, although the latter is slowly changing but the ignorance remains the same.
Looking at developing bowls across the world, someone in Australia was interested in
getting the Chinese to take up bowls and I made a big attempt to get them to consider our
Short Mat version, which would be a very cheap method of introducing the sport to 20% of the
World’s population in a Country hungry for sporting success.
However, blinkers came into view and they decided to stick to outdoor lawn bowls and
that the attempt by me sadly fizzled out. Looking at the last but one’s magazine’s cover you
can see that in Singapore they are using short mats as a very quick way of introducing the
sport of Bowls as a whole.
I think the most difficult thing would be to remove people’s blinkers so they can take a se-
rious look at our sport. If Short Mat became a success in big potential areas then other forms
of bowls could piggy back in using Short Mat as an introduction method.
Looking at our governing bodies, they basically stick to their own back yards and can’t
seem to see beyond them but it’s hard to criticise this as looking after their members must be
their primary duty BUT we must also look to the future. No promotion whatsoever has taken
place for our game by the World Council. Indeed, the opportunity was missed to give Sweden
the world championships one recent year, which would have helped them promote the sport,
not only in Sweden but also in other Scandinavian countries where Short Mat would make a
great winter sport.
The World Council, whom I know mean well, can’t really see beyond the UK and I feel
some would like to keep it that way. However, I do accept that finances play a part. I once sug-
gested to an official that we should make a big effort to encourage Canada to send in a team
as they already play and have a governing body. The reply I got was “What happens if Canada
wanted to host the Championships”, thinking about cost and travelling distance. My reply was
in the vein that by the time this ever happened we would both be daisy pushing. Also, that we
would have many years to save up the necessary
funds.
Next year it will be England’s turn followed by Bel-
gium in 2018, Scotland in 2020 and Sweden at last in
2022. At some time a new sequence will be worked for
2024 onwards as other Nations come on board.
A European event is also starting for the in be-
tween “odd” years and the first one was staged by the
ESMBA in England this year but it’s a shame that it
wasn’t on the continent but the ESMBA never bothered
to tell me where or when, so I was unable to cover it
and they of course sent me nothing!