bowls

The genteel thought of this makes me chuckle. This story and the outfits in it come from a different but not too distant far more innocent time. Thanks fully many rural areas still have bowling greens…..

Few sporting world champions have won their medals while smoking a pipe, but David Bryant, who has died aged 88, did just that as he claimed three world outdoor bowls singles titles and a further three indoors between 1966 and 1988.

In truth Bryant’s pipe, though clenched between his teeth, was not always lit during play, and sometimes was more of an aid to concentration than a smoking device. Nonetheless the smell of Holland House, his preferred brand of aromatic tobacco, became a familiarly pungent backdrop to defeat for many opponents.

Widely acknowledged as the greatest lawn bowler of all time, Bryant’s name was synonymous with the sport during an era when, as television executives woke up to the viewing potential of less active sports, bowls began to appear regularly on the small screen along with snooker and darts.

He was victorious at the inaugural world outdoor singles title in Australia in 1966 and went on to win a further two, in 1980 and 1988, while his three world indoor singles titles came consecutively in 1979, 1980 and 1981.

However, those six winners’ medals were just the tip of the iceberg, for he won another in the world outdoor triples in 1980, plus six more in the world indoor pairs between 1986 and 1992 – adding up to 13 world titles in all. He also took five Commonwealth gold medals at four different games from 1962 to 1978.