An Unlicensed Ordinary

A Good Game Of Bowles

Avoncroft (2002)

Throughout each day the men showed their prowess (and the women their skill) at the game of bowls. Unlike the image of Drake before the Armada; it appears that bowls was a game using large skittles and even larger balls.

The skittles you see in the picture are taken from a period woodcut; though ours are slightly smaller than in the woodcut. Even so you need alot of strength to make any impact upon them with the bowls; despite them being made out of solid beech !.

The final winners of the competitions were both serving women !.

Photographer: Johnnie Rutter