BOWLS HISTORY: LOOKING BACK

APRIL 1990, Bowls International reported:

1. Two members of the Welsh ladies indoor international squad were forced to pull out of the Home International Championship finals because they were taking drugs properly prescribed by doctors but on a list of banned substances.

Officials of the Welsh Ladies Indoor Bowling Association took the action because they feared the drugs would fall foul of the rules brought in after two Welsh weightlifters were found to be using drugs at the Commonwealth Games.

2. A Welshman and an Australian met for the first time in the final of the Embassy World Indoor Singles on the portable rink at Preston.

John Price, the ‘nearly man’ of the international bowls scene came good at last and the 29 year old Port Talbot civil servant picked the right event to break his duck of the major televised tournaments, battling to a five-set final win over the main man from down under, Ian Schuback.

In April 2000, Bowls International reported:

1. England trio Danny Denison, Stephen Farish and Simon Skelton were all the subject of tentative enquiries from big money clubs while playing in a test series in Sydney.

Skelton quit his job as a part time qualified accountant because the company he worked for refused to give him leave to play for England in Australia.

He was offered a deal but turned it down due to already having committed to national comps in the UK.

2. Tears of joy flowed like raindrops as pony-tailed northern star Ann Knott equalled the record of her long time idol Norma Shaw by capturing both the English national indoor singles and the Champion of Champions titles in the same year.

Shaw achieved the feat back in 1987 by which time she had already won the national singles four times, the Champion of Champions the previous year and been an England indoor international for ten years.

In stark comparison the 32-year-old from South Shields is uncapped, suffered eight first round defeats in nine national championship appearances in singles and achieved it using borrowed bowls.