History

Although the Scottish Bowling Association came into being in 1892, an earlier attempt had been made to form a national body in 1848, when, representatives of about 200 clubs met in Glasgow.

At that time in the history of bowls, clubs, more or less, played to their own rules and as a result there was a great deal of conflict. Unfortunately, at the 1848 meeting, the move to form a national body fell through, but the meeting did realise that there was a need for the adoption of laws for the game which might be common to all.

A small committee was formed, which met in 1849 with William W. Mitchell as Secretary. Mr. Mitchell, a Glasgow lawyer, a member and twice President of The Willow Bank Bowling Club, Glasgow, agreed to draw up a complete code of laws, which were adopted by clubs in the West of Scotland and were adhered to for many years. This Manual of Laws was published in 1864.

Mr. Mitchell (1803-1884) as a lad of eleven started to play bowls on Tom Bicket's green in Kilmarnock. On the 25th December 1879, he played for four hours on the Willow Bank green before going home for his Christmas dinner.

The following verse is from 'A Bowler's Song by W.W. Mitchell:

'Yet I ha'e played on Christmas Day, Before gaun hame to dine, An' never looked on better play When summer days are fine.'

Mr. Mitchell tells us that in the early days of 'touchers' the bowls were not marked by chalk but a more primitive method and it was a proud player who heard his skip declare 'That deserves a spittle'.

In 1889 a second attempt made form National was to a Association when James Brown of Sanquhar wrote to the Scotsman newspaper suggesting the formation of such an Association to control the game throughout Scotland.

Herewith is a quote from his letter which appeared in the Scotsman of 16th March 1889:

'It seems to me extraordinary that while, with respect to kindred sports such as curling, coursing, racing, football, cricket etc., steps have been taken to constitute a central authority, and to establish everything connected with them on a clear and well- understood footing, nothing of the sort has hitherto been attempted for bowling. And, certainly if one looks to the extended practice and increasing popularity of the game, and, further to the many nice points that arise in regard to rules, it does seem that the time has come when a movement should be made to constitute a 'Scottish National Bowling Club'.

Such a club would bear the same relation to bowling that the National Coursing Club does to that sport; that is to say it would not, like an ordinary club, hold meetings on its own ground (in fact it would have no ground at all), but would be composed of representatives of all affiliated clubs; and I doubt not that so large a proportion of clubs throughout the country would join as would clothe it with an authority which would obtain universal recognition.

The duties of this club would be first of all to revise the existing rules, which are both obscure and imperfect, and issue a new code, drawn up in such clear and explicit terms as would prevent the unfortunate disputes that are constantly arising.'

Mr Brown was supported by Mr James Pretsell of the Edinburgh Lutton Place Club, and other prominent bowlers from the east, but in the west, especially in Glasgow, the proposals did not find favour. Later, however, Glasgow bowlers had second thoughts and agreed to take part in the forming of a Scottish Association.

It was not until August 1892, that James Brown received sufficient support to issue a circular to all the bowling clubs and associations throughout the country calling on them to initiate a movement for the establishment of a National Association.

As a result of the circular a historic meeting of delegates was held on 12th September 1892, in the Waterloo Rooms, Glasgow. At this meeting the Scottish Bowling Association came into being. The proceedings were fully reported in the Glasgow Evening Times of 13th September 1892.

The meeting was chaired by Mr D.L. Stevenson, Whitevale Bowling Club, the President of the Glasgow Bowling Association. Not surprisingly Mr James Brown, Sanquhar, acted as Secretary. There was an attendance of 105 delegates from all parts of Scotland. A great deal of discussion took place regarding the name of the Association, but the meeting decided that a committee of twenty five be appointed to draw up a draft constitution and rules and to recommend a name for the Association.

Mr James Brown was appointed interim Secretary. Mr Brown had informed the delegates that a number of clubs from the North of Ireland and the North of England had intimated a desire to be included in the scope of a Scottish Society.

Dr John Clark First President S.B.A. 1892	James Brown Secretary and Treasurer S.B.A. 1892-1895	Group of the SBA directors, Queens' Park Green, Glasgow, 12th Aug. 1893. This was the initial tournament promoted by the S.B.A.

The first meeting of the committee took place on 28th September 1892. Mr James Brown, Secretary, submitted a draft constitution and rules which he had drawn up to save time. The first clause stated 'That the Association be called The Scottish Bowling Association'. After giving careful consideration to the draft the committee agreed that the same should be placed before a meeting of delegates to be held on 5th October 1892.

At that meeting, fifty delegates were in attendance with Mr D.L. Stevenson in the chair. The draft constitution and rules were considered by the delegates and, after a few alterations, were adopted as the constitution and rules of the Association. It was also agreed that the first General Meeting of the Association be held within the Waterloo Rooms, Glasgow on Wednesday 23rd November 1892, at 3 o'clock pm.

At the first General Meeting, the Secretary reported that one hundred and twenty-two clubs had joined the Association. Fifty eight clubs were represented by delegates. (Unfortunately there is no record of the names of the other sixty four clubs).

The first item of the agenda was the election of office bearers which resulted as follows:-

The new committee was given remit from the meeting to draw up a draft revised code of rules and to consider a salary for the office of Secretary and Treasurer.

At the close of the meeting the committee met and appointed a small sub committee who were given the task of drafting a revised code of rules and it was agreed that they should adopt as their text book James Brown's MANUAL OF BOWLING, published in 1892.

In the preface to his book, James Brown stated that amongst other things, he had revised W.W. Mitchell's rules, but, had not attempted to alter any rules as he had no authority to do so. However, James Brown and the sub-committee had now been given authority to revise and alter if necessary the code of rules.

It may be said that some of Mitchell's rules were somewhat ambiguous and had been given various interpretations.

At a meeting of the committee of the Scottish Bowling Association held in Glasgow on 6th February 1893, the draft code of the new rules was submitted and revised by the Committee. It was then agreed that the rules should be printed and circulated throughout the constituent clubs. This was indeed a great day for Scottish bowling.

The Scottish Association can boast, that even today, in any published rules it is stated, 'As originally published by the Scottish Bowling Association.' At the same meeting proposals were made to hold annual competitions ie. Rinks (Fours), Pairs and a Single-handed event. Each constituent club would be entitled to one entry in each event; entrants would be drawn against each other in districts or provinces; played down till they had been reduced to sixteen, when they would be brought together at a convenient venue for the final stages.

These proposals were made by the President, Dr. John Clark, but although the committee were in sympathy, it was agreed that a start would be made with a Rinks Competition only. The details were left to a sub-committee.

On 24th April 1893, the first Annual Meeting, of the Scottish Bowling Association was held in Glasgow with the President, Dr. John Clark, in the chair.

The President was delighted to report that 173 Clubs from all parts of Scotland had joined the Association, but most important, these clubs formed a majority of all the clubs in the country. Great interest had been shown throughout the United Kingdom and a number of clubs in New Zealand had indicated a desire to affiliate.

At this meeting, a Standard Bowl, produced by Thomas Taylor, Bowl Maker, Glasgow, was adopted. A small committee along with Mr Taylor as technical advisor had tested a number of bowls. These were Taylor Bowls and other well known makes brought along by the committee, but, eventually a Taylor bowl was accepted. The bowl has been described as being a little under No. 3 Bias.

The testing took place on the specially prepared green of the Albany Club, Glasgow, which is no longer in existence. Mr Taylor had made an inclined plane, or chute with a 'sweetly' curved run-off on to the green to prevent jarring of the bowl being tested.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 1893-2001

The first Rink Championship, was as now, carried through in two stages, the first or preliminary stage being controlled by district representatives - designated Local Secretaries; the title is still held by today's Councillors. For the first Rinks Competition no less than 132 clubs entered, which included clubs from as far north as Inverness to Newton Stewart in the south, and from Dunoon in the west to Broughty Ferry inthe east. It was reported that many queries were made to Mr James Brown, the Association Secretary about doubtful points but each enquiry received careful attention, with the result, that, the absence of friction was complimentary to all concerned.

The first Rinks Championship, the fore-runner of the present National Championships, was held at Queens Park Bowling Club on the 12th August 1893.

The finalists were as follows:-

The winners were Kilwinning who beat Carluke by 22-16 in the final.

At the close Dr Clark, President presented the prizes as follows:-
Kilwinning £20, Carluke £10, and the beaten semi-finalists, Dreghorn £10, Dumbarton £10.

It is of interest to note that in the game between Lutton Place and Sanquhar, James Brown, the first Secretary played for Sanquhar and the man who was to be his successor, Andrew Hamilton played for Lutton Place. Sanquhar won by one shot.

In August 1894, the second National Championships were held at Queen's Park, with Singles as well as Rinks.

There had been an entry of 136 for the Rinks but only 73 for the Single-handed tournament. As only 73 were to hand for the Singles it was decided to divide the country into eight districts for the Singles instead of sixteen as in the Rinks. However, it was not long before all tournaments in the finals, consisted of 16 qualifiers.

This being the first Singles Championship, here are the names of the historic eight:-

The Rinks tournament was won by Kilmarnock who beat Pollokshaws 21-20 in the final.

In 1898 Mr William McEwan, an Edinburgh M.P. presented a trophy for the Rinks and the Earl of Rosebery presented a trophy for the Singles.

The following competitions were later added to the National Championships:

The trophy played for by the Senior Fours was originally presented in 1900 by Mr J.B. Richardson, Pitgorno, Stirling, for a one day Rink competition. This competition later went into abeyance and the Association had the happy idea of using this handsome trophy for the Senior Fours when they were admitted to the National Championships.

The History of the Scottish Bowling Association could not be told without special mention of Queen's Park Bowling Club, Glasgow, established 1867, and situated only a stone's throw away from Hampden Park, the mecca of Scottish football.

Queen's Park, itself, over the years, was to become the mecca of Scottish bowling.

Each year, for nearly a century at the beginning of August, the Queen's Park officials and members gave of their all to ensure that the National Finals were a success. In effect, the Queen's Park members lost playing time of more than a week every season.

On the only occasion when the final stages were played away from Queen's Park, in 1898, an open tournament had been played on their greens the previous year. So as not to curtail further the members use of the greens, the club's directors requested the Association to arrange for another green that year, the venue chosen on that occasion was the Titwood Club, Glasgow.

The first National Championship in 1893, was held at Queen's Park and the Championship continued to be played at the club until 1989. In 1896, Queens Park opened a third green which was of great benefit to the growing Championships. As well as using those three greens the Association was grateful to have the early rounds of the Junior Singles and Senior Fours played on the excellent greens of Mount Florida.

In 1989, the local Wellcroft Club also assisted with early rounds of the Championships as the format had changed to allow 32 qualifiers to participate in the final stages. As the final stages had increased considerably the Council decided, with regret to look for a venue which could accommodate all the final rounds in one place. The 1990 Championships were played on the five greens at Ayr.

At the beginning of 1895, Mr James Brown, the first Secretary and founding father of the Association tendered his resignation, having decided for family reasons to make his future in Montreal, Canada. His resignation was accepted with great regret as it was due to his untiring energy and enthusiasm that the S.B.A. was in existence: his work as the first Secretary ensured that the Association was now on a sound footing.

Andrew Haig Hamilton Secretary and Treasurer SBA 1895 - 1936

The vacancy for Secretary was advertised and there were 61 applicants. These were reduced to short leet of three, namely, Mr Thomas Kelly, C.A. (The Willow Bank Club, Glasgow), Mr J. McKee Thomson (The Edinburgh Bowling Club) and, Mr Andrew Haig Hamilton, S.S.C. (Lutton Place Bowling Club, Edinburgh). On 8th May 1895, at the AGM in Glasgow, the result of the voting was as follows, Mr Hamilton = 59; Mr Kelly = 34; Mr Thomson = 13. Mr Hamilton being duly elected to office.

Thus began the great Andrew Hamilton era in Scottish Bowling; There is no doubt that Andrew Hamilton was one of the 'Greats' who made a major contribution to bowling during his long term of office from 1895 to 1936. During his 41 years as Secretary/Treasurer he was involved in changes and amendments to the Laws of the Game and to the Rules of the Scottish Bowling Association. He did much for International Bowling, was the first Secretary of the International Bowling Board and later its President.

When Andrew Hamilton retired in 1936, the Association honoured him by making him President, in 1937 and then in 1938 he was first Honorary President of the Scottish Bowling Association. Mr Andrew Hamilton was further honoured in 1939 when the Association presented the 'Andrew H. Hamilton Trophy' for competition between the County and City Associations. We can do no better than quote part of the tribute to Mr Hamilton contained in the S.B.A. Jubilee brochure of 1942:

As the saying goes 'follow that.' However, since Andrew Hamilton's time the Association has been very fortunate in its choice of Secretaries/Treasurers.

Internationals

The idea of Internationals between the Home Counties really began in July 1901, when Dr. W.G. Grace, the great English Cricketer, welcomed a couple of rinks of Scottish bowlers to the Crystal Palace greens of the London Bowling Club. The Scots comprised players from Lutton Place, Edinburgh: Whitevale, Glasgow: and the Ayr and Kilmarnock Clubs. The English players made a return visit to Scotland in 1902, when games were played at Lutton Place, Whitevale and Ayr. In 1901, when Dr Grace formed the London Bowling Club, he was given permission to affiliate to the S.B.A.

Following these games, Dr Grace suggested International games being instituted between the four home nations, England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. All four countries were in complete agreement and by 1st April 1903, arrangements had been completed for the first Internationals to be held on 13th, 14th, and 15th July 1903, on the Crystal Palace and Wandsworth Greens, London, and most important, the matches to be played under the Rules of the Scottish Bowling Association.

The first International Committee consisted of Dr. W.G. Grace, England; Andrew H. Hamilton, Scotland; John C. Hunter, Ireland; and W.A. Morgan, Wales.

In the first Internationals the results were as follows:

Although England tied with Scotland on points, they had a larger majority of shots, and thus ran out the first winner of the first Internationals. The tied game was between Scotland and the 'Auld Enemy', 'peels' at 16. Dr Grace skipped against Scotland's Andrew Hamilton.

The Scottish team players at the first Internationals in 1903, were in order of play:-

RINK 1	RINK 2	RINK 3	RINK 4
T. Steel (Gourock)	D. Mitchell (Polmont)	Dr J. Smith (Kirkcaldy)	J. Little (Queen's Park)
J. Tweedle (Sanquhar)	J. Jagger (Galashiels)	A. Stevenson (Edinburgh)	D. Doyle (Bellshill)
T. Thorburn (Beith)	J. Weir (Dumbarton)	J. Devlin(Dunfermline)	J. Morrison (Coatbridge)
J. Morton (Kilmarnock)	J. Scott (Perth)	A. Hamilton (Lutton Pl.)	S. Fingland (Broomhill)
RESERVES:
G. Pearson (Burnbank)	J. Craig (Kilmarnock)
J. Geddes (Leith)	R. Borland (Falkirk)

Founders of International Bowling Matches

W. A. Morgan, Wales; Dr W.G. Grace, England; J.C. Hunter, Ireland; A.H. Hamilton, Scotland.