Dorchester Bowls Club
When were we born?
A history of Dorchester Bowls Club
In recording the origins of the club it could be said that we have had two birthdays one either end of the 20th century.
One in 1906 when a Men’s outdoor Bowling Club was formed at the Dorchester Borough Gardens, and one in 1990 when the club became an inclusive Indoor and Outdoor Club at the Sandringham Centre off Armada Way.
These names are a reminder of the strong influence of the Duchy of Cornwall (our ultimate landlord) who own a sizeable area of Dorchester and the historic deeds of Francis Drake who delivered his bowls on Plymouth Ho prior to defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588
The seeds of bowling in Dorchester were sown in 1905 when social conditions and the makeup of the town were so different.
Mum ran the home and men earned the corn. Then at 65 it was retirement, a pocket watch and down to the bowling green with the lads in the Borough Gardens.
Small shops and business with half day closing and a population of just 9,000 compared with its current 25,000. There was no Poundbury, no by-pass, no Supermarkets, no Came View, Manor Park or Maiden Castle Estates, steam trains puffed their way south as far as Portland.
Thomas Hardy walked the streets, and later in the thirties retired Lawrence of Arabia would no doubt enjoy occasional visits to the town from his Bovington home.
The gardens and its facilities were provided by the Dorchester Borough Council, and it is interesting to read a few of the minutes of the Recreation and Reception Committee at the time, Bowling, as it was called then began to show signs of being organised
On March 31st 1905 a minute read
“The committee recommended that the game of bowls be allowed in the Gardens, and a set of bowls be purchased at a price not exceeding £3.”
Later minutes refer to Mr White being appointed as Walks Keeper who was to keep a record of all who played bowls and issue tickets for the charge made, and he was to retain 10% of the takings.
The Dorchester Bowling Club in 1906 was now a reality and County Leagues and Competitions were held with the established Dorset County Bowling Association.
By 1907 the council agreed to buy one dozen mats at 5 shillings and six pence each, and arranged to hold a Tennis, Croquet and bowls tournament in the Gardens in the July.
Life appeared to be settled on the Borough outdoor Bowling Green as each summer the Town Mayor would deliver the first wood (lignum vitae) on the first Saturday in May.
Interestingly the first change in bowls came in 1918 when players tried the new hard rubber ebonite bowls, the modern composition bowl first appearing in 1931.
Later in the 1980’s my son collected up all the old unused lignum vitae bowls and drove to Liverpool to hopefully sell them to be turned down to jacks for Crown Green use. Unfortunately most of them proved addled or cracked, but the bowls manufacturer kindly donated two sets of new bowls to the club as a gesture of goodwill.
Much of the formal activity of the Dorchester Bowling Club was curtailed during the second world war, and on resumption social change saw women elected as councillors, and the newly formed Dorchester Women’s Bowling Club sharing the Gardens green with the Men’s Club.
So it stayed until the advent of indoor bowling which appeared at various local adapted venues such as at Lyme Regis and then Bridport, Yeovil, Moonfleet Manor, Wellworthy and weekend ‘long mat’ roll down roll up carpets at the huts at the former Piddlehinton Camp.
As Secretary of the Piddlehinton Club in the late 1980’s I began to hear talk of plans to build a purpose built indoor club in Dorchester.
The instigators and supporters of the ambitious project were players such as Peter Clarke, Ben Baker, Stan Alexander, Gerald Walbrin, Bill Stevenson, Eddy Young, Don Trent, George Verral, Paul Boundy, Bob Short, Rob Jennings , Peter Johnstone, Jim Prowse, Ron Smith, and others headed by the then President John Cheeseman, who history may dub as the likely founder figure of the modern club.
John a local small time builder appeared to be the one making most waves and he approached the Town Council for initial consultation with Town Clerk Denis Holmes who had been recently been appointed with part of his brief to see through plans to establish playing fields at Fordington Fields.
The council had a 99 year lease from The Duchy of Cornwall and plans included provision of football pitches, cricket pitches, and a full size outdoor green, a large car park but no changing facilities for the bowlers.
It was with this backdrop and the resignation of Bowling Club secretary Derek Perring that I as assistant Secretary, was to join the sub committee on March 31st 1989 to meet Denis Holmes and explore possibilities of building a purpose built indoor bowls centre, plus changing rooms for the users of the sports field .
Initially a plan to incorporate a rifle club in the basement was abandoned and the rifle club was eventually created at the lower end of the car park.
John Cheeseman was awarded the building contract and Paul Wilcox appointed as architect
The council agreed to a 96 year sub lease on the land and work on Phase 1 of the present building began on 26th April 1990, and the three rink club was completed for opening on October 8th, the second of our birthdays!
The concept of a working partnership between a voluntary sports club and the Town Council was new to Dorchester with the Council and the West Dorset District Council providing approximately 50% of the capital cost in grants, and the bowling club agreeing to be responsible for all ongoing running costs.
The £380,000 costs of Phase one were met by
Dorchester Town Council Grant £130,000
West Dorset District Council Grant £50,000
Club funds £25,000
Club member loans £25,000
Bass Brewery Loan £30,000
Bank Loan £120,000
The substantial bank loan was guaranteed by the Town Council confirming its strong support and backing for the bowling club.
We left the gardens after the club had used the facilities for 84 years with a membership of around 90 men.
Following the club departure to Sandringham a new bowling club named The Gardens Bowling Club came into being for a residue of remaining bowlers and new applicants. Roy Fowler along with Gerald and Val Cornick guided the new club until its closure a few years later.
Membership expanded rapidly at the new premises now involving men and women and reached the optimum of 450 (150 per rink) within forty weeks and I reported to the Town Clerk that the club committee was contemplating a Phase Two extension of three additional rinks.
In 1991 The Dorchester Women’s Bowling Club formally amalgamated with the Dorchester Bowling Club, and play began on the outdoor green.
Phase Two
In an aide memoire to club members in February 1992 outlining plans for an extension I reported on the progress the club had made.
The unqualified success of the act of faith building project had resulted in quality indoor bowling alongside the Council provided full size outdoor green.
As part of the contract the building project also included well equipped changing rooms, a first aid room and storage to service the football and cricket pitches.
In February 1992 the club took over the franchise of the outdoor green, by which time the indoor club had a well established coaching scheme, a thriving Junior section, facilities for physically handicapped bowlers, and a recognition that Dorchester was now the County Headquarters of the major county bowling associations both indoor and outdoor.
Playing success was also beginning to be achieved on the greens at both county and National level, thanks to improving team and individual performances.
With this information the club agreed to support the General committee recommendation to proceed with the building of the additional three rinks.
Plans were drawn up by club members Alan Newton and Les Selby of Wessex Design Partnership, Ken Greening was appointed to carry out the construction and also create a spectator bank to the southern end of the outdoor green.
England International and world renown bowler David Bryant had officially opened Rinks 1-3 in 1991 and fellow International Andy Thomson did the honours for the opening of rinks 4-6 three years later.
In 2005/6 during the centenary celebrations the club dropped the name ‘bowling’ from its title and became The Dorchester Bowls Club
Over recent decades the club has flourished thanks to the unstinted efforts of scores of individual members who have kept the show on the road.
However this short historic review cannot do full justice to the countless friendships off the green and achievements on the greens that the current Dorchester Bowls Club has produced, and hopefully will continue to do so for many seasons to come.
Frank Gwatkin
Life member and inaugural Club Secretary.
December 2025