Bowls very much a youngster’s game these days

The Louis Trichardt Bowls Club is one of the few local clubs that can boast a proud history of more than 50 years.

The Zoutpansberger this week spoke to two of the clubs oldest honorary members, 86-year-old Katica Sutton and 82-year-old Mike Galvin, to find out a bit more about the club’s history. Unfortunately, like so many other clubs, the bowls club’s history is mostly word of mouth with very little remaining in the form of official club records apart from a couple of old pictured on the walls.

HISTORY

While it is uncertain exactly when the Louis Trichardt Bowls Club was established, it must have been just before 1964 as this is the year the first entries were made on the clubs honours roll. And what an impressive honours roll it is, featuring the names of amongst other Louis Trichardt pioneers like Harry Coxwell, Tickey Franz, Dirk Manson, Fred Khune and Gordon Leach as members. In all probability, many of them would have also been the founding members of the club.  

At that stage, the club was still part of the Louis Trichardt Country Club (today the Soutpansberg Golf Club) with remnants of the bowling green still visible today from the golf club’s entrance in Hospital Street. “Back than bowls was a very posh game. It was not just a question of I pick you and you. You had to be nominated by the members. And they were all grand old people,” recalled Katica. She said she even remembers the late Fred Khune having a bowling green on his farm along the Piasanghoek road, so important was the game to many.

Two of the Louis Trichardt Bowls Club’s oldest honorary members, 86-year-old Katica Sutton (right) and 82-year-old Mike Galvin (left), say the sport is a young person’s game these days.

Mike and Katicia remember that back in the day, almost each town had a bowls club, even the than Messina Bowls Club which have since closed down. It was here, during Musina’s grand copper mining years, that the annual Copper Cup tournament was born, initially contested between Messina and the Masvingo bowls club in Zimbabwe. When the troubles in Zimbabwe started, said Mike, the tournament was decided between Messina and Louis Trichardt. All clubs also had frequent at home days well represented by competing clubs from other districts. “The Louis Trichardt Bowls Club is today one of the few clubs still going,” said Katicia.

A major change to the club’s history game in 1988 when the club opted to part ways with the Louis Trichardt Country Club and move to their present location on the corner of Ruh and Anderson Street. Initially, the club had a three-walled open clubhouse. Through the years, the clubhouse was expanded to where it todays boasts a kitchen, dining hall, lounge, full sports bar and ablution facilities.

Louis Trichardt Bowls Club

A little known fact is that until fairly recently, the Louis Trichardt Bowls Club had a separate men’s and women’s committee as they were governed by separate associations. Belief it or not, this only changed in 1996 when the Louis Trichardt Bowls Club did away with the two committees to form one committee. At that stage, Mike was club president with Francis Penn being the club’s last women’s president. From then on, the sport was governed by one body, namely Bowls South Africa.

THE FUTURE

As stated, the Louis Trichardt Bowls Club is among the few remaining rural bowls clubs. Despite dwindling membership number, they have for many years managed to keep the club doors open. At present, the club has sixteen member. “Many people belief the sport is for old people, but it is very much a youngster’s game,” said Mike. As proof of this, the Louis Trichardt Bowls Club have delivered many a top junior player in the country. In 2008 the whole U/15 Limpopo team were also made up of Louis Trichardt players only. “The whole family can join and play,” said the club’s vice-present Carel Volschenk. Proof of how popular and fulfilling the sport really is, is to merely take a look at the number of people entering the club’s frequent open business league. The league, which is hosted twice a year, normally attracts a full field of teams.

MEMBERSHIP

To become a member of the Louis Trichardt Bowls Club, one only needs to fill out a membership form and be accepted. Full memberships costs R2 000 per year which includes all affiliation fees regarding provincial and national participation. A person can also become a social member costing R400 per year. This will allow the person to play games, but not qualify for provincial and national participation.

MANAGEMENT

Anton Swanepoel	Carel Volschenk	Phillip van Vollenstee

Marie Volschenk	Marietjie Barkhuizen	Bernanrd Volschenk

On 13 July, a new management was elected for the Louis Trichardt Bowls Club consisting of Anton Swanepoel (president), Carel Volschenk (vice-president), Phillip van Vollenstee (secretary), Marié Volschenk (treasurer) and Bernard Volschenk and Marietjie Barkhuizen as additional members.

For more information about the club and membership, phone Carel Volschenk at Tel 084 553 1807. Alternatively, visit the club on Wednesdays and Saturdays when games are normally played.

Sport Clubs - Date: 31 July 2019

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