I have only had about a month off from writing the bowls report since 1980
- Tom Apps
When Tom Apps wrote his very first bowls report for the Harden Express back in 1980, he had no idea he would still be writing them some 38 years later.
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“I started playing bowls in 1976.” Mr Apps said. ‘I had played football when I was younger, but after I gave it up, I didn’t really play any sport for about 10 years.”
“Cecil Chesworth got me into playing bowls when it was up at the Country Club, and we played there until bowls finished in 1988.”
“I took over writing the bowls report from Sid Smith, but i had no idea it was going to become such a big part of my life.” Mr Apps said.
Mr Apps has certainly had a distinguished bowling career, starting when he won the Harden Country Club Singles Champonships in 1982, 1984 and 1985.
He and partner Peter Thomas won the Harden Country Club Pairs in 1982 and 1983, then Mr Apps took on a new partner, Jack Coddington and was successful in 1984 and 1985.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Mr Apps won the Triples Championships in 1970 and 1980 with Cecil Short and Jack Coddington, and the Mixed Pairs with Barbara Lawrence in 1983 and 1985.
He and partner Eddie Sheldrick took out the Master Pairs Championship in 1986.
When the bowls folded at the Country Club in 1988 and moved to their current location, Mr Apps took on a new partner for the Mixed Pairs; his wife Robyn, who is the current President of the South West District Ladies Bowls.
“It was very different back then.” Mrs Apps said. “In those days, women weren’t allowed into the bar and we had to wear the starched white uniforms; the men did as well.”
“I can remember when the dignitaries; like the President of the South West District Bowls came to visit, we also had to wear white gloves, and our hemlines were measured to make sure they were not too short. It was a different era altogether.”
Fast forward 38 years and numerous other victories on the bowling green and Tom Apps says he is slowing down, but not ready to hang up the bowls; or the pen; just yet.
“I am not taking part in as many tournaments these days, they knock me around too much, especially in the heat.” Mr Apps said. “But, I am retired now, and need a game now and then, I love the game and I enjoy the social aspect.”
“We, as a club, need to be working on encouraging the young ones to take up bowls. We are not getting as many entries into the tournaments, because we are all getting older, so we need to find a way to pass the flag to the next generation, otherwise bowls will just die out.”
