Cotswold Bowls Club recently had the pleasure of welcoming a team from the English Indoor Bowls Association to their club, to play a match as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations.

The visitors were led by their president, Mark Cohen, who congratulated Cotswold on their excellent facilities. He further stated how impressed he was in the way the club has progressed from its humble beginnings in premises in Merrywalks, to the facilities they now enjoy at Dudbridge.

The EIBA team consisted of club players from all over the country, who regularly give up their time to celebrate the game of bowls at events such as this.

The match itself got off to a good start for Cotswold who took an early and impressive lead over their visitors. However, the experience and skill of the opposition began to take effect, and after eleven ends they had mastered the pace of the Cotswold green and were back in contention. Having gained some momentum the visitors soon took the overall lead in the match and finished the twenty one ends as winners on all six rinks, scoring 127 points against Cotswolds 84.

A disappointing loss for Cotswold, but a most enjoyable encounter with some excellent bowls played by both teams. The afternoon finished with a celebration meal and an exchange of gifts.