Photograph by Robert Scheer
Sunnyvale lawn bowler Irene Webster practices her sport at Murphy Park.
By ANNE GELHAUS
Irene Webster joined the Sunnyvale Lawn Bowls Club four years ago, when her husband Jim was recovering from heart surgery.
"I was looking for something to do, and the doctor wouldn't allow him to play golf," she says. "I've always been a tomboy; I love sports. This is something I really wanted to do and be good at."
In that, Webster has succeeded: She is one of 10 members of the U. S. women's team that will compete in the North American lawn bowling championships in July. To hone her skills, Webster has competed in lawn bowling tournaments across the country, many of them sponsored by the American Lawn Bowls Association.
"In tournaments," Webster says, "you play with top bowlers, and it really helps your game."
The tournaments also provide a chance for the Websters to meet other lawn bowlers. Irene Webster says she likes the social aspect of the game as much as the competition.
"You meet really neat people," she adds. "Next year, we plan to take our motor home and go to as many bowling tournaments as possible in the United States and Canada."
Webster will travel to Canada for the championships in July. To qualify for the team, she had to attend a training camp, where the best bowlers were chosen from the pool.
Webster says lawn bowlers are a competitive bunch, which may come as a surprise to anyone who's watched the Sunnyvale club play at Murphy Park. The atmosphere on the bowling green seems casual and relaxed; bowlers encourage each other and give helpful hints to those who may not be throwing their best game.
"It's important to remember that you can't be perfect all the time," Webster says, although she seems to be having a good day on the green. She's just rolled four bowls down the rink, all of which have landed within inches of the jack, the little white ball she was aiming for.
Lawn bowling can be played one-on-one or in teams of two to four; in each game, players throw a different number of bowls. The bowls are not perfectly round and are weighted on one side to aid bowlers' aim. Besides throwing at the jack, players also try to knock opponents' bowls out of play and set up the field for their teammates.
"There's a lot of strategy involved," Webster says.
"It's a very subtle game," adds husband Jim. "You have to be very accurate and have a lot of patience."
Most of the Sunnyvale club's 50-odd members are older adults, and Jim Webster says he'd like to see younger residents take up lawn bowling.
"It's not uncommon in Europe for kids to stop at the bowling green on their way home from school," he adds.
For information about the Sunnyvale Lawn Bowls Club, call Stuart Shoemaker at 735-7722.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 22, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.