30th Anniversary

A pictorial record of our first 30 years taken from the archives.

In the Beginning

Our story really begins in October 1989 with the germ of an idea, followed by the acquisition and clearing of the land and the construction of a bowling green.

By the summer of 1993, the Club was able to take over the green in preparation for our first full season in 1994.

Official Opening - 14th May 1994

The official opening of our green took place on the 14th May 1994. The President, Mr. Stan Woodhouse, bowled the first wood and a match was played against a team from Llansantffraid.

Our First Decade

In-House Competition

1994 saw the inauguration of our in-house competition programme that has continued to this day. The images below portray the mixed pairs final from 1994. The Roll of Honour lists the winners of each of our in-house competitions for every year since then.

Diary Entries from the Early Years

In the diary entries from the early years you may note some very familair activities and a few familiar names.

The Class of 2000

The club photograph from the year 2000 includes one or two familiar faces as well! How many can you recognise?

The Clubhouse

At the AGM in October 1998 a sub-committee was formed to deal with the arrangements for the clubhouse. With a grant from Sportlot, and planning approval from Powys County Council, the construction commenced in July 2000 and completed ready for the opening of the Clubhouse at the start of the 2001 season.

Our 10th Anniversary

We celebrated our 10th Anniversary with, amongst other things, the production of a 'Book' chronicling our first ten years. This is a fascinating resource - especially for those of us who joined after the Club was fully formed. Our Club History on the 'About' pages draws heavily on this record.

To mark our 30th Anniversary we have produced a second edition of "The Book" as a digital record:

Forever Greenkeeping

In The Book we remember the efforts of our founders in establishing our Club. It is equally important to recognise the efforts of those who keep the Club going:

The Green Keepers who maintain a manicured playing surface despite the weather and the efforts of the crows.
The Ladies who keep the Clubhouse in pristine condition - well, it seems mostly to be ladies on the rota!
The Captains and competition organisers who ensure that events take place, run smoothly and that we have full teams on the day.
The Members that turn out to help - from providing teas to clipping hedges, weeding, building and painting.
The Fundraisers whose ingenuity helps provide the equipment that we need.

Junior Bowlers Impress

A clipping from a local newspaper from the early 2000s featuring Tony Wynne's grandchildren, James and John Higginson, after a Welsh Bowling Association junior tournament held at Newtown:

Bowls

And, of course, we do get around to the odd game of bowls from time to time ...

For the first few years Guilsfield thrived as a "village" club - clubs who were not yet ready for county affiliation. The MIxed League started, formally, in the 2002 season but grew out of the friendly matches being played on a home and away basis since 1996. Both the Friendlies and the Mixed League remain at the very heart of our club today.

Our ladies have been competing successfully in the MBA Wednesday Afternoon League, as associate members, for over twenty years and became affiliated to the Mid Wales Women's Bowling Association in 2021.

Guilsfield were affiliated to the Montgomeryshire Bowling Association (MBA) as recently as 2022 when our green was finally considered "County" standard. Prior to this we were able to play in the MBA Veterans League in the summer of 2022 as associate members . Guilsfield entered a team into the MBA Men's League for the first time in the summer of 2023.

County affiliation also enables our members to compete as individuals in competitions organised at county level - both MBA and MWWBA - and, following selection, to go on to represent the county.

But, at the end of the day, it is in-house competition, social bowling, tea and good company that really counts!