Adelaide Bowling Club

{{Short description|The oldest lawn bowling club in South Australia}}

Adelaide Bowling Club was founded in 1897 and is the oldest bowling club in South Australia.{{Cite web|title = Bowls Australia > About BA > History|url = http://www.bowlsaustralia.com.au/About-BA/History|website = www.bowlsaustralia.com.au|access-date = 2016-01-20}}{{Cite web|title = Adelaide Bowling Club – Fielders Centenary|url = http://fielderscentenary.com.au/adelaide-bowling-club/|website = Fielders Centenary|access-date = 2016-01-20|language = en-US|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160201005613/http://fielderscentenary.com.au/adelaide-bowling-club/|archive-date = 1 February 2016|url-status = dead}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4833546 |title=The Adelaide Bowling Club |newspaper=The Advertiser (Adelaide) |volume=XLIII |issue=13,263 |location=South Australia |date=22 April 1901 |accessdate=14 August 2022 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}} The club remains active in local, regional, and national competitions, and has become a popular venue for functions and social events.

Formation & History

The club was founded as the result of a public meeting called by Henry F. Dench and chaired by J. H. Finlayson.

The Governor, Sir T. Fowell Buxton accepted the position of patron.

Lavington Bonython, James Marshall, R. Kyffin Thomas, W. H. R. Porter, F. W. Thomas, F. Coombs, B. H. Pascoe, W. Thyer, F. W. Good, W. D. Reed, V. Lawrence, H. A. Grainger, F. A. Crump, J. H. Finlayson, and E. Eglinton were among the charter members.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58097684 |title=SA Bowling Clubs |newspaper=The Mail |volume=44 |issue=2,216 |location=Adelaide |date=27 November 1954 |accessdate=13 January 2018 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}} Sir Edwin T. Smith, Robert Barr Smith, William Gilbert, and A. H. Grainger were also among the founding members and supporters.

The first green was established on a plot {{convert|300 by 95|yards|m}} behind Government House, North Terrace.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207892853 |title=Bowling |newspaper=Evening Journal |volume=XXIX |issue=8234 |location=Adelaide |date=3 April 1897 |accessdate=13 January 2018 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}} Its location was later an impediment to a plan by the Adelaide City Council to extend Kintore Avenue through to Victoria Drive, and so provide another exit from the city and so reduce traffic congestion.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47607304 |title=Kintore Avenue Extension |newspaper=The Advertiser |volume=97 |issue=29,926 |location=Adelaide |date=13 September 1954 |accessdate=13 January 2018 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}} For this reason, the club was moved to its present location in 1958.{{cite book|title=The Adelaide Park Lands: A Social History|first=Patricia|last=Summerlink|publisher=Wakefield Press (Australia) |date=2011|isbn=9781862549142|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uwhdjEuWGOMC|page=87|accessdate=15 August 2019}}

Present Day

The Club now has its premises within Rymill Park in the eastern parklands (with the entrance off Dequetteville Terrace). The ABC continues to compete in the Adelaide Metropolitan Bowls Association Pennant competition, most recently winning the Premier Division flag for season 2025/25, https://metrobowls.com.au/history/ as well as owning the franchise for the Adelaide Pioneers in the national BPL competition.https://bowls.com.au/events-page/national-events/bowls-premier-league/bpl-franchise-profiles/adelaide-pioneers/

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.adelaidebowlingclub.com.au/}}

Category:1897 establishments in Australia

Category:Sports clubs and teams established in 1897

Category:Bowls in Australia

Category:Sports clubs and teams in Adelaide

Category:Bowls clubs