Bowling magazine, 1910-11

Bowling, ‘the organ of the bowler and curler’ was a British monthly, costing 2d and first appearing in about 1900. We have three copies, from 1909–11, sent by a friend down south. It is entirely black and white, with a black-on-red cover, and each issue is roughly 20 pages.

 How long the magazine lasted defeats us. The magazine’s connection, if any, with the then recently founded English Bowling Association (1903) also eludes us, although in our later issues the magazine cover has a header announcing it is the ‘official organ of the leading associations and clubs’. Clear as mud, then.

 It is almost entirely editorial, with the ads almost entirely confined to the inside covers and back page. The editorial is concerned with club matters and occasional articles, such as bias and its influence on bowls. There was a discussion on whether it was appropriate to play sports (specifically bowling) on a Sunday, with views for and against – the editor John G. Grant clearly did not want to alienate anybody with strong views either way. Meanwhile, we learn curling ‘bids fair to become as popular as golf with the ladies’.

 As for the ads, there is one on the front cover of the January 1910 edition for ‘Table bowls’, which was essentially a snooker table. This was ‘the best indoor game yet introduced. It is suitable for the Club, Hotel, Institute, and especially the Home, as it is essentially a ladies’ game. It is quite as interesting as bowling on the green out of doors’. Seems the punters didn’t agree!

 There are small ads for J. Daffern the silversmith, who could make up bowling prizes; the groundsman A. Henderson, who could lay or repair your bowling green; and Herbert E. Tyler, the tailor and breeches maker. The bowler, we learn, prefers Mitcham Shag and Cricket Green smoking mixture, along with La Observa cigars, although John Player thinks they would prefer Country Life cigarettes. The music for the song ‘Bowling’ (‘a song for the “green” and for bowling club dinners’) is available for a shilling. F.H. Heath will build you a bowling pavilion. Slazenger is a name still with us – they sold bowls, ‘best quality’, for 17s 6d a pair, or 13s 6d ‘second quality’.

 Bowling was published by E.T. Heron of London, whose small ads take up the slack.