HISTORY OF CYD BOWLING CLUB
Opening Of the Club - Easter 1914
A E Vollam of the Post Office Craig y Don and part owner of the land where the club now stands, called a meeting at the Ormescliffe Hotel with a proposal to form a Bowling Club in Craig y Don on 3rd. Nov. 1913.
Twenty seven people attended and agreed to found a bowling club and elected a committee . An annual subscription of
10/6 (55p) was agreed.
The present day pavillion was built at a cost of £182. The builder with the lowest tender had difficulties, which necessitated asking Alex Williams to modify his original plan .
The committee had produced a number of bylaws and had arranged an overdraft of £250 with the London City and Midland Bank.
The Club and Pavilion opened on the 9th. April 1914.
The Club were responsible for looking after the green and repairs. And over the first ten years there were repairs to damage to fencing. In 1924 the fencing on two sides of the green was replaced by a stone wall at a cost of 12/6d. (65p) per sq. yard. It appears that there were tennis courts adjacent to the green because there is mention of rainwater flowing off the tennis courts and flooding part of the green.
In the early years the club membership was steady at around 50 members and the main bowling activities were the Club Competitions organised by the handicap committee . The games were open to Lady Members and wives of Members as well as Members, played at up with a new draw after each round and the finalsplayed to 21 up. The first winner of the George Barker (President) Challenge Cup in1914 was Mr.E.O Evans.
Visitors were also welcome and it is reported that 1400 attended in 1917 and 2480 in 1918.
The first recorded game against another Club was a Charity Match at Llandudno on the 8th July 1916. The second was against the Constitutional Club, Colwyn Bay in 1919 after failing to agree dates the previous year.
In January 1919 the Committee discussed a letter from Mr Winstanley regarding the formation of a bowling league for the coast of North Wales. It is possible that some form of league was founded with possibly three or four teams.
It was not until 1926 that the North Wales Coast Amateur Bowling League was formed. The 8 founder member clubs were Rhyl, Llandudno, Colwyn Bay Cons, Old Colwyn, Craig y Don, Highbury, Rhos on Sea and Llanrwst.
Today, 2001, there are forty teams divided into four sections.
The Llandudno and District Bowling League was founded in 1937 and was played on a Wednesday, the shopkeepers’ half day. In the early days of the league the composition included several of the local clubs together with teams from local shops and firms such as the Co-op, GPO and Radcliff. Today the league comprises of 23 teams divided into two sections and also runs two section cups and a consolations cup competition.
What has happened to the Club since those early years?
The Club has around 150 members in the year 2001 .
Several members over the years, namely, Gareth E Hughes, Brian Roberts, David T Evans and Neville O Roberts have contributed to the administration of bowls at a higher level representing the Club on the committees of the BCGBA, WCGBA, Gwynedd BA, Gwynedd Parks BA, and Welsh Counties BA as well as the North Wales Coast League and Llandudno and District Bowling League. Mrs Audrey Edwards is a stalwart of our own committee.
The club still runs Ten internal competitions and is open to visitors who are most welcome.The Club have rented the Queen’s Road green over the last three years for Winter bowling which has proved successful.
The Club runs nine teams, two in the North Wales Coast League, three in the Llandudno and District League, one in the Welsh Counties League, one in the Bangor & District Senior Citizens League and also a Ladies Team, Veterans Team who both play friendlies against local clubs.
The Club also organises indoor short mat bowling during the winter months for it’s members.
The Club have run an open competition The Dicken Cup (sponsored by Llandudno Town Council) since 1947 and the format has changed over the years to accommodate the change in lifestyles, especially holiday makers , and again try a new format this year.
More about the Fabric of the Club
With the exception of an extension for a kitchen and gents toilet, the original timber framed Pavilion is little changed, even though the floorboards needed replacing following a deluge, when five inches of rain fell in three hours starting around tea time on Thursday 10th. June 1993. At one time the green including the crown was under water and thanks to the members the kitchen and green were back in operation within a week and the green within two. The floor boards were replaced during the winter and the insurance cost was over £5,500. The Club have also provided a concrete garage to house the green equipment. The pathways around the green have also been improved.