BOURNEMOUTH Bowling Club celebrate their centenary this year - thanks to Frank Newman deciding to spend his holidays in Scotland rather than go abroad.

It was summer 1898 when Newman, who lived in Bournemouth, went north of the border where he watched and played a game of bowls.

Having later had another taste at the White House Loan club in Edinburgh he was bitten by the bowls bug and returned to the south coast determined to start the game in his home town.

Newman even adapted his own back lawn at the family home in Lansdowne Road but when this proved unsatisfactory he approached the council's parks committee for better facilities.

The council were sympathetic - although mystified by this new game - but Newman's hopes plummeted when asked how many people were playing the sport.

The answer of "just me and my father" hardly suggested bowls was all the rage and he was told nothing could be done unless 12 members of the public showed an interest. Newman duly assembled a doughty dozen but they were not welcomed with open arms by sportsmen already established in Bournemouth.

They were grudgingly allowed to use the grass tennis courts in Meyrick Park one afternoon a week and when they became upset at this limited arrangement, bowls was transferred to the croquet lawn, again for one afternoon a week.

There were 40 croquet members and by now the same number of bowlers and eventually after occupying one half of the playing surface the bowlers took complete charge with the croquet enthusiasts going off in a huff accusing Newman and his pioneers of denting the green.

In this manner bowls was first introduced to the town and on October 7, 1903, Newman and his associates met to form Bournemouth Bowling Club.

If Newman is the father of bowls in the town the Bournemouth club can rightly claim to be the mother of bowls institutions in the area as they were instrumental in founding the Hampshire association and the Bournemouth Open tournament.

Were Newman, twice club champion and president in 1913, still alive he would be delighted that Bournemouth have not only reached the ton but are still situated in Meyrick Park which staged the Home Internationals in the late 1970s.

Given their influence on south coast bowls it is fitting Bournemouth share their centenary with the English Bowling Association and the two organisations will play a special match to mark their milestones at Meyrick Park on Wednesday, July 16.

It is also appropriate that in this special year the Bournemouth Open should return to Meyrick Park after an absence of two seasons. Started on the suggestion of one of the founder members, Mr H A Miell, in 1909 it is the oldest bowls tournament in the country and was run by the club in its inaugural year before being handed over to the then newly formed B&D BA.

The week after this summer's open finishes on August 9, the Bournemouth club hold a centenary tournament with men's and ladies' singles, a men's pairs and a mixed pairs starting on August 11. The finals will be held the following Friday.

Over the years Bournemouth bowlers have won everything there is to win at county and B&D level while Nicky Jones went on to England under-25 honours between 1991-94.

Jones, now with Boscombe Cliff, also skipped Ian Rawlinson, Mark Warren and Chris Stanger to the 1992 national fours' championship and another year indelibly printed in Bournemouth memories is 1997 when the club won all four major Hampshire titles (singles, pairs, triples and fours).

The Mayor of Bournemouth David Baldwin delivered the first wood to launch the club's celebration year and among the spectators was Basil 'Papa' Papadopoulos, an active member since 1962, holder of the MBE and who, at 98, is nearly as old as the club.