Minister Indranee Rajah bowling at the Lawn Bowls for Fun Festival that was held at Singapore Sports Hub. Standing behind her is Rodger Kimpton, the newly elected President of Bowls Singapore.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE SPORTS HUB
“When my knees could no longer take aerobic sports 20 years ago, I discovered lawn bowls. I enjoy the challenge and camaraderie of lawn bowls, just like I did with squash,” shares Rodger Kimpton, who was heavily involved in Singapore’s squash scene for many years.”
Since then, Rodger Kimpton has been instrumental in growing the sport of lawn bowls in Singapore and is the newly elected President of Bowls Singapore for the 2020-2022 term. He is also the National Coach for Singapore and a certified coach with Bowls Australia.
Lawn bowls is a fun and inclusive sport that people of different ages and fitness levels can enjoy together. Usually played on a rectangular, precisely levelled and manicured grass, or a synthetic surface known as a “bowling green”, the simplest objective is to roll a ball called a “bowl” as close as possible to a smaller ball called a “jack” or “kitty”. Every bowl you get closer to the jack than your opponent’s closest bowl earns you points.
The National Sports Association (NSA) for the sport of lawn bowls, Bowls Singapore, wants to help you and people of all ages connect over a game of bowls, and works tirelessly to promote the game. Those efforts are working, too, as several Singapore national bowlers have won medals in international lawn bowling competitions, including the SEA Games.
A participant of the Lawn Bowls for Fun Festival takes aim.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE SPORTS HUB
“It’s one of the few sports where differences in size, strength and speed are less disadvantageous,” says Andrew Lim, Vice President (High Participation) of Bowls Singapore, which held a festival called the “Lawn Bowls for Fun Festival” this past August. “Lawn bowls allows men, women and even children to play against one another on an almost equal footing.”
“It is not uncommon to see families having a great time bonding over a game of lawn bowls,” he continues. “Some of our parabowlers are easily able to hold their own in games against able-bodied bowlers, which is tremendous for their self-esteem. We also see many athletes from other sports, who have suffered injuries that no longer allow them to play their past sport, turning to lawn bowls because they love the team and competitive dynamics.”
Besides the ActiveSG Lawn Bowls Green in Singapore Sports Hub, lawn bowls is also enjoyed in private clubs in Singapore like the Singapore Cricket Club and Tanglin Club. Lawn bowls facilities are not common in Singapore and Bowls Singapore actively engages with Sport Singapore to set up more lawn bowls venues in the community.
Bowls Singapore is currently holding free coaching sessions at Sports Hub Lawn Bowls, which is where you can discover and indulge in this inclusive sport. These sessions are part of Singapore Sports Hub’s Learn-To-Play programme and participants have to be 15 years or older.
