THE AKAROA BOWLING CLUB

 

The bowling club land was purchased in 1906 at a cost of 114 pounds  by Mr George Armstrong and a club set up the same year with a membership of 50 players.

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Full members had to live within 10 miles of the post office and you could only be a casual country  player if you lived beyond that. An annual subscription for a full member was 21 shillings. (One guinea)

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Lights were installed in February 1922 for a one-off tournament, and it was decided to make them permanent, with players paying sixpence per game to play in the evenings.  However, the lighting was not optimal - casting too many sha dows - and it gradually lost favour.

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Ladies were allowed to play in the mid 1950s but not on club days. It wasn’t until 1980 that the ladies were affiliated to be part of the Akaroa Bowling Club. Women, now, are strong presence in our club.

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A clubhouse was constructed in 1925 at a cost of 260 pound and various extensions were made up to 2000.

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A wall on the sea side was established in 1906 to keep the sea at bay and has been rebuilt and strengthened 4 times over the years.

 

Club colours were changed in 1937 from black, white and gold to dark green and gold. Also in 1937 bowls on Sundays was first allowed.

 

Akaroa Bowling Club was affiliated to Christchurch Bowls (now Canterbury bowls) up until 1990 when the club joined the Ellesmere sub union.

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Many problems were encountered with the bowling green surface over the years. Different grasses and Cotula weed variations were tried without any settled success. A synthetic green was installed in 2000 at a cost  of  $119,000 and it survived severe flooding up to a metre deep two years later. This was replaced by our current green in 2014.

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In May 2005 a winter tournament took place with a game in the morning and two in the afternoon with a BBQ. The success of this event (14 teams) led to it being repeated in 2006, but, for whatever reason, not after that - until is was reincarnated as the two day Hot August Night tournament in 2024, and again in 2025.

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Damage from the 2010 Canterbury Earthquake sequence resulted in some major renovations to the clubhouse including a large feature glass window on the sea side offering uninterrupted sea views.

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Another disaster struck  in 2023 with a fire in the green keepers room resulting in severe smoke damage through the entire clubhouse.  A portacom was used for a year while renovations and modifications were once again carried out

 

Today we have in excess of 100 members. 

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​We are a friendly local Club. Our green is open to everyone, to come and try their hand at bowling.  Green fee players are welcome anytime. $10 for adults, school children free.

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​​Club days are held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons from 1.30pm.