On Monday evening, Pam and I hosted a group of ladies and gentlemen from our twin town of Tornio, which is in Finnish Lapland, just 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle! Our thanks go to the Management Committee for permission to use the club, to Ricky who kindly opened the bar and to Ian and Simon for helping to run the session after their 3 rink match at Chippenham was called off.
Due to the inclement (rather English) weather, we opted to play Short Mat Bowls. I think some were anticipating a form of 10 pin bowling as they have nothing at all like this in Finland – but they weren’t disappointed! We played for about 2 hours, and I have to say the Finns absolutely loved it!
We gave some basic instructions (mostly about the bias) and let the fun begin. As you might imagine, language was a little challenging at times… but certainly not a barrier! Among the group there were 2 or 3 naturals… it’s a pity Lapland is so far away!!
By Kelvin Nash