Bowling News
In the mid-1970s there were some die-hards of the amateur game who were unhappy because there were still two sets of rules, one set for the Panel at the Waterloo and another for the British Crown Green Association. The referees had a difficult time because the Waterloo rules allowed ‘stamping’ close to the bowl and running alongside. The British Crown Green rules didn’t allow ‘stamping’ and, in fact, players were not allowed within three metres of the running bowl. These people complained about the likes of Brian Duncan running and stamping and the fact that they thought the British Crown Green were prostituting the sport for the sake of television with the use of coloured bowls and clothing.
However, the association decided that television was the most important vehicle to get the sport across to the country and so they worked alongside the television requirements despite the protests.
It was in 1975 that Brian Duncan was on for a ‘three in a row’ and once again made it to the final. His opponent was the second favourite, Dennis Mercer, who, after his defeat by Duncan in 1973, predicted he would win Top Crown and beat him in the process. During the final, Dennis was constantly topping up his favourite pipe – getting it to blow out victory signals as he stormed home to a 21-16 victory to deny Duncan a fabulous hat-trick and also enhance his reputation as a fortune-teller.
Brian Duncan and Dennis Mercer dominated the Top Crown competition between 1972 and 1979 – Duncan winning the title three times and losing the final once and Mercer with two titles and two runner-up prizes. The two barren years for them were 1976 and 1978, when Tony Poole from the Midlands made his impact on the crown green scene in the north and won the title in 1976.
It was in 1976 that actor and writer Colin Welland came on the scene as co-commentator with Harry Rigby. Born in the Wigan area he had been brought up on crown green bowling and therefore settled into the job extremely well. He was well-liked by the viewers and public, working alongside Harry in both Top Crown and the Waterloo until 1979, when his writing really took off and his spare time was severely limited.
In 1977 another Midlands bowler, Roy Price, created a sensation when he defeated Brian Duncan in the semi-final and then ‘dumped’ Dennis Mercer 21-16 in the final. Gene Bardon and Roy Nicholson – both Yorkshire men – battled out the 1978 final, Bardon winning an extremely close match 21-19.
The 1979 Top Crown tournament was to be the last singles competition, as it was felt it wasn’t getting the public or viewer support it deserved, and 1980 saw the first BBC TV Top Crown Pairs Invitation Tournament. It was a two-bowl player competition, and, with the extra four bowls, it was hoped there would be more green drama. In the first pairs competition it was also decided not to use the coloured bowls any more, which pleased most of the bowlers. This was primarily because there were 40 bowlers taking part – 16 invited pairs from the counties and four pairs (including the holders) invited by the BBC – the champions being seeded through to the quarter-finals. The contestants were kitted out in coloured sweaters and the same coloured stickers were put on to the bowls for easier identification by the viewing public.
Richard Duckenfield, himself a member of the St Helens Bowling Club, now joined Harry Rigby in the commentary box and the first pairs competition in any form of bowling on television was born.
The 1980 series was eventually won by Noel Burrows, partnered by Mike Leach from Blackpool. They beat Terry Turner and Keith Widdowson in the final 21-16. Mike Leach was potentially an exciting player for television because of his unusually jerky delivery, and in fact he won the British Crown Green title in 1984. Unfortunately his delivery began to cause problems and he has played little competitive bowls since 1985.
1981 and 1982 were both ‘Wars of the Roses’, with Duncan and his regular pairs partner Norman Fletcher being firm favourites both years. Gene Bardon and Roy Nicholson, however, ignored the reputation of the Lancashire pair and hammered them 21-13 in the 1981 final. At this time, the BBC were still having trouble with long matches, so in 1982 yet again they experimented with playing 15 up. Duncan and Fletcher duly reached the final and another Yorkshire pair, Allan Thompson and Robert Hitchen, had the task of stopping them.
This match will go into the history books as one of the most controversial finals in televised crown green. The score was 14-13 to the Yorkshire men at the beginning of the penultimate end, but Duncan and Fletcher had already put one closest and Norman Fletcher bowled for the title. It was a winner all the way, but referee Barry Cotterill stunned the Waterloo crowd into silence by removing Fletcher’s bowl – having ruled that he got too close to the bowl and therefore ‘stamped’ it in.
Top Crown was played to BCGBA rules and it wasn’t until after Jack Leigh took over the Waterloo in 1982 that a standard set of rules was negotiated for the Waterloo as well as other events organised by the British Crown.
The ensuing pandemonium saw Duncan and Fletcher almost on the point of leaving the green, but they carried on to lose 15-14 and the inscrutable Thompson and Hitchens were Top Crown champions 1982. It’s a story that has been told by people with slightly different points of view. British Secretary Eddie Elson went on television and defended Barry Cotterill’s action – it was a brave decision and one that perhaps not every referee would have been prepared to take.
BCGBA Rule 22 stated a player must not approach nearer than 1 metre to a running bowl, nor follow it up in such a manner as to obstruct the view of his opponent. He must not endeavour to accelerate or impede its progress. If he offends, the bowl shall be taken out or play and in case of further infringement, his bowl shall be taken off the green and the game shall be awarded to his opponent and the defaulter’s score at that point to count!
Obviously referee Cotterill had deemed Fletcher guilty of breaking the law and applied Rule 22, and the controversial final was dubbed as the most expensive stamp since the ‘Penny Black’!
In 1984, for the first time, Top Crown wasn’t played at the Waterloo Hotel. This decision was made for two reasons. There has been constant lobbying over the past few years from other bowling clubs to stage this prestigious event, and also the public attending the event looked lost in such a vast stadium. It was therefore played at the Mitchell and Butlers Sports CLub in Birmingham – a beautiful setting for the star Manchester pair of Eddie Hulbert and Tommy Johnstone to beat the 1983 champions, Ken Strutt and Dave Blackburn, 21-15 in the final.
In 1985 the event had become so popular with the bowlers, not least for the £2000 first prize, that they all wanted to take part: 64 starters were entered – 16 pairs from the counties and 16 pairs invited by the BBC, with no seeds.
Top Crown had always been the ‘guinea pig’ competition for crown green bowling, and 1986 saw another innovation. This was to be a major leap forward in the history of the game as four ladies’ pairs were invited to compete on equal terms with the men.
The tournament was played at the Pilkington Sports Club in St Helens and, on a large, fast green, the ladies had their work cut out. However, two ladies’ pairs reached the quarter-finals, and in the semi-finals the last pair, Karen Galvin and Mary Farmer, fell to the favourites Brian Duncan and Norman Fletcher, who eventually went on to win the title in a tight, hard game 21-19 against the 1984 winners Eddie Hulbert and Tommy Johnstone.
Tomorrow: The History of the Blackpool Waterloo including footage of the 1982 Streaker Final