The 2023 tour to Swansea and District
Monday 24th April to Friday 28th April.

The Tour as it happened
Day Zero Sunday 23rd.
33 tourists arrived in a sunny Abertawe. Super welcoming meal and a good evening had by all. Looking forward to the first game on Monday

Day 1 Monday 24th v Dunvant.
Looked out of the window and there was a typical Swansea Bay sea mist. It was actually tamping. Looking hopeful for the evening so game put back to a 5 pm start. Hope the sea mist clears.
Things move quickly in Swansea. The sea mist disappeared and we were back to a 4 pm start. Bit of a trek to the green and not the best toilets in the world. You needed a three day training course to get the key to work. The green was a bit heavy but by 10 ends the sun was shining and the green getting faster. Dunvant won the game but we did have a top winning rink. Stuart Phillips all smiles. Poor Andy Gibbon had a bit of a thumping and is ‘happily’ looking after the family of dragons. Determined to give up the responsibility on Tuesday. Good singsong after the game with Dunvant treating us to a wonderful medley of Welsh hymns in response to our initial efforts. The Dunvant club celebrate their centenary next year.
The tour ‘committee’ decided that everybody who was available would play a part in every game. The remaining tourists agreed that it was a good idea on the Sunday evening. The wine consumed may have eased the decision making process.

Day 2 Tuesday 25 Games v Llansawel and Ynys
Looked out of the window on a beautiful and traditional Swansea day. Sun shining and everybody smiling. The two games are in parallel so Carole busy organising everybody to load the luggage on correctly. Ynys players bags on first.
For the Llansawel game we had a guest rink from Dunvant. Paul and Deborah are members but Paul’s Mum and Dad joined them. A Rees family rink. To rub salt in our wounds they were top rink. Mike Blizzard was bottom rink and had the honour of looking after the Dragon family. Brenda was really cross with Mike and reckoned he needed a good talking to. I am sure that he will be passing the family on at the Tick Tock game. Llansawel reckoned they won on shots scored but we won 3 rinks so that, by Carole’s counting, was a 3 all draw. Away team rules gives us a win. The green at Llansawel is shared by 3 clubs, Llansawel, Briton Ferry Town, and Briton Ferry Ladies. So we really played 3 clubs. Llansawel celebrate their centenary next year whilst Briton Ferry did it last year.
The Ynys half had a cracking game and won both on shots and rinks. The rink score was 4 to the good guys and 2 to Ynys. We had borrowed an Ynys rink to make it a 6 rink game.
Llansawel have a Bowls Club Choir so we were ‘royally’ entertained after the game. They have a number of u tube videos so the bowlers at Ynys can see what they missed.

Day 3 off to Tick Tock
Today we are driving 15 miles up the wonderful Swansea Valley to play Tick Tock in Ystradgynlais. Another test on Carole’ Welsh pronunciation. The Swansea Valley is the best valley in Wales. We will be passing a number of rugby clubs Glais, Trebanos, Pontardawe, Ystalyfera and finally Ystradgynlais. Much better way to navigate than by pubs by the side of the road. Weather looks promising. No sea mist and blue sky with light clouds.
Bit of a problem when we got to Tick Tock. The bus driver said he couldn’t go down the lane to the club. The driver did last year!!!!!!! Dropped us at the Rugby Club with over a mile walk to the club. Problem continued after the game when the bus didn’t arrive to pick us up. It finally got sorted after some strong words with the bus company. A very good welcome at Tick Tock when we finally crawled into the green.
On Tuesday we had some sad news as Luigi the IPP and joint tour organiser had to rush away as his mother was in hospital. Sadly she passed away in the evening. Both teams held a minutes silence before the game.
It was Tick Tock’s first game of the season and the Chairman of the Town Council bowled the first wood. It was only 6 inches from the jack. What a pointer to the game. We lost but won on two rinks. Paul and Deborah, LWBA members, who played in our top rink on Tuesday were playing against us. They lost this time. Lots of banter!!! The battle for the Dragon was close. Stuart Phillips minus 11, Mike Blizzard minus 12 and John Allen minus 12. Would Mike retain the Dragon? Fortunately Past President Andrew who was in the Blizzard rink ruled that the rink with the least number of ends won would be the holder. John Allen is now the custodian of the Dragon.
After the game we went on to the Bomb and Dagger and had a superb buffet where we were entertained by Cor Meibion Onllwyn. Two small buses came to pick us up and we all got back safely to the Towers. Lots of grumbling about the morning driver but the evening one did us proud.

Day 4 off to Coedgwilym.
Cloudy morning with the forecast saying that it will be tamping all afternoon. As we left the hotel there was heavy sea mist but once we got into the Swansea Valley the mist disappeared. The bus took us right up to the green but he did have a bit of a problem to turn around. In the evening he reversed out. Learning on the job.
It was the first time Coed Gwilym had hosted a touring party. Both teams had over 40 players and fitting everybody in to the pavillion to sit down for a buffet meal before the game was an interesting experience. The pavilion walls were solid and couldn’t be moved out to fit everybody in. In the end they did it and we were served a hot buffet with lovely sausages and chicken legs and fresh bread. No complaints at all.
As the sea mist hadn’t returned we started the game early. Unfortunately we hadn’t planned for the cold wind blowing across the Channel from England. A revenge attack for renaming the Brecon Beacons, Bannau Brycheiniog. Carole was lucky as she didn’t have to try to pronounce the new name. It was so cold that we should have packed our thermals and not our wets. The game went well and we won on four rinks out of seven and the game overall. A lovely way to finish the bowls bit of the tour.
Poor Mike Blizzard won the Dragon again by one shot. Past President Andrew, who was in his rink again, couldn’t find a loophole to pass the honour to Vince. Lesson learned by Andrew to try harder on bending the rules next time.
Back to the hotel for the Presidents dinner. Super food with massive meat portions. Needed my black lab dog Bella to help me finish the portion but she was in St Albans. Lots of noise, presentations and Double Hammer Keith Jones doing the auction. £338.02 raised. Where the tuppence came from nobody knows but with our auditor Mark Spacey in charge of the money it must have been correct. A good result for our charity Motor Neurone Disease.

Day 5 - time to go home.
Not much noise at breakfast. Everybody a bit bleary eyed but full of smiles. A cracking tour and everybody is looking forward to next year. Where will it be? That is down to Jim to get organised.

A last word from our President, Carole.
What a tour and what a welcome from all our host teams!! Even the weather managed to rebel against the forecast allowing us to play all 4 days. Once again the Tower Hotel did us proud with the Presidents’ dinner in the private function room rounding off this most enjoyable week. I would like to thank all bowlers for leaving the greens smiling, whether winning, drawing or losing and to thank them all for their support throughout the week. I am looking forward to the 2024 tour.
Regards
Carole

Hwyl fawr. Gweld chwi y blwyddyn nesaf.
Andrew T