Cambridge Park Bowls Club establishes ElkinSmith Ruils Pairs Cup

A feeling of heart warming pride was the underlying emotion, as I watched our Ruils Bowls Group pairs finalists take part in the Cambridge Park Members Annual Bowls Finals Day.

Over the last three years, our two organisations have been on an inspirational supportive journey together, that included winning Project of the Year at the Richmond Borough Community Heroes Awards. Over and above the activity itself, what makes our bowls group, and indeed all our groups, so special, is the magical and motivating social interaction amongst our members. This has such a positive impact on our clients’ health and wellbeing. Friendships are formed, and the common sound amongst the group is laughter.

Being part of the Club Finals Day is another key milestone for us and Cambridge Park Bowls Club. For the club, the creation of our partnership was a big driver for them to become more inclusive and diverse with its membership and community engagement.

Right, so the bowls final! Having come through a fun, but competitive series of qualifying games prior to the Finals Day, it was the pairings of Sean and Dylan and Jimmy and Mike that prevailed to make the final of the newly established ElkinSmith Ruils Pairs Cup.

It was a lovely gesture by the club to honour and celebrate our partnership with them, and also recognise Jacquie, a club member, who has been, and continues to be, so supportive in making their club as accessible and inclusive as possible, and wanting Ruils to be part of this transformation. Jacquie’s maiden name is Elkin and her late husband’s, was Smith. Jacquie and her husband shared an email address ‘elkinsmith’, and so Jacquie saw no reason to change it when he died in 2003. This is how the ‘ElkinSmith Ruils Pairs Cup’ came into being.

Jimmy and Mike, and Sean and Dylan played a fantastic final. The skills demonstrated in their play were outstanding. To see their progression compared when they first joined the club was so impressive. We all laugh about the fact that Dylan and Jimmy had nicknames initially of ‘Dylan the Ditch’ and ‘Jimmy the Bunker’, such was their propensity to overshoot their bowl into the back ditch. In the final I’ve not seen Dylan so focused on his line and length and produce such great bowls, and Jimmy, well, he’s now known as ‘Jimmy the Jack’ with his unnerving ability to get his first bowl up close to the jack. Sean and Mike played good quality bowls throughout and were wonderfully supportive of their team mates. In the end though with Jimmy at the top of his game, it was Jimmy and Mike that won the day and the cup!

To make the day even more special for our finalists, the club generously awarded all our finalists engraved tankards to mark their achievement and the occasion. It was a joyous afternoon for all our finalists, supporting family and club members. Get in it your sporting diary for next year to watch.

Learn more about our Bowls club and how to get involved, here.