Probably the truest thing our Dad ever taught us about lawn bowling is that 99% of the individuals in this game are great people who you will remember throughout your lives. We both were fortunate enough to play in an era of some of the greatest bowlers this country has ever seen. Guys like Jim Candelet, Orville Artist, Jim Graham, Al Cline, the Farrell brothers and Skippy Arculli to name but a few. We’ve also had the opportunities to have these great bowlers kick our butts on the green many times! Both of us have also had the pleasure of winning a game or two against men of this caliber.

The greatest lesson we learned from these experiences (win or lose) is that these men were always gracious to us and encour- aged us to keep up the good bowling and good camaraderie. Perhaps the greatest compliment we have ever received from onlookers to our games is that the spectators couldn’t tell if we were winning or losing because we were always having a good time and usually a lot of laughs! Isn’t that what this sport is all about, having fun playing a game? We have noticed more and more lately how some individuals have let stress take over in their game when the tides have turned on them. Reminiscing about the days of old, and the way the game used to be played makes us wonder how the game changed so much over the years. Why is there the need for such an extensive book of rules? Wasn’t the old rule book su? cient? It was su? cient when we weren’t picking it apart looking for some word or phrase that would help us win a shot, an end or a game or even get a disquali? cation of some sort. Whatever happened to beating your opponent with a better bowl?

Thoughts like these have entered our brains a lot lately and gave us yet another reason to write article for this ? ne magazine.

The game is different today. There are bowlers out there thinking about far too many things other than good bowls and the friendships that we’ve established over the years. We have seen where some top notch bowlers have let a few bad bowls or ends ruin their game for them. Or when an opponent takes their momentum away from them with a good shot and they lose their focus because of that good shot or end. Stress takes over and they beat themselves up over it. This should never happen, but it happens quite often. We are not experts by any means but we do know that it is only a game, not the end of the world! We take this game very seriously and try to win ev- ery game but we also realize that our opponent is trying just as hard as we are. What we have learned over the years is that our desire to win should never compromise our enjoyment of the game. It should never bring stress into our lives because that is why we are out here on a bowling green, to relieve the stress of everyday life. So many times we have had talented bowlers out bowl us for the majority of a game and then fall flat , start swearing at themselves or their partner. Many start complain- ing about their partner not holding up their end. We’ve seen

this kind of meltdown several times before and we know that the game is ours for the taking. We have come back from what appeared to be getting slaughtered to pull out a win in the end by not losing our focus and concentrating what we needed to do to win. We never dwell on a bad end or ends because that now, is in the past. This meltdown wouldn’t have occurred if you realized that “stuff  happens” and get over it! The current end is all you should dwell on, not the last one. Maybe it is easier for us because we are brothers as well as best friends but we don’t criticize each other because we know that we are always trying our best. After the game we may discuss what a crappy shot the other one made but it is all in jest and just something else to laugh about! That kind of humor over a cold beer is just what this game should be all about!

Lawn Bowling should be more popular than it is. This is the greatest sport in the world, for it is the only game that young and older players can establish friendships that wouldn’t happen anywhere else in life or in any other sport that I can think of. Enjoy the game and your friends.

The Brew selection of this edition from “The Sayer Boys” is fine ale indeed in taste and in presentation called Wailing Wench from Syracuse NY. This ale is not for the lighthearted as it is 8% alcohol, quite a bit more than the average beer. This is definitely one of the finest ales we have ever experienced. It has also led to several great stories because it features a very voluptuous blond haired woman on the label that legend has it (as Bob was told) is the brew master’s daughter. The most memorable story and rather humorous comes from outside lawn bowling where Bob was discussing beer vs. ale with a fellow truck driver friend. Bob ? gured that probably the most exotic brew my friend had ever put past his lips was a Budweiser or perhaps a Molson. I told him that we would take a walk to a local store that specialized in micro brews from around the world. I purchased two bottles of Wailing Wench ale and told my friend that he was in for a great experience. He looked at the bottle and was taken aback by the lovely girl on the label. After his first sip of this fine ale, he had the usual look on his face that a Bud drinker has when tasting a heavier, darker brew of this magnitude for the fi rst time. I told him that he would acquire a taste for it after a few sips which, in fact, he did. I created a monster that day and by the time my friend was through with that 20oz bottle, he was feeling no pain, he absolutely loved this fine ale and I was pretty sure he was in love with the brew master’s daughter. Not long after this we brought a sampling of Wailing Wench along with us to a bowling tournament and shared it with our long time friend Ron Buck. To this day we aren’t sure if he had the guts to show the label to his wife Betty-Lou, but I’ll bet that bottle is on display somewhere in Ron’s workshop or garage! Visit https://middleagesbrewing.com/content/view/49/38/ to see the wailing wench. Cheers from the Sayer Brothers!

9 Lawn Bowls Magazine Autumn 2008

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