On a gloriously sunny Saturday afternoon at Parc Dr Owen, the air was filled with anticipation as Whitland Bowling Club officially opened its green for the 2026 season.

This year’s opening was far from ordinary, though, as it also marked an historic milestone for the club which is proudly celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Opening proceedings, Chairperson Cally Jones extended a warm welcome to all present, while an engaging speech was given by this year’s West Wales Ladies Bowling Association President, Dianne Scourfield, herself a Whitland member, who shared a concise yet fascinating account of the club’s origins and development over the past four decades.

She also made reference to the many successes of the club, both at county and national level, with the ladies section being current WWLBA champions, a title they have held on several occasions.

Everyone then gathered outside as the Mayor of Whitland, Clr. Len Shipton, was led onto the green by club captains Liam Price and Katie Dickinson, to officially declare it open and roll the first bowl.

Back inside the packed clubhouse, the celebrations continued with a stirring performance from the talented Whitland Male Voice Choir, who entertained with several well-known favourites, after which everyone enjoyed delicious refreshments prepared and served by hard-working members of the ladies section.

Suitably fed and watered, players then returned to the green for a short game of bowls to bring the curtain down on what had been a thoroughly memorable occasion.

A big thank you goes out to all who helped and supported to make the day a huge success.

It was an excellent start to what will hopefully be a successful season for the club, with the men already making a strong start in Division One of the Pembrokeshire League with a home win against Fishguard the following day.