BALERNO BOWLING CLUB

The Green is open. Senior Cup matches are being played. The Men’s Leagues start on the 3rd May.
Internally, the race is on to find the successors as Champions to Pat Williams and David Lees. History is against them retaining their titles. In recent years, only David McNeil has done so for the Men and for the Ladies, Helen Girdler is the last to do so.
For any non bowling readers who fancy playing the game, remember that new members under 30 only pay half the usual fee and those under 16 pay nothing at all. Hopefully, this will help those teenagers who walk the streets complaining that there is nothing to do!
March brought the loss of three prominent personalities who will be sadly missed.
Andrew Falconer was President in 1974/5 and Club Secretary for some years. He was a Skip in the XVI’s. In 1977, he had the honour of being President of the Water of Leith Bowling Association who last year celebrated their Centenary. Andrew and his wife moved South some years ago and, although they had been annual visitors to the Club, ill health prevented him from travelling for the Celebrations.
David Pearson was a friendly, quiet man who rarely sought the limelight. However, he had it thrust on him in 1975 when he was a member of the Balerno Fours who became Scottish Champions in 1975 and went on to win the British Isles Championship in 1976. David won the Hope Pairs with Stan Forrest in 1972. In some ways, he had the misfortune to play when Balerno Club was at its strongest and competition was fierce otherwise his honours might have been more. In latter years, David was a popular Janitor at Curriehill school.
So far as I know, Gordon Grant never bowled although he was, for a short while, a Social Member of this Club. Thereafter he was a very welcome guest at our annual Burns Suppers. He supplied us generously with memorabilia and invariably performed his classic “John Barleycorn” . Gordon served in the Royal Engineers and won a Military Medal at Dunkirk. Following demob he joined the family book business where he remained all his working life. A prominent Freemason and Burns scholar, he retained his military bearing and exquisite courtesy to the end. The Club has lost a true friend and the world a true Gentleman.

F.D.H.King