Our History
Birth Of The E.B.U. to the Creation of Bowls Europe Ltd
The road travelled from the birth of the European Bowls Union (E.B.U.) to the formation of Bowls Europe Limited (B.E.) was a long one. The journey was, at times, arduous, with many challenges that had to be overcome.
The journey began in June 1995, when it was formed by Alan Williams (a past President of World Bowls and Secretary of the then, Welsh Bowling Association) and Roy Peacock (Past President of the then, English Bowling Association).
Both men believed, quite correctly, that there was a need for an organisation to “promote, foster, and develop the sport of Bowls, throughout Mainland Europe”. Not only was that required for the countries where bowls was, already. firmly established, but in countries where it was still being established. In the longer term, the organisation would also aid and assist countries where bowls wasn’t being played at all.
On its launch, there was only 4 member countries, being Scotland, England Wales and Ireland. In just over a year, that number grew to 10. When, in September 2021, the EBU was rebranded and replaced by Bowls Europe Ltd, the number of member countries had risen to 19. Many of those members did not have any bowling greens in 1995, never mind having International teams. Some of those countries have already, gone on to establish themselves well in the World of Bowls, including at International Bowls.
In 1997, the EBU ran its first, and successful International Tournament. The tournament was hosted by Guernsey and it was won by Ireland.
After the inaugural championships, the European Team Championships were held every two years.
In 2021, the Championships were to be played in Scotland, hosted by Bowls Scotland. Unfortunately, the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. Because of that cancellation, the last Championships were held in 2019 hosted by Guernsey.
Year on year, the championships grew and became increasingly successful.
Throughout the years, the format went under many iterations. From singles and mixed pairs, to men and women’s pairs and mixed fours, to now singles, pairs, triples and fours for both genders.
Between 1995 and 2021, the EBU went from strength to strength. The road it travelled was at times arduous, with many problems and challenges that had to be overcome.
That road was successfully negotiated through the hard work and dedication of many people who helped organise the EBU, far too many people to mention individually.
Without the help of all those people and, of course, with the support and help of the member countries, Bowls Europe Ltd may never have come to fruition. If it did, it certainly would not have had the strong foundations it started off from.
Below is a broad brush-stroke of the journey made by the E.B.U. and the various officer bearers throughout the years.
Timeline
Timeline of the European Bowls Union
EBU is Born
First countries join
More Countries Join
Two More Join
And 2 more join
1st European Team Championships held
2nd European Team Championships held
One more "Country" joins
3rd European Team Championships held
4th European Team Championships held
One more joins
Sad news....
5th European Team Championships held
6th European Team Championships held
More good news
Yet another
7th European Team Championships held
8th European Team Championships held
9th European Team Championships held
10th European Team Championships held
11th European Team Championships held
Another country joins
12th European Team Championships held
13th European Team Championships CANCELLED
End of an era....
Office Bearers
E.B.U. Office Bearers
| Chairman | |
|---|---|
| 1995 – 1999 | Roy Peacock (England) |
