| The Billiard & Snooker Heritage Collection | Norman's Articles | Norman's Lectures | Chronology | Links | Other Articles |The Cue Collection
DRAKES PRIDE - Bowling Green Bowls manufacture in Liverpool
 |
 |
The business has the most famous bowler, Sir Francis Drake, as their trade mark, his comments on being informed about the Armada being in sight is recorded as saying 'finish our game' (of bowls) is part of the great history of the sport.
An early price list showing the trade mark
and that they were official testers of the International Bowling Board also
Standard Jack makers to all Crown Green Associations
The trade mark currently used is based on the original registered by the Liverpool bowls business of Darlington's which was established in the City in 1820. As Drakes Pride traces its association with bowls back to Darlington's it can claim to be the oldest surviving English bowls business and thus one of the oldest in the World.
A very early price list booklet
It is interesting to note the reference to Billiard Balls as is a strong association with the game of Billiards
and the other manufactures of bowls, which must be to do with the turning skills of the bowls makers of the 19th & 20th Centuries.
Before moving on from the Darlington part of the story there are some points of interest for the early history of bowls. The old price lists and rule book published by Darlington have some information which helps with seeing how the bowls developed, Already mentioned is the association between bowls and billiards and the following picture from a Darlington price list circa 1900 shows the extent of that association.
From the same price list it is interesting to note that the range of sizes of bowl that were being offered (note - they were using size 0, 1, 2 etc. back then but has no comparison to todays sizes and size 9 must have been a really big bowl!!), perhaps more especially the range of bias that you could specify! As shown in the page below.
From a later price list, circa 1930, the range of qualities and prices for Lignum Vitae (wooden) bowls is extensive but composition bowls must also have been available as shown by the reference to 'imported plastic bowls' in the section referring to engraving charges.
In their 1957 price list as part of the renovation / testing service for 'Flat Green' bowls they list a charge for buffing composition bowls which indicates that they were by then well accept.
By 1971 Darlington were offering their own Drake's Pride composition bowls. This is the first reference to the use of their trade mark name for a model of bowl that has been found (to date).
The rule book published by Darlington must quite early circa 1900 and makes interesting reading the front cover and a copy of two of the pages are shown below.
The rule concerning playing in the dark is quite an interesting one – You can just imagine a bowler standing at the jack with a torch of some kind in his hand illuminating the 'target'!!
The Darlington business was acquired by E.A. Clare & Son in the 1970's to enhance their growing renovation / refurbishment service of Crown Green Bowls. Bill Walsh who managed the bowls work, at 'Clare's' was a skilled wood turner having served his time at Darlington's. Darlington's not only provided a Crown Green service but were also licensed testers of Lawn Bowls and so 'Clare's' were able to take over this licence. At the time of the acquisition Arthur Ayres, another highly skilled bowls turner from Darlington's, had already joined the expanding bowls business.
Bill Walsh - Works manager & Arthur Ayres -Bowls Shop Supervisor
E.A. Clare Son interest in bowls had come about because the founder of the business was Crown Green Bowler and felt that as bowls was a summer sport it would fit well into his Snooker and Billiards business, which was a winter sport. Once Darlington's was acquire Clare's offered a full testing service for Lawn Bowls (usually called Flat Green in the Crown Green areas), being licensed by I.B.B. (International Bowling Board), which allowed them to use either the I.B.B. Stamp or the, more common in the UK, B.I.B.C. (British Isles Bowls Council) stamp. The firm was also registered as Crown Green jack makers to the B.C.G.B.A. (British Crown Green Bowls Association).
Clare's continued to offer these service and make their own Lignum Vitae bowls under the brand name 'Standfast' but in the mid late 1970's it became more and more difficult to source good quality Lignum Vitae especially as it was one of the timbers on the U. N.'s CITES list – The United Nation's has a list of species that are 'at risk' and so special licenses have to be obtained to deal in species that are on the list. Also composition bowls were becoming more and more accepted which had a knock on effect by reducing the number of bowls that came in for renovation.
Research was carried out by Peter Clare as to the way forward and after careful consideration it was decided that investment into manufacture of composition bowls was required. So in 1981 Liverpool University Computer Laboratory was used as consultants on the project and they came up with a bowl profile. Based on this it was obvious that the way forward was to use computer controlled lathes to ensure accuracy of the profile rather than the traditional copy lathes or grinding processes. Thus the Drakes Pride bowls became the first to be produced on CNC lathes.
The installation of the CNC lathe in 1981 was no mean feat as the room for it was not only at first floor level but was set back from the road and had to go over a second floor. The roof of the room had to be removed and the lathe was craned into the room through the open roof.
The lathe high in the sky!
Going through the roof!
After proving out the bowl profile the new Drakes Pride bowl was launched in late 1982 via the Clare Bowls Centre. In November 1982 the following article appeared in that months magazine.
Tom Brophy the Works Manager, whose picture is shown in the article was heavily involved along with Peter Clare in the setting up the lathe and the launch of the Drakes Pride bowl. He had been trained in the bowls department and was a skilled turner of wooden bowls.
Up-dated trade mark used by The Clare Bowls centre
With the launch of a new composition bowl it was not easy to be noticed against the already established bowls manufactures. However with the help of the great Scottish Bowler Willie Wood the Drakes Pride bowl became established.
1983 the launch of the Willie Wood professional model bowl
L-R
Norman Clare Chairman; Willie Wood; Peter Clare
Sales brochure for the Willie Wood Professional model bowl
As the Professional Model proved to be excellent on quality outdoor greens and indoor surfaces
another model was required for slow UK outdoor greens and so the Melbourne model was introduced.
At first the business traded as 'The Clare Bowls Centre' with using the address of Queen Anne Street, but as the bowls became more popular it was necessary to supply the retail bowls outlets it was decided to call the business Drakes Pride re-establishing the trade mark with the business name.
In the 1980's the catalogues and adverts of that period show the address as 5-11 Springfield, Liverpool where not only the office and stockroom were situated and also a small trade counter.
Also at that time when Tom Brophy and Peter Clare attended bowls matches Willie Wood not only introduced them to the officials but also to the top players at those events. So it was that they met Ian Dickison an up and coming New Zealand bowler who so like the bowls he asked to be their agent in New Zealand. So once the bowls were accepted as meeting the NZBA (New Zealand Bowls Association) regulations the first export of Drakes Pride bowls took place. The fact that Ian one the Singles Gold medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games playing with a set of the 'International' model Drakes pride bowl was a tremendous boost in the early days.
Ian Dickison (NZ) with the gold medal, Ian Shuback (AUS) with Silver and Richard Corsie (Scotland) with Bronze
1986 Commonwealth Games – Edinburgh
Part of the poster promoting the Drakes Pride bowl in New Zealand
Note – the NZBA 86 stamp on the bowl
As Drakes Pride was based in the North West of England, Crown Green Bowls country, it was perhaps strange that the first bowls produced were for the Lawn Bowls discipline but they soon remedy that and the Crown green models quickly found similar success for that discipline of the sport.
Early successes on the Waterloo Green the Home of Crown Green Bowls
After winning the Gold medal at the Edinburgh Games Ian Dickison was invited to play in tournaments in Australia and was spotted at The Adelaide Masters by Elliot Beasley a member of the Adelaide Club. He liked the way the bowls performed and contacted Drakes Pride with a proposal for his son Geoff Beasley to be the Australian agents.
The agency was set up but it require the Australian Bowls Association modify their regulations and stipulate that bowls manufacturers licensed by the International Bowling Board were to be used. This was as a result of the President of the IBB Garnet Putland OAM, efforts to ensure all Countries played to the same regulations.
Geoff Beasley, who was a South Australia State Bowler became the Drakes Pride agent in 1986 and through his efforts and advice bowls were designed specifically for the high quality outdoor greens enjoyed by Australian bowlers.
Rob Parrella, a great Australian bowler & Geoff Beasley, the Drakes Pride agent
Geoff set up State distributors – in Queensland it was International Bowls Services run at that time by Warwick Jefferies. He was a keen supporter of up and coming talent and so Kelvin Kerkow and Steve Glasson were both successfully users of Drakes Bowls whilst making their bowls careers.
Kelvin & Steve with Warwick Jefferies
1994 Australian Indoor Championships at Tweeds Head Bowls Club
The distributor in Victoria was Don Sherman, a Gold medal winner representing Australia many times at bowls and later becoming the Manager of the bowls team. In 1996 he decided to set up a test table in Bendigo and came over to the Drakes Pride factory for training. Once he had completed the in house instruction he was examined by World Bowling Board to ensure he was competent to test bowls according to their requirements.
Alan Williams handing Don Sherman his certificate on passing the practical training.
L -R
Rob Curran Drakes Pride Works Manager; David Johnston WBB Secretary, Alan Williams WBB President;
Peter Clare Director DP and Don Sherman DP Victoria.
The following year Don's son, another Don, came over to the UK and again took the training course and was as before was examined at the end of it by representatives of WBB.
Don Sherman receiving his Testers Certificate from World Bowls Board President Alan Williams
L – R
Alan Williams WBB President; Don Sherman DP Victoria & Peter Clare Director Drakes Pride
In 1997 Thurston, the UK leading Snooker and Billiard firm, who have been involved in the supply and or installation of 10 or more bowls test tables, supplied and installed the test table in Bendigo. The bowls test table was inspected and approved by Jim Evans the WBB representative in Australia.
The New South Wales & Australia Capital Territory distributor was Bob Bowell based at first in Canberra but he subsequently took over the running of Bentley's bowls shop in the suburbs of Sydney.
Bob & Robyn Bowell at Bentley Bowls Shop – 1998
In 1988 when the UK celebrated the 400th Anniversary of the sea battle that made Sir Francis Drake famous the firm took advantage of the first day issue of commemorative stamps by sending envelopes to their customers at home and around the World.
In 1999 Drakes Pride followed up the association with their Trade Mark of 'Sir Francis' on Plymouth Hoe' by visiting Drakes home in Devon. Buckland Abbey in Devon was the home of Sir Francis Drake , which is now owned and managed by The National Trust. In 1999 Drakes Pride were delighted to make a presentation to the National Trust at Buckland Abbey of a set of bowls. The picture shows Peter Clare Managing Director of Drakes Pride presenting the bowls, under the watchful eye of 'Sir Francis' (Clive Simpson, dressed as the great sailor and famous bowler, himself) to Doreen Johnston, who was the Ladies Captain of the local Yelverton Bowls Club.
Whilst the growth in the popularity of the Drakes Pride bowls in Australia was important the UK and rest of the World was not forgotten.
Margaret Johnston & Tom Brophy - 1990
Many bowlers enjoyed success whilst playing with their “Drakes”, perhaps no more so that Margaret Johnston, probably the most successful female bowler. From the late 1980's to her retirement from International play in 2008 she was the bowler to be using her “Drakes”.
Margaret at the 1990 Commonwealth Games New Zealand
1992 World Bowls Ayr – Margaret - Single Champion
2000 World Bowls – Margaret – Singles Champion
2004 World Bowls Leamington
Margaret Johnston took Gold & Lorna Trigwell (South Africa) took Silver.
Both using Drakes Pride Bowls
In late 2001 the Drakes Pride new Zealand agent Russ Heys decided to offer the New Zealand bowlers the chance to have their bowls tested in New Zealand. He travelled over to the UK to go through the practical training in the Drakes Pride factory and on achieving the required level of competence require by the WBB received his certificate from John Armstrong President of WBB. Russ also travelled to Bendigo in Australia whilst their test table was being upgraded, by the UK Snooker business Thurston, so he could ensure that his table was erected correctly by a New Zealand Snooker business. His test table was inspected and his tester license granted in 2002.
L- R
Jan Khan; Marina Khan & Millie Khan
Millie and her daughters were all using Drakes Pride bowls when they took the New Zealand National Fours Championships in 2001
Drakes Pride bowlers have also enjoyed success indoors from the early when Terry Sullivan won the UK Indoor Singles Championships in 1984 and then in 1985 went on to win the World Indoor championship.
1985 Drakes Pride advert
Advert in Bowls International magazine March 1985
Another well know Welsh player took the title in 2000 – Robert Weale who has represented Wales at International level on many occasions.
2000 Drakes Pride advert
In 2006 it was Mervyn King who took the title – a great representative for England at International level and a local hero when playing at Potters.
L-R
John Potter & Mervyn King
Photo courtesy Bowls International
2008 Drakes advert recording Mark Royal winning the Welsh International Open
2008 advert recording Alison Merrien (Guernsey)
winning the Champion of Champions at the Warrilla Bowls Club in
Kerry Packwood who in 2007 won the World Under 25's Singles Championship and she
regained the title in 2009.
Drakes Pride are please to be associated with her bowling successes.
Drakes Pride have claimed over the years to be “The Bowlers Choice Worldwide” and certainly over the years this has proved to be the case, quite often the younger players have made there first successful steps using Drakes Pride. Perhaps part of the reason is the care and craftsmanship that goes into each set or pair of Drakes Pride Bowls. They have blended the traditional bowls making skills acquired from wooden (Lignum Vitae) bowls and transferred those skills into the making of their composition bowls. They control everything from the selection of the powder used to mould the blanks from which the bowls are turned. The turning process to ensure that the profile specifications are achieved and at all time checking to that the bowls conform to standards better than those set down by the licensing and governing bodies of the game – World Bowls Ltd for Lawn Bowls and the British Crown Green Association for Standard Jacks. To the engraving of emblems and the painting of them to the final testing before boxing, the skill work force take a pride in the product.
In 2009 Drakes Pride chalked up another first with the introduction of the 'Speckled Crown Green Bowl'. Up to then solid coloured crown green bowls, which had been available for many years, were made from a poured resin. This material showed marks and scratched easily. Drakes Pride therefore used the tried and tested composition and added a bit of colour. These bowls are superior to any solid coloured crown green available at this time
Drakes Pride have been proud to have been associated with supplying bowls and accessories for the Commonwealth Games (Nominated supplier to The Games in Kuala Lumpur 1998 & Manchester 2002) as well as the major bowls competitions round the World.
The tradition of bowls manufacture started by Joseph Darlington in 1820 is continuing in 2009 and beyond under the Drakes Pride name as part of the family business of E.A. Clare & Son Ltd. with the fourth generation now involved in the running of the Company.
*********************
© 2009 E.A. Clare & Son Ltd. - Peter Clare