Blackpool Newton Hall bowler Mark Dawes hopes magnificent world title double will boost troubled sport

It follows the closure of the club Mark has represented for the past 15 years, Blackpool Newton Hall on Staining Road, whose owners have decided not to reopen after the pandemic.

But even without a club, Dawes was on sparkling form at the world showpiece in Norfolk, lifting the open singles title in convincing style on Sunday, days after being crowned world pairs champion with Jamie Chestney at the same Potters Resort venue.

Radcliffe-based Mark achieved the same feat three years ago and so becomes only the second player ever to do the ‘double-double’ – all-time great Tony Allcock managed it in successive years, 1986 and ’87.

Back at work the day after his two-sets-to-nil win over former champion Greg Harlow in the final, the modest 37-year-old told The Gazette: “I was just surprised really. It’s amazing how similar it was to 2018, when I got into the zone and felt I couldn’t go wrong.

“Both years I improved as the tournaments went on and I do think you need to grow into them. Sometimes, if your first match goes brilliantly, you worry that it could all go wrong.”

On the championship website, Mark is still registered as a Blackpool bowler and he is unsure where to call home in future as Lancashire and Greater Manchester, where he is based, now have no indoor centre.

He said: “Leeds is probably the closest to me but the problem then would be national areas – if they wanted me to play in Hull or Scarborough, it’s quite a long way. It may be that I reduce my commitments but it’s up in the air.”

So is the sport’s future in these parts, with the loss of the Blackpool centre for its 475 members and the pandemic causing concerns.

Dawes shares those worries but sees reasons for optimism.

He added: “The closure of Blackpool Newton Hall is unfortunate for all the bowlers and it does leave a big hole in Lancashire.

“There are not a lot of clubs around and it would be nice if someone thought it was a good investment to develop a new one.

“It’s disappointing because for many of these people it’s more than a bowling club – it’s their social meeting point, which can be very important.

“The main demographic for bowling is older and a lot of players have been shielding. It’s a shame they don’t have that indoor facility they can look forward to going back to.

“I’m worried for both codes (indoor flat bowling and crown green) and the biggest issue is that people have found something else to do over the past year.

“Speaking to people, particularly on the flat side, I do think people have missed it.

“They have missed the friendships you make through bowling and they do want to go back – but it could be another 12 or 18 months before people feel safe getting involved again.”

Mark also hopes his success can help to challenge the image of bowling as a game for the elderly, though he stresses the ways in which retired people and the sport help each other.

“At the top level, a lot of younger people do play and it would be nice if we saw more images of the younger element,” he says.

“But that isn’t to disregard the older demographic. Because people who are able to go to clubs for afternoon matches in midweek are a very important part of the game.

“You can play bowls if you are six years old or 90. It’s a game for all ages.

“That is its biggest selling point and it’s what gives me hope for the sport.”

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