Origins
Wanborough Bowls Club was formed in June 1999 as part of the sports complex known as Hooper’s Field Recreation Ground.
The land was gifted to Wanborough Parish Council and drained suitable for cricket and football use. Further land surrounding Hooper’s Field was acquired by the Woodland Trust which gives the sports complex beautiful surroundings.
Having obtained the ground, Wanborough Parish Council succeeded in obtaining a lottery grant to build the sports complex comprising football, cricket, tennis, and bowls. Each of the clubs is managed by a committee accountable to the Parish Council.
Most of the inaugural members of the Bowls Club had never bowled before but in 2001, GWR, one of Swindon’s oldest bowling clubs, lost its green to developers and a number of its members joined Wanborough. This influx of experienced bowlers enabled the club to join local leagues.
Wanborough Bowls Club is affiliated to Swindon & District Bowls association, Bowls Wiltshire and Bowls England. In 2009 we reached our 10th anniversary and we are now a thriving club with over 100 members.
Recent years
In 2010, we gained accreditation to Swindon Sports Forum and in 2013 we were the first outdoor club in Wiltshire to attain Clubmark status which means we have achieved certain criteria relating to activity/playing programmes, duty of care and welfare, knowledge of our club and community and club management.
Family Sessions were introduced in 2017, which we hope to continue this year. WBC always encourages newcomers to try out the game, and has managed to recruit a good number of members over the past couple of years, despite the pandemic.