‘I’m an England bowler and Rishi Sunak made one major mistake when he tried to play it'
Rishi Sunak played lawn bowls in Market Bosworth as he continued his campaign trail around the country today.
Rishi Sunak visited a bowls club in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, this afternoon where he tried his hand at the lesser-known sport.
The Prime Minister took to the green where he played alongside club president Brenda Gilbert and Conservative MP for Bosworth Dr Luke Evans, after club coach Richard Newby gave him some tips and tricks.
Mr Sunak showed his competitive side and celebrated after he appeared to win the short match.
But while his enthusiasm was in no short supply, his technique was somewhat lacking.
When delivering a bowl, it is important to be as close to the ground as possible - not chucking it two feet away from the green.
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Failing to do so not only risks a poor delivery, which could see the bowl wobble up and down the green and fail to reach its desired course, but it can also cause great damage to the playing surface.
Hurling a bowl from the hip can cause divots to form on the carefully manicured green, which costs thousands of pounds to maintain each year.
Mr Sunak even stopped to take a selfie during play - something my team managers and the umpires certainly wouldn't approve of.
He did get one thing right though - the frustration about not quite getting the right shot. He flailed his arms when it missed the jack - the smaller ball that you try to get as close to as possible - and put his hands out in an attempt to slow his ball down when he put too much weight behind it.
But I can't complain about his eagerness to give the sport a go as anything that raises the profile of our beloved sport - which often gets a bad reputation as only being a sport for old people - is a good thing.
After his introduction to the sport, the club coach encouraged the Prime Minister to take up the game once the election campaign comes to an end on July 5. But sadly he failed to respond.
Bowls England celebrated the fourth year of their Bowls' Big Weekend, partnered with Aviva, where over 660 clubs opened their doors for free over the Bank Holiday Weekend. Find out more at BowlsEngland.com
Emily Ferguson has played bowls for 17 years and has represented England for 10 of them. She was recently selected as part of the 2024 England squad.
