Sellindge & District Bowls Club chairman Trevor Oliver-Jones hopes younger members are attracted to the sport by the Commonwealth Games

As Sellindge & District Bowls Club mark their 50th anniversary, it’s hoped younger members will be attracted to give the sport a go this summer.

Both lawn bowls and Para lawn bowls will be played at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which will be held from July 28 until August 8.

The Games will take place amid the 2022 celebrations at Sellindge Bowls Club, based on Swan Lane near Ashford, with the club having been founded a half-century ago.

Chairman Trevor Oliver-Jones has noted how participation in curling has increased following recent Team GB success and, while bowls is already televised at the World Indoor Bowls Championships, he wants to see more youngsters give it a go amid the hype around the Games.

He explained: “One of the sports which is similar to ours and which is having a wonderful time at the moment is curling.

“I’d never really heard of curling until two or three years ago!

"That’s going on in leaps and bounds, not particularly in Ashford, but certainly in other areas of the country and attracting all sorts of younger people.

“We are looking to follow them to help people come into something that is hopefully very friendly, entertaining but a little bit competitive, like any sport is.”

The idea for a sports club in Sellindge was conceived in 1967 and, five years later, The Sports and Social Club was opened by boxer Henry Cooper.

Oliver-Jones said: “It started in 1972 but it [the anniversary] comes round quickly, doesn’t it? The fact that it’s still going is good.

“We have got some celebratory events planned, we have already had a dinner [at Ashford Golf Club] this year to celebrate.”

In 2015, Sellindge was one of 91 projects to be given a slice of a £6,039,499 National Lottery funding boost to fund