First site was in Cashel Street

Press, 3 February 1984, Page 12

First site was in Cashel Street

Canterbury is the secondoldest bowling club in the Christchurch centre, the Christchurch club in Worcester Street predating it by eight years.

Canterbury’s first home was in Cashel Street, behind what is now the Occidental Hotel. The hotel in those days was known as Collins’s and the driving force behind the club’s formation was the then-proprietor, Mr John Toovey.

The Cashel Street property was sold in 1904 or 1905 and it was in 1906 that Canterbury moved to its present premises in Gracefield Avenue. The club grew steadily in its early years and by 1920 had a membership of 100. Today the figure is 150.

When the move was made in 1906 the turf from Cashel Street was dug up and re-

laid at the new site. The transfer apparently went well and for many years the grass greens at Canterbury were held in high regard.

Not surprisingly, therefore, the club was one of the last to switch to the cotula weed, which gained rapidly in popularity in the late 1960 s and early 19705. Canterbury made the switch four years ago and although it is experiencing some problems with its small, half green this summer the big one is an excellent surface.

In its early days, and right through in fact until the 19505, Canterbury was a very strong playing club. It also gained considerable national recognition in the years between the two world wars.

Jack Redpath, who died just a few years ago at the

age of 100, was a top player in the 19205. He won Canterbury its first champion-of-champions title, the fours, in 1925, and this was the year after he had taken the Dominion pairs in partnership with James Angus.

In 1936, Jim Turpin and Dick Haworth were the national pairs champions, and Haworth skipped Canterbury teams to victory in the fours in both 1936 and 1937.

Again in 1941 the fours were won by a Canterbury team, the skip this time being Phil Munn.

Canterbury has lacked a little for top players in recent years, but through times both good and bad Canterbury has never lost its reputation for being a club of warm hospitality and strong bonds of fellowship.