It started in the years 1972/73 when a number of like minded people from the bowling fraternity in the Cwmbran area approached the Cwmbran Urban District Council with the idea of having a purpose built indoor bowls hall facility in the area.
After much negotiation the C.U.D.C. agreed to supply 3 roll down carpets which were located in the Fairwater Leisure Centre.
Bowling commenced there in 1974.
Teams were formed and play took place each Sunday, with session times 10am - 2pm and 2pm - 6pm.
This facility was extremely well used throughout the winter months, late September until the end of the following March, when the outdoor season restarted.
This facility was to remain viable for 8 years and during this period a steering committee was formed to further the original hopes and aims.
The main instigator at the time was W. G. (Bill) Cook aided by:
- Mr R. Catstree M.B.E.
- Mrs P. Ware
- Mr E. A. John
- Mr A. Barr
- Mr J. Millership
- Mr W. E. Cantle
As the facility at Fairwater was so well used the C.U.D.C. seemed favourable to building a permanent indoor bowls hall.
After much discussion about the size and location it was agreed that a 6 rink building would be attached to Cwmbran Stadium.
Work started on this circa 1980 and the Bowls Hall was officially open November 13th 1982.
The opening ceremony was graced by the presence of Mr Cliff Morgan the renowned Welsh and British Lion rugby player, who at the time was head of BBC Wales outside broadcasting.
As this was the only bowling facility in the vicinity the membership rapidly increased.
Soon there were so many members that they were restricted to playing a maximum of twice a week, bearing in mind that there were 20 teams per night ( Monday - Friday).
Also a Sunday night mixed league and daytime leagues.
The sixth rink was kept open for public use, except when being used on Saturday afternoons against other stadia in Welsh Championships.
In addition there were also two Sunday afternoon league teams each of 4 rinks.
They were called Oakfield Team and Henllys Team which are the names of the two highways that pass each side of the bowls hall.
The Oakfield Team comprised of players from the local outdoor clubs and the Henllys Team was made up of players from outlying areas.
The Torfaen Club progressed very well for many years, until other stadia were built in other parts of Monmouthshire and Cardiff.
Unfortunately we were net losers at that time.
However the facilty is still open and providing much enjoyment for hundreds of people.
Many thanks must go to the afore mentioned steering committee and others who perservered all those years ago, which resulted in this fine facilty which benefits the whole community.
Last Modified on: 05-12-2018