Background to the Harry Roscow trophy

The trophy dates from the 1950s and was given by granddad Harry Roscow, pictured above, to our cousin Ken Moran. The following text is from Ken.

Granddad was, to say the least, a keen crown green bowler and he was president of the Lever Edge Bowling Club for a couple of years. 

Back in those days each local town had its annual holidays at a set time every year; they were known as 'Wakes Weeks'. Granddad and grandma would travel to Fleetwood for a week's holiday, sometimes two weeks. 

Fleetwood ran a bowling competition every week of the holiday season and it was referred to as the 'Visitors' Handicap'. Needless to say, granddad would enter each year. Sometimes he would do well, other times not so well, as the standard of competition was very high. 

I'm sure he reached the final of the competition on more than one occasion and I do think that one year he won. All the week's winners were invited back to play in a grand final competition at the end of the season in September. I think he reached the quarter final but was knocked out. 

Grandma would be sitting in a deck chair on the wide slopes of the complex overlooking the four bowling greens and I would play on the sands close by or quite often walk round the greens watching granddad bowl. This was the scene in the mornings and, after dinner at the boarding house, also in the afternoons. 

A lot of my childhood was spent in this way as my own parents could not afford a holiday. So I was a bit of a spoilt child. This is just to set the scene of how holidays were spent in the 1950s, for me a very happy time and it did seem as if the sun shone day after day. 

Granddad's bowls were made by a bloke called Peter Boardman, who I think was a friend. From time to time Peter would make a money box out of a bowl with a brass plate and slot for coins. All the coins of that time would fit through the slot, but the pound coin of today will not. Granddad got one of the money box bowls for me when I was about ten years old and it has been with me ever since. It has travelled with me to South Africa and back. I think the wood has dried out a little and it has a few scuff marks, but for its age it has survived pretty well. 

When I saw pictures on Facebook with a cup for your bowling competition I had the idea that the bowl would make a great trophy for you to play for, and at the same time bring back memories of our granddad. It is a way of keeping it in the family and I am sure granddad would be very pleased to see it used in this way, and even more pleased to see his grandsons bowling in competition for it. As I have said before, you must be a chip off the old block. I hope you like it and have a good time playing for it. 

Best wishes, Ken.