History

Eddlewood Bowling Club was formed in 1908 and celebrates its centenary year in 2008.

Eddlewood is an area situated about two miles from Hamilton Town Centre and up until recently was made up of mainly council owned property. The introduction of new housing developments has seen an upsize in the population of the area.

It was however very different nearly 100years ago when the bowling green opened on Saturday the 4th July at 4p.m. with over 130 people in attendance

The first recorded meeting available was within the Eddlewood Hall on the 14th April 1908. The first meeting staged to discuss the opening of a bowling green would appear to have been in April 1907.

At the opening of the bowling green Mr. T.W. Watson, J.P. of the Eddlewood and Neilsland Collieries said, "it was a great pleasure for him to see a bowling green at Eddlewood and he was sure they would agree with him when he said that if there was any class of workmen who richly deserved their evening's recreation under the blue sky of heaven it was the workers in the mines.

The bowling green was designed to provide a pastime for the miners employed in the District.

It was agreed to call the club "Eddlewood Workmen's Bowling Club."

The collieries of Eddlewood and Neilsland employed nearly 1300 men, a large number of whom were housed in the vicinity. There had been for many years talk about the construction of a bowling green in the village of Eddlewood as a summer past time.

Eddlewood was at the time already well supplied with winter games, there being a fine hall and reading room in connection with the collieries which were presented and maintained by Messrs John Watson Ltd owners of the collieries.

Such games as carpet bowls, billiards, draughts, dominoes and summer ice could be enjoyed. There was also a library containing 500 volumes of the best authors.

The club has now progressed to be the largest in Scotland.  See honours...