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Historic bowls team given weeks to leave club

Hannah Griffithsin Coventry
BBC A man with short white hair wearing glasses and a dark green and red coat stands in front on the Standard Triumph Recreation Club with the bowling green in front.BBC
Joint-chairman of the Standard Triumph Crown Bowls Club John Howells wants members to be able to finish the season

A 105-year-old crown green bowls club in Coventry has said it is being forced to leave its home in just over two weeks' time, leaving members "devastated".

The Standard Triumph club has more than 50 members who are offered a social experience as well as sporting competition, but it has been asked to leave its green at the Standard Triumph Recreation Club by the end of June.

It is understood the freehold for the site has been sold and that the lease was due to end in February 2027. But the timeline has left members confused as to why they must move so quickly and not finish their season.

The BBC has contacted Standard Triumph Recreation Club for comment.

John Howells, joint chairman of the bowls club, said: "We've actually been told by the Rec Club to get off the site by the end of this month - I can't understand why we are not being allowed to bowl here anyway, even if we see the end of our season out."

A brick one-storey building with white windows and green painted brick detail with an empty tarmac car park in front. A white porch with Standard Triumph Recreation Club Entrance written above.
Standard Triumph Recreation Club's lease on the land is due to come to an end in February 2027

The Crown Bowls club can trace its history back to 1921 and was set up in front of the water tower on the site of the Standard Motor Company factory

The green was next to the factory before it was eventually redeveloped and a new green was put in behind the Standard Triumph Recreation Club in 1994.

"This club's been here since 1921, [although] not on this particular site - we've actually had three bowling greens," Howell said.

"When they developed this site we finished up with a new bowling green because Herald Avenue, the road, went straight through the middle of the green."

The site also has a boxing club and is home to an Irish dancing team, both of which have also been told they will need to vacate the site.

A woman with short brown hair and glasses in a royal blue fleece jacket stands in front of a bowling green.
Sandra Kerby, Wednesday B Ladies captain, says members are "devastated"

The bowling club said it was given 30 days' notice after a meeting on 31 May.

Sandra Kerby, ladies captain of the B side, said: "I've met so many friends here, and it is great for socialising. We come here on a Monday morning for a couple of hours and tidy the place up and it's part of our life now.

"All we know is we've got to be out by the end of this month.

"It's shocking news actually. We are all devastated."

'Green share'

The club now hopes it can find another club prepared to let it share facilities so players can at least finish the current season.

Howell said: "We've actually been talking with Coundon Bowls Club. They've got two bowling greens so hopefully we'll be able to use one of them without clashing with their fixtures.

"But we would prefer to stop here until the end of the season."

BBC CWR has contacted the Standard Triumph Recreation Club by phone and email.

The emails have been unanswered.

A phone call was answered on 15 June by someone who did not identify themselves on request, but said the matter was in the hands of solicitors and that they could comment no further.

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