Members of Barry Athletic Bowls Club are planning a two-week trip to Kenya early next year.
It will be a follow-up to a visit by a touring team from the African country which played several matches in Wales recently, their first in Barry.
More than a dozen members have expressed an interest in making the trip, which will include playing four or five matches against local clubs, enjoying some sightseeing, and possibly a safari during their stay.
Club member Mark Ellis has been in contact with Cardiff businessman Peter Allen, who has links with Kenya and has been co-ordinating visits there by sports clubs for several years. He accompanied the Kenyan party when they played at Barry Athletic.
“Peter can help us out with itinerary,” said Ellis. “He used to play for Lisvane CC, which has been out there three times. We need to sort things out at this end – costs, timing, accommodation and so on – and he can arrange the matches.”
An initial exploratory meeting at Barry Athletic attracted interest from 15 members. “I want to get things going, because we are looking at early 2026, which seems a long way away, but it’s not really,” said Ellis.
Fifteen would be his perfect number - five triples - and Ellis wants a maximum of five matches so there is plenty of time for sightseeing, which is likely to include a few days on the coast in Mombasa.
“I don’t want to do what the Kenyan tourists did,” he said. “They played eight games, and as some of them went sightseeing, they were occasionally short of players, so I ended up playing several games for them.”
The match at Barry Athletic saw the hosts win on four rinks and lose on two. “But the result wasn’t important,” said Ellis. “It was a really nice day, the atmosphere was good, and we all enjoyed it.”
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