A rose bowl which sat in a display cabinet for many years has been given a new lease of life with the staging of a ladies triples charity competition for the Mary Thomas Trophy.
Twelve teams from five clubs took part in the inaugural round robin competition – Millwood, Romilly, Penarth Rectory Road, Penarth Windsor and the hosts, Barry Athletic, who went onto beat a Romilly team 10-8 in the final.
Mary Thomas, who had an 80-year association with Barry Athletic, presented the trophy many years ago for an interclub competition. She won it, took it home, and it was not competed for again until this year.
Having come to the club as a girl with her father, she later met and married Ron Thomas, a Welsh international bowler and World Bowls Indoor President, eventually becoming a player in her own right, and serving as team captain and chair of the Ladies’ section at the club.
Daughter Gill Latham said the rose bowl had been in a display cabinet with other trophies: "My intention was to give it back to the club for an internal ladies triples competition, but to my amazement and delight Julie (Kiddy, ladies captain) arranged this tournament."
Barry Athletic’s team of Ros Judd, Ceri Allsup and Rose Weaver ensured the trophy stays with the host club after their narrow victory over Romilly’s Angela Hort, June Donovan and Pamela Chapple. The club hopes the tournament will become an annual event.
A total of £145 was raised on the day through entry fees and donations, which will go to Tenovus Cancer Care. Mary Thomas was one of the founders of Barry Friends of Tenovus in 1967.
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