The then President Mr H.P.Jones who over the years had done much for the game,  relates the events leading up to the formation of the club. He states:

I was just back from the South African war and one evening Dr Lloyd asked me to come down to the lower field where some North  Countrymen were playing a strange game.  It turned out to be bowls-it was being played on an open field that had just been rolled over with a roller being pulled by a horse.  We were very impressed with it and asked Miss Clara Thomas if she would kindly give us some ground in order for us to build a green, this she agreed to and the Colliery Company built us a green,  but in our ignorance it was made only 25 yrds square instead of 40,  so after the first team we played had left we had to start again and make the green bigger.

Records show that for the first 3 years of its existence the Llanbradach Bowling Club was located in the lower field at the northern end of the village, just over half a mile away from its present day site.  The land which is now the current bowling green was kindly donated to the club by Miss Clara Thomas following a request from the founder members.  The Llanbradach mining explosion of 1901, in which 8 miners were killed,  marked the beginning of a close link between the club and colliery owners. The rescue parties were led by among others, colliery Manager Mr Samuel Gregory and his son Mr John F Gregory. The pit top was controlled by Sergeant Owen Eastment,  all of whom were club members.

 

 

The landmark day for Llanbradach Bowling Club came on Monday 13 June 1904 at 1 o'clock p.m. when the new green was opened at its present site.  This momentous occasion came on a typical bowling day-wet and windy-very little has changed in the game of bowls since that day. The green was opened by Mrs Gregory the esteemed wife of Mr S Gregory the Manager of the colliery and Chairman of the executive committee of the bowling green.  Miss Clara Thomas was unable to attend. After the ceremony a grand luncheon was prepared by Mr and Mrs Fussell, of the Llanbradach Hotel and was well partaken of and enjoyed.  Luncheon over, the members and guests played a game of bowls in the rain until it became too wet to play on.  The green consisted of 5 rinks and fees were 2/6 per annum.

June 12th 1914 will always be remembered as one of the saddest days in the history of Llanbradach as a bowling club and Llanbradach as a village with the announcement of the death of Miss Clara Thomas the benefactor of the ground which is now Llanbradach Bowling Club.  This great lady was well known for her gifts to charity, Cardiff Royal Infirmary and many other institutions, she will be sadly missed.

 

Over the years since its formation as a green for local colliery officials, the club has made headlines over and over again. The club is now the third oldest bowls club in Wales, and has enjoyed a record equalling long and successful history.  In 1912 the club had 33 members and a membership fee of five shillings a year. In 1973 there were 80 playing members and the membership fees were £4.40 a year including vat. 

 

 

Twenty years earlier the Chairman W.H Westhead, J.P. said that the club "had pioneered the game in South Wales. The secret of their success was the fact that the club was rich in loyalty,  though often poor in finances. This must have been true because the club is among the top teams in the country.  In 1953 when the club had a mere 30 members they bought the green and raised the money by prize draws and donations and in 1962 completely rebuilt the club house at a cost of £6000 to make it one of the finest in the country. During the rebuilding members were never turned away and it was said of the club that like the Windmill they never close.  The clubs impressive history shows that they had produced some excellent individual as well as team players. Among the bowling fraternity the club is admired and its achievements over many decades are the envy of many.

 

 

 

 

Most recently,  1994 was a historic moment for Llanbradach Bowling Club with the formation of the Ladies Section.  There were 30 founder members, although for one reason or another the section now has approx. 20 playing members and they play in the South Wales and Monmouthshire league.  The first season in the league was tough for the ladies as there were not many that had any bowling experience,  but over the last 9 yrs the ladies section has improved beyond recognition and it will not be too long before they bring honours to the club.

The then Chairlady Lucina Jackson opens the green with the Club President,  David Nicholas.  Sadly David is no longer with us, his big personality and jovial face will be missed by all who knew him.