Wikipedia will tell you all about the game (click here), but it won't tell you how sociable it is. Most bowls other than the formal competitions is played by people who have turned up for a roll-up, or just 'on spec', so that you quickly get to know the other members in the club.

At Gerrards Cross we play outdoor flat green Bowls (as opposed to Crown Green, popular in the North). Competitions are played as singles, or with teams from two to four people, but the roll-ups and friendly matches are mostly played as triples - two teams of three people.

We welcome new members, and provide free training which will quickly get you able to take part in our roll-ups. You don't have to be a great player to be very welcome at them - the way the game is structured means that the weaker players in a team can be put on first. The players with more skill and experience can then come on next, and use the woods already on the green to maximise the score for their team.

Bowls is one of the least physically demanding of the outdoor sports, so it has acquired an image of a sport played by the elderly. This is misleading - we have members in their teens and younger - but there is naturally a tendency for the afternoon roll-ups to be attended more by the retired, while the summer evenings see the younger members turning out.

Although Bowls originally gained popularity as an inexpensive alternative to golf, we now have a number of members who play both. Bowls offers a similar blend of skill, competition and sociability while requiring less commitment (a bowls game usually takes about two hours). Competent putters usually make competent bowlers.

Like any other sport you have to try it out to know whether you will take to it. We hold open days and 'taster' sessions to give people that chance. Contact our secretary (secretary@gxbc.co.uk) for details.