Bowls has a gender bias

Leading umpire Bryan Daly has blasted the way that women are treated at outdoor bowls clubs. England and Wales have won the team honours at this year's Atlantic Championships. The event, played

Leading umpire Bryan Daly has blasted the way that women are treated at outdoor bowls clubs.

Writing in his column in the latest edition of Nationwide Bowler, issue 14, Daly revealed his belief that female bowlers are still treated like second-class citizens in the outdoor game.

"If you are a female bowler in any of the Home Nations - England and Ireland in particular - you might as well resign yourself to the fact that you are going to play second fiddle to the male members of your club when it comes to playing on your own green" wrote Daly.

"Women in England, for example, can only play their competitive, high-profile matches in afternoons. It's the same in Ireland, whilst in Wales you're restricted to afternoons and evenings."

Scottish ladies, said Daly, dare slightly better in that they can play on a mixture of weekends and evenings. But he insists that this gender imbalance has been to the detriment of the game.

"To represent your country, you have to be a success at club level. But how can you do that if it's impossible for you to play because your matches are scheduled for when you're at work?" he continued.

"Surely it stands to reason that we could have let a massive world star slip through the net because of this."

To read Daly's comments in full, pick up a copy of issue 14 of Nationwide Bowler or, alternatively, register to read the magazine online now by following the links on this website.

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