The Hong Kong lawn bowls community has welcomed the news that Legislative Council has approved the building of a new indoor green in Taipo.
The four-rink green is part of a mixed amenity development project including a multi-purpose sports centre, community hall and football pitches in Area 1 of Taipo, located just opposite Taipo Center.
The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved a budget of HK$2.16 billion for the project in its meeting last Friday, June 17. Work is expected to commence later this year, with a targeted completion date of 2020.
The new green will definitely boost the sport of lawn bowls in Hong Kong as the availability of greens has been a major challenge for the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association over the years, according to Vincent Cheung, President of the HKLBA.
“In the past few years we have seen a steady increase of participants in our sport and the increasing popularity has created more pressure on the provision of greens for matches and leisure use. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has been supportive to our cause, however, a lack of land space in the territory has limited their efforts.
“The approval of the Taipo project is good news for us but we need to continue our quest for more new greens in Hong Kong because the increase in bowlers will definitely outnumber the increase of greens,’ said Cheung.
Another green in the pipeline is a four-rink indoor green in Shatin, which is scheduled to open later this year. The green at the Police Officer Club, which was demolished to give way to the Wanchai Bypass and Island Eastern Corridor Link project, will also come back as a four-rink indoor green in 2020.
Currently there are seven public greens in Hong Kong, with three on the Hong Kong Island (Victoria Park, Ap Lei Chau and Sai Wan Ho) and four in the New Territories (Shatin, Taipo Waterfront Park, Tsuen Kwan O and Tuen Mun). Last year more than 18,000 people participated in lawn bowls activities organised by LCSD.
This weekend in Lawn Bowls
The Premier League continues this week on Saturday June 25, starting at 2:30pm at all greens in Hong Kong. On Sunday June 26 there is a Lawn Bowls Funday at Victoria Park from 2:30 to 6:45pm, and the women’s National Triples semi-finals will be held at Hong Kong Cricket Club, starting at 3pm.
Claudius Lam is an officer of the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association.
