Irish road bowler throws curves

The sport is simple: All it takes is a small ball and a one- to two-mile country road. And an eye out for the occasional car.

From out of the confines of an indoor bowling alley, there won't be anyone bowling a 300. But there will be a good time in the outdoors with friends and maybe a hearty lager or two.

Sun City Center resident Jim Harkins is determined to help bring the sport of Irish Road Bowling onto a street near you.

An ancient sport, Irish Road Bowling is primarily played in County Armagh in Northern Ireland and in County Cork in Southern Ireland. It consists of a 28-ounce ball, called a "bowl" or "bullet," that is hurled underhanded over a country road. Like golf, the fewest number of shots from the start to the finish line wins.

Harkins, whose parents hail from Northern Ireland, visited the Motherland every year growing up. Four years ago, while visiting County Armagh in Northern Ireland, he met a priest who played the game and watched a match. He wasn't immediately enthralled.

"I was saying, 'This looks a little boring; about as exciting as watching the grass grow,'" said Harkins, 74, a retired U.S. Air Force officer and European-based 3M line manager. "Then I participated and found it was fun."

In Ireland, the sport is most popular. Irish Road Bowling is also played in Scotland, northern England and is gaining a foothold in the United States, with leagues in South Dakota, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia and West Virginia, which has one of the biggest followings.

To play, players need to throw the bowl with optimum speed, controlled delivery and accuracy, along with tactical play over a predetermined distance of a normal roadway.

Harkins said he hopes to get a local road bowling team or league formed by educating people about the sport. He said he's in the process of scouting out possible roads to play on, such as Northeast 19th Avenue, and getting permission from the county to close part of the road for matches.

"It's good to have curves and you have to throw it (the ball) at such a way to spin it around curves," he said.

Harkins said he has gotten tips on getting the game going from other clubs, such as the Asheville Road Bowling Association in North Carolina. Justin Hunter, one of the founders, said his club started in March and has about 20 members, with up to another 100 interested in learning more.

Originally from West Virginia and a road bowler for nine years, Hunter said the best way to play is to limit the players to small groups of eight to 12 to avoid having to have large sections of road closed off. He said the fringe sport is gaining prominence in the South.

"The reception it gets is fairly amazing, although it is obviously not mainstream," he said. "Currently, we work pretty much on word-of-mouth. Our first year has been organization and a good group of friends bowling in the road while next year will be more about expansion."

In West Virginia, the U.S. hotbed of road bowling, David Powell, who helped bring the sport to America in 1995, said there are about 300 members of the West Virginia Irish Road Bowling Association. He said seven state parks there offer playing surfaces.

"It's so unusual and it can be difficult when you try it," said Powell, who started playing 14 years ago. "Once you try it, it's fun and you fall in love with the sport."

Locally, Harkins said a few friends and acquaintances have expressed interest in learning about Irish Road Bowling and taking a few shots themselves.

Colin Breen, owner of Four Green Fields, an Irish pub in Tampa, said he's familiar with the sport, but isn't sure where it could be played or how popular it would get. He said he saw a match while visiting Cork, Ireland, about 10 years ago.

"It would be good as far as exposure to another culture and sport. He wants to try and make it work; maybe he will," he said.

For information, e-mail Harkins, jharkins3@tampabay.rr.com.