Coronavirus
A Message from the WCGBA CEO Trevor Clarke
As you would expect, I and my colleagues in the WCGBA have been constantly trying to get some information of late as to the effect of the Coronavirus situation on our sport and the impact on the new season in Wales which is now virtually upon us.
Regrettably, although perhaps not surprisingly in the circumstances, this has been difficult to come by and indeed our opinion has been asked from above more than we have received direction. Accordingly, at least for the time being, we are in the position of having to make our own decisions in the light of what we know.
I’m afraid that there is little that can be added to current Government guidance at present and the stance from the BCGBA is one of ‘wait and see’ for the time being. Clearly I will urgently advise any further information I have but there is a clear need for some direction at the present time. We should all as Administrators and Bowlers acknowledge that we have a demographic in the sport that demands that we take this situation very seriously and any reaction or actions that I, or the other members of the WCGBA executive, take is made with this wholly in mind. In terms of individual Leagues then the WCGBA has no powers and moreover does not wish to assume any powers to dictate a response. A lot of you will have seen and noted the decision of the Clwydian Senior Citizens to suspend their League Fixtures until the beginning of July. I know many of the people who made this decision and I personally applaud the courage it took to make it. Whilst, therefore, I am not in a position to direct individual Leagues, I do believe that the ability to complete League fixtures is likely to be severely compromised at least for a window of 2 to 3 months and my advice is to consider the position in the light of that. In terms of Open and other competitions and indeed use of the Greens in individual clubs that is for the Clubs and their Members albeit that our advice has got to be that if Bowlers do wish to use the Greens, Government Guidelines regarding Coronavirus should be strictly followed and in no circumstances should Bowlers displaying any symptoms attend. We at the WCGBA stand ready to provide any support we can in terms of notices etc in achieving this.
In conclusion, can I say that I know how difficult this all is for a lot of you who are keen to continue our sport in the normal way. However, we simply cannot wait on events or until 20,30,50 or indeed a hundred Bowlers are struck down by this disease, we have to act now. I am open to any debate or questions on this issue at any time and will make myself available across all of the Social Media platforms or by direct email for your views.
Thank you for your understanding in these challenging times.