ON a cold and wet Bank Holiday Sunday, down at the North Tawton Bowling Club something was happening.

A peek into the ground showed a large number of intrepid people in full wet weather gear, having a game of bowls in the rain. But there was a good reason for this madness: they were gathered to celebrate the life of Pat Ward, who passed away in July last year.

Pat was well-known in North Tawton and two of his sporting passions were bowls and football.

So Bank Holiday Sunday saw a large group of family members and friends, including bowlers and footballers, meet to commemorate all that Pat did for both clubs.

Before going out onto the green a bench was dedicated to Pat with a plate engraved with the inscription: Pat Ward - A special place - A special friend .

Then battle commenced and, after a hard fought contest, honours between the two clubs were declared to be broadly even.

The event was rounded off with lunch in the clubhouse and a huge draw.

Many of those attending had brought draw prizes and as a result, ticket sales and a donation raised the fantastic sum of £300; which was passed on to the Football Team Captain for the Junior Team.

At the end of the event Bowls Club Chairman John Kinsey thanked everyone for coming and for contributing to a really special day in memory of a really special person – our good friend Pat.

Mike Thwaites