A community stalwart – who was instrumental in the building of the indoors bowls club in Huntingdon – has celebrated his 100th birthday.
Ernest Bryant, known as Jim, of Brampton, marked his centenary with a family party on February 10.
After being involved with both local and national bowling tournaments for many years in 1982 Mr Bryant was given a place on the Huntingdon and Godmanchester Indoors Bowls Steering Committee.
“I remember when they were trying to get an indoors bowls club there was a meeting in the Huntingdon Town Hall and they had put us in the smallest room thinking that not many people would be attending,” Mr Bryant’s daughter, Shelia, recalls.
“But more and more people turned up, and my dad kept quiet as he knew that people from all around would turn up. We eventually ended up in the ballroom.”
The passion for bowling wasn’t exclusive to Mr Bryant as he also played with his wife Lilian.
“She was much better than me at bowling, I just did as I was told,” said Mr Bryant, who was born in Brighton.
The pair met after Mr Bryant moved to Brampton at the age of 25, at a dance night at the Brampton Institute Sports and Social Club in November 1940.
Six months later the couple were married and went onto have children, Shelia and Ian, and later welcomed two grandchildren.
Mr Bryant, who was also a parish councillor and a church warden, puts his long life down to a glass of scotch a day.
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