6:00am Saturday 20th June 2009
By Tim Dunkley
IT sounds like a steamy South American dance or an over-priced dessert in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Since 1975, residents of a New Forest village have gathered once a year to compete in the French form of bowls and raise funds for the Sway Welfare Aid Group (SWAG).
After the cold winter of 1969/70, questions were asked at the St Luke’s Parochial Church Council meeting.
Detailed by Rev Peter Were, Lt Col Roger Moore formed SWAG at a meeting in the Sway Methodist church hall on April 30, 1970, with the objective “that everyone living alone in Sway has someone to whom they can turn in emergency”.
Moore came up with the idea of Sway Boule and enlisted Clive Potter and wife Christine to run it – which they have for each of the 35 years.
The Potters’ ever-present record just edges out Gwen Meaden, from Sway WI, who has coordinated the refreshments for 34 years.
For 29 years Sway Boule was held in the grounds of Sway Place - a Victorian mansion, owned by Mrs Savory, and later a nursing home.
When the building was demolished, the event moved to its present home.
At its peak, Sway Boule attracted 123 two-man teams. A junior event was added in 1981.
The Oxford Dictionary says that boule is played on rough ground – and there was certainly plenty of that at Jubilee Field for the 64 teams at this year’s competition.
Fortified by visits to the Friends of St Luke’s School Sway’s hot dog stall (sausages kindly donated by village butcher David West), Grace Blakeney & Elly Mantle defeated Christopher Straw & James Mantle (Elly’s brother) in the junior final.
Husband and wife Stephen & Alison Stone overcame Nigel Long & Bob Cleobury in the main final.
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