The core of bowling at Ilford is participation in internal leagues. There are generally three or four league sessions per day, each lasting for a fixed time of two hours. These are usually played with four players per team, but there two triples and one pairs league. A team will usually have enough players in it that by joining a team you would play approximately once every two weeks per league team you join, so most players will be in a handful of teams – or maybe more. Apart from not being a member of two teams in the same league you can join as many as you like!

League matches are structured compared to roll-ups, with points scored and end-of-season winners in each league, but are still played quite casually. We all like to win, but it really is the taking part that counts. Plus, as most leagues are played with a handicap system, if a team scores poorly one year then they have a head-start for the following one.

Once you’ve gotten used to playing indoors it’s very much recommended to join a league or two, and many will be on the lookout for new bowlers throughout the season. Contact details for team captains are in the handbook and as leagues are played so often it’s often easiest to talk to an existing team member either before or after they’ve finished playing to find out if they’re on the lookout for new members.