David Bryant, widely regarded as the greatest lawn bowler of all time, died on Wednesday, August 26, at the age of 88. His funeral will take place on Friday afternoon, with the cortege starting at Pizey Avenue and processing along Clevedon seafront before passing the Promenade bowls club, where he began playing in the 1940s, and Clevedon Pier. The service will be held at Christchurch at 2.30pm.
Bryant, born in Clevedon on 27 October 1931, was the son of Reg, an insurance manager and accomplished bowler, and Evelyn, a former hairdresser. He started bowling as a teenager on the family lawn and won the Clevedon club handicap singles at 16 in 1948. He trained as a teacher of pupils with special needs and taught at Highdale School in Clevedon.
Bryant revolutionised the sport, winning numerous titles and helping modernise its image as it turned professional in the 1980s. He won two gold medals at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth (singles and fours) and three more men's singles golds in 1970, 1974 and 1978. He became the first World outdoor singles champion in 1966, a title he won twice more, and won the inaugural World indoor singles championship in 1979, later winning it twice more. He also partnered Tony Allcock to six World indoor pairs titles.
Domestically, he won the English national outdoor singles six times, pairs three times, triples three times and fours four times. Indoors, he won the national singles nine times and pairs once. His first national title came in 1957, skipping a Clevedon quartet including his father to the English men's fours title. His last major international triumph was the World indoor pairs title in 1992 with Allcock.
Bryant was known for his distinctive style, crouching and rising for each delivery, except for the driving shot when he stood erect. He was a master tactician with an ice-cool temperament, known for his modesty, humility and high standards of etiquette and sportsmanship. In Australia and New Zealand, where he achieved many triumphs, he was called 'the Bradman of Bowls'.
