Lawn bowls is in decline. Can it make a comeback?

IF ASKED TO name the archetypal English sport, many people would probably plump for . But there is another game—both older and, for much of its history, more popular—which fits the description better. In the 14th century lawn bowling, a sport in which players roll large balls towards a smaller one (the “jack”), was so popular that it kept soldiers from their archery practice. Henry VIII was one of several monarchs to ban it, at least for the lower classes (a keen bowler, he continued to play).British players still dominate in lawn bowls at the (where it has been a “core sport” since the event was launched in 1930). Lush and meticulously tended bowling greens continue to dot Britain; many clubs serve as community hubs. But the game now has a different sort of popularity problem. As Britons have found more ways to fill their leisure time, club memberships have fallen. Closures have followed.