Biddy not bowled by age

IF anyone epitomises active living in later years it is Biddy Geany — champion bowls player, bon vivant and all-round good sport.

Now in her 90s, Biddy, from Carrigaline, Co Cork, braved the wind and the rain yesterday to travel to Castlebar, Co Mayo, for the second annual national indoor bowls tournament hosted by Active Retirement Ireland.

Biddy, who has 36 trophies on her mantlepiece, has been playing indoor bowls for 27 years and is not about to stop any time soon.

“I love every minute of it,” she says. ” I will probably die on the mat.”

A widow with two children, one grandchild and two great-grandchildren, the sport has become her passion.

“I love them all,” she says, “but my sport comes first, so if babysitting clashes with bowling, I won’t be able to babysit.”

That’s the kind of energy accentuated by ARI, the national representative body for 527 active retirement associations and more than 22,500 members.

Society needs to do more to encourage participation in sports amongst people of all ages, says ARI chief executive Maureen Kavanagh.

“If you look at media coverage of sports personalities, the vast majority of individuals being covered fall roughly into the 18 to 35 age-group,” she said yesterday at the tournament in Castlebar. “We feel it is important that sport is also promoted and incentivised amongst older members of our population.”

More than 400 retired men and women are taking part in the ARI National Bowls Tournament. Playing in mixed teams of four, competitors — who range in age from 55 to 90, including Biddy — are playing against fellow Active Retirement members from across the country in separate competitions, one for big bowls and one for small.

Picture: Biddy Geany: Has 36 trophies for bowls.