Jamaica, Lawn Bowls and Loyalties
This month I will realise a dream. I will pull on a Jamaican jersey at an international tournament. The sport? Lawn bowls.
Yep, you read it correctly. I will be playing lawn bowls for Jamaica at a test event for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
It all came about when Jamaica’s best lawn bowls player, Andrew Newell, reached out to me on twitter. He wanted to raise awareness about the sport and make it accessible for all communities. But the big plan was to see a Jamaican lawn bowls team at the next Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia.
It’s a wildly ambitious target, but I loved the idea. So did former WBC, European, British, and Commonwealth light welterweight champion, Junior Witter! He’s also signed up for the first ever team.
I cannot wait to get out on the green and represent Jamaica, and where better to prepare than the back “home”. Yes, I’m back on the island this week filming for BBC Sport. Keep an eye on the BBC’s Commonwealth Games coverage to see these features.
I’m also looking forward to exploring how modern day Jamaica feels about the Commonwealth. Does it mean anything anymore?
This question, and England football manager, Roy Hodgson’s recent demand that all his players sing the national anthem got me thinking about identity, and question if people understand how it has evolved.
As a kid I supported England at football and the West Indies in Cricket. When neither were involved I’d adopt Ireland as my team, because of my Irish grandmother. I used to get all sorts of stick for doing this from mates, who saw me as unpatriotic to the country of my birth.
But my feelings now are as strong as they were in the playground – why should I divide any so-called loyalties? It is entirely possible to feel a connection with many different countries and cultures.
However, I still struggle with anthems. The British one in particular. Coming from a family of Jamaican and Irish heritage, that may be unsurprising. I just feel some of the themes involved remind me of past we should never forget, but equally feel uncomfortable blindly celebrating. Google the subject. It makes for fascinating reading.
Yet despite the anthem, I’ll still be cheering on England – but with a Jamaican jersey on, while stood on a bowling green.