The grandees of bowling passed some of their skills onto the younger generation in preparation for the annual Merton Schools Bowling Tournament on Monday.

Merton Bowling Club was hosting the event for the third successive year and, together with clubs from Merton Park, Mitcham and Wimbledon Park, helped tutor the four participating schools.

Pupils for Benedict, Garfield, Joseph Hood and Singlegate primary schools each fielded ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams bowling it out over six games or ‘ends.’

The tournament, which is jointly sponsored by Merton Council, was set up to encourage more young people into the sport.

The winners were Singlegate School coached by Merton Park Bowling Club (348 points), Jospeh Hood (247), Garfield (241) and Benedict (232).

Cllr Nick Draper said: “Congratulations to all the teams and the work of the clubs involved in coaching them. Bowls is a popular sport in the borough and this is a great way to introduce younger people to the game.”