With sadness, Bowls England advises the passing of former World Championship gold-medallist and long-standing England international Ted Hayward at the age of 98.
Having first represented his country in 1967, Ted went on to win further honours on a regular basis over the next seven years.
The pinnacle of his career probably arrived at Worthing in 1972 when he joined Norman King, Peter Line and Cliff Stroud in winning World Championship gold for England.
Two years later Ted was selected in the four that represented England at the 1974 Commonwealth Games at Christchurch. Bowling alongside Dave Crocker, Bob Robertson and Harry Taylor, he was part of a line-up that eventually finished in fifth place.
Ted also had a stellar county career during which he played 84 games for Middlesex during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s before moving to Sussex in 1988.
Ted was a relative latecomer to bowling whose sporting talents had previously been directed into snooker where he was – according to daughter Helen – good enough to beat the great Joe Davis in an exhibition match and in the process win a cue!
Middlesex County historian Paul Reynolds’ archives show that Ted first picked up a wood aged 36 in 1961 when he and his brothers Stan and George – who respectively developed into county and England indoor bowlers – visited Memorial BC in Hyde Park.
The following year Ted joined the Maida Vale BC and within three seasons found himself in his first Middlesex final, the singles, where he was beaten by Middleton Cup winner Les Root.
Ted’s talent was apparent and during 1966 he joined neighbouring Paddington BC who at the time were one of the dominant clubs in Middlesex, and began a rapid rise to the top of the sport.
He won the Middlesex Singles and Fours at his first attempt and also that year started a 16-year uninterrupted stint in the Middleton Cup team during which he reached five finals, winning it in 1969. In total, Ted won two County Singles titles, the Triples three times and the Fours on four occasions.
Ted remained at Paddington BC until 1977 then, after a year at Shadwell BC, he moved to Century BC in Wembley, which was closer to his work as a foreman in a carburettor factory in Stanmore.
Four more county titles and five more seasons of Middleton Cup followed until he left Middlesex in 1988 and moved to live and play at Worthing BC where he joined father-in-law Norman.
Ted continued playing Middleton Cup for Sussex until the early 90’s having one last moment in the sun when he lifted the Sussex County Singles in 1998 when aged 73.
According to Sussex County Secretary Rod McBeth, Ted became a very popular stalwart of the club at which he had previously won his World Championship gold medal and even when eventually unable to bowl he was regularly seen driving around the greens on his mobility scooter.
Ted met future wife Peggy who was the daughter of county teammate and fellow gold medallist Norman, at the 1972 World Championships.
With typically wry humour he later told friends: “Norman brought Peggy down to watch the championships – that’s how we met – and we got married three years later. That’s the most vivid memory of 1972 for me…that and the eight we scored against South Africa!”
Ted is survived by Peggy who is a former county bowler for Hertfordshire and Sussex plus daughters Julie, Kate and Helen.
Helen who is a member at Worthing Pavilion BC bowled competitively alongside Ted on many occasions including his final competitive outing in the National Mixed Pairs aged 85.
“He became my biggest supporter after that,” she recalls. “He was always sat at the end of the green watching me and telling me what I was doing wrong!”