First chief executive targets a turnaround

GARY COLLINS, just 23, is the first chief executive of the Guernsey Bowling Association. His election to the most powerful position in men's outdoor bowls came on the very day Guernsey Indoor Bowling Association president Charlie Renouf appealed for new, younger blood to help run the ailing indoor game.

Collins , unmarried and a civil servant, will fill the roles previously taken by three men: the secretary, fixtures secretary and treasurer.

He is also on the three-man island selection committee and could, if the council decides, be elected as team manager.

Collins' dedication to the sport is such that by standing as a selector he forfeits immediately any chance of representing the island team.

He has Matt Le Ber, even younger at 19, as his deputy.

The new chief executive serves under a new GBA president in Bernie Simon, the 63-year-old former Commonwealth Games player.

All three are staunch Vale Rec Bowling Club men and, in what some observers might see as a dangerous move, every position of power in men's outdoor bowls is now held by members of the Corbet Field club.

Both Simon and Collins, though, are playing that down and the former insists it is quite by accident.

'It is not by design, I can assure you. It's by a lack of interest.'

Simon said one of his first tasks would be to contact the Northern Bowling Association and the Guernsey Bowling Club to help address the Vale Rec bias and 'allay any fears'.

Simon, who has served as Vale Rec president and was instrumental in developing the Corbet Field headquarters, admits he is something of a reluctant president.

With John Martel stepping down from the position, someone had to fill the role.

'I took the post on because I

didn't want to see the GBA fold.'

But, now installed, Simon said: 'Hopefully, I can bang a bit of life into the GBA.'

Simon is looking forward to working closely with Collins.

'He's keen, very keen.

'Another two or three like him and we'd be on top of the world.'

Collins is excited at the challenges that lie ahead and in no way does he consider himself too young.

'I think it's time we had new blood, new ideas.

'If you look at my sport, over the last 10 years, it's been going downhill,' said the new chief executive.

Collins is certainly not new to GBA affairs, having served as treasurer for four years and taken on extra duties.

'In those four years, we haven't really had a secretary and I've been doing the secretarial job for a lot of that time.'

The annual meeting also oversaw the streamlining of the association.

Not only do the positions of secretary, fixtures secretary and treasurer go, so does the role of junior vice-president.

Under the new arrangements, there will be just one vice-president and that is Dave Lucas, another Vale Rec diehard.

Joining Collins on the selection committee are his father, Nigel, and Derek Barlow.