Bichard will get the ball rolling in Dublin tonight

THE British Isles Men's Bowls Championships return to Dublin for the first time in more than 60 years this week.

The fact that the Crumlin and St James's Gate clubs are hosting the British Isles flagship event, which gets under way prematurely today, serves as a poignant reminder that, in Irish bowls, there is no boundary between north and south.

Interestingly, the event was last staged in Dublin in 1952, since when it has been played in Northern Ireland when it was Ireland's turn to push the boat out, although, for a while during 'The Troubles', it was occasionally held in England.

This year's championships, featuring as they do the champions of the four home countries and two Channel Islands, will bridge a gap of 61 years and it falls to none other than Guernsey's Kris Bichard to get the ball (or bowl) rolling, as he bids for the British under-25 singles title.