Norma Shaw

Norma Shaw MBE (1937-2009), born near Wakefield, was an English international indoor and lawn bowler.^[1]

Norma Shaw
MBE

Personal information
Nationality	British (English)
Born	(1937-06-08)8 June 1937
Died	10 June 2009(2009-06-10) (aged 72)
Sport
Sport	Bowls
Club	Norton BC
Medal record Representing  England World Outdoor Championships 1981 Toronto Singles 1981 Toronto Pairs 1981 Toronto Team 1985 Melbourne Pairs 1985 Melbourne Team 1988 Auckland Triples 1988 Auckland Fours 1992 Ayr Triples 1996 Leamington Spa Fours 1996 Leamington Spa Team 2000 Moama Triples 2000 Moama Team Commonwealth Games 1982 Brisbane Triples 1994 Victoria Singles 1994 Victoria Triples 1998 Kuala Lumpur Fours World Indoor Championships 1997 Llanelli Singles Atlantic Bowls Championships 1993 Florida singles 1993 Florida pairs 1995 Durban singles 1995 Durban pairs 1999 Durban fours British Isles Championships 1990 pairs 1983 triples

Bowls career

World Championship

Norma won twelve World Outdoor Bowls Championship medals. The success started with two gold medals and a bronze medal at the 1981 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Toronto. Four years later she won a silver medal and another bronze at the 1985 World Outdoor Bowls Championship followed by two more silvers at the 1988 World Outdoor Bowls Championship. Norma then competed in her fourth and fifth successive championships at the 1992 World Outdoor Bowls Championship and 1996 World Outdoor Bowls Championship securing a bronze in both. Her final appearance was at the 2000 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Moama where she won a bronze in the triples and finished with a gold medal in the team event.^[2]

Commonwealth Games

Norma represented England at four Commonwealth Games winning four medals from 1982 until 1998.^[3][4][5]

World Indoor Bowls Championship

Norma also won the 1997 World Indoor Bowls Championship held in Llanelli.^[6]

Atlantic Championships

Norma won five medals Atlantic Bowls Championships including a singles gold medal at the 1993 inaugural tournament in Florida.^{[7][8][9][10]}

National

Norma won eight National Championships bowling for Durham.^[11] Theyincluded the singles in 1998, the pairs in 1980 and 1989,^[12] the triples in 1982^[13] and the fours in 1977.^[14]

Norma was the first woman to break into the male dominated televised tournaments. She died in June 2009.^[15]

Recognition

Shaw was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1985 Birthday Honours for services to bowls.^[16]

References

1. "Profile". Bowls Tawa.
2. Newby, Donald (1990). Daily Telegraph Bowls Yearbook 91. Telegraph Publications. ISBN 0-330-31664-8.
3. "Athletes and Results". Commonwealth Games Federation.
4. "COMMONWEALTH GAMES MEDALLISTS - BOWLS". GRB Athletics.
5. "Athletes and results". Commonwealth Games Federation.
6. ""Shaw turns tables for final reward." Times [London, England] 21 Apr. 1997". The Times.
7. "'Shaw strikes gold'". The Times. 25 October 1993. p. 28. Retrieved 25 May 2021 – via The Times Digital Archive.
8. "'Guernsey finally falter". The Times. 1 November 1993. p. 21. Retrieved 25 May 2021 – via The Times Digital Archive.
9. "Jones, D.R. (1995) 'S Africa's bowlers reclaim top spot'". The Times. 24 April 1995. p. 21. Retrieved 25 May 2021 – via The Times Digital Archive.
10. "'For the Record' (1995)". The Times. 1 May 1995. p. 32. Retrieved 25 May 2021 – via The Times Digital Archive.
11. "Past Records". Bowls England.
12. "Bowls". The Times. 18 August 1980. p. 34. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.
13. "Allan, G. 'Bowls'". The Times. 19 August 1982. p. 19. Retrieved 26 August 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.
14. "Waverley within a shot of EBA title". Nottingham Evening Post. 23 August 1977. Retrieved 18 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
15. "Tribute competition to bowls legend Norma Shaw held". Gazette Live. 30 August 2010.
16. United Kingdom list: "No. 50154". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 1985. p. 15.