ONE can only marvel at the grand old lady of the Parkside Bowling Club enjoying an outdoor game on a frosty morning a week before her 94th birthday. But watching Wyn Rowell clutch a clubmate’s arm and break into a jog between ends does tend to leave one’s heart in one’s mouth.

Sipping a whisky in the clubhouse next to Fleming Park Leisure Centre, Eastleigh, after her game, Wyn couldn’t understand what all the fuss is about.

“I often jog up and down,” she pointed out ahead of her 94th birthday next Thursday.

Every week, Wyn enjoys two games of outdoor bowls and one game indoors plus line-dancing, a bit of gardening and a spot of embroidery.

And she attacks The Times cryptic crossword every day, although not always 100 percent successfully. “I’m never stuck for something to do,” Wyn said. “I hate sitting down doing nothing.

“I don’t want to give bowls up until I can’t walk up and down the pitch. “It might not look it but it’s very relaxing. Everybody’s friendly. It’s good exercise and I like walking anyway.”

Full story in today's Daily Echo