David John Bryant is a former three-times World singles bowls champion and also three-times a World indoors singles champion .
Bryant was born in Clevedon, North Somerset, England. In addition to his world titles, he won the Commonwealth Games singles bowls championship on four occasions: 1962, 1970, 1974 and 1978. No bowls competition was held at the 1966 Commonwealth Games.
In 1969 he was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to bowls, and in 1980 he was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire , again for services to bowls.
Bryant also helped his county win the Middleton Cup on numerous occasions, where among his Somerset teammates was former Scottish League internationalist footballer Bobby Black.David Bryant has written many books on the subject of bowls, including:
Bryant on Bowls — Outdoor & Indoor 1966 ISBN 0-304-93687-1
Bowl with Bryant 1984 ISBN 0-00-218025-1
The Game of Bowls 1990 ISBN 1-85225-101-8
Bowl to Win 1994 ISBN 0-00-218523-7Bryant was famous for smoking a tobacco pipe whilst playing, and in 1986 was honoured with the award for Pipe Smoker of the Year.
“I'm not an athlete, more a gymnast and golfer, soldered together.”
Quoted in Colin Jarman's The Guinness Dictionary of Sports Quotations (1990)
“Bowls is a young man's game which old men can play.”
Quoted in Colin Jarman's The Guinness Dictionary of Sports Quotations (1990)
