Brian Allen was known by many in the bowling community. Jan and Brian moved to Spain in 2000 and very quickly became interested in bowls. They watched the Winter League matches at San Miguel and in 2001 became club members.
Over the years Jan and Brian did much for the club and for the bowls community, assisting with the Spanish Nationals, Valencians, and Europeans. This was the side of Brian we all knew, but his years in the UK also make interesting reading.
Brian was born in North London in 1942. His main sporting interest was football, playing for his school and at weekends for local teams.
His proudest moments came when he played for Wealdstone FC, scoring the only goal in the semi-final of the 1966 Amateur Cup, taking the club to the final at Wembley, where they won. In the same year, Brian scored the first goal in a challenge match against a team from Libya, memorable as it was the first ever radio broadcast to that country.
Brian’s love of sport was also evident off the pitch, with him running a betting office in North London for several years before branching into the travel business, arranging pre-season tours for many of the top football clubs.
Brian met Jan in the 70s and they married in 1981. Jan shared Brian’s passion for sport and the pair then got involved in Greyhound racing. This resulted in them owning their own greyhound, Amy, who on her retirement, was able to join them in Spain.
Brian left us very suddenly on 9th May and will be missed by us all, none more so than Jan and Amy. Next time you are at your bowls club just remember how much Brian, and Jan, have done for bowls over the years and raise a glass in Brian’s memory.
Gail Willshire
