John Rusk (bowls)

John Rusk
Personal information
NationalityNorthern Irish
Bornc.1865
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died28 January 1938
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Sport
SportLawn bowls
ClubShaftesbury BC
Belfast BC
Cavehill BC
Medal record
Men's Lawn bowls
Representing  Northern Ireland
National Championships
1909 fours
1912 fours
1913 fours
1923 pairs
1932 singles

John Rusk (c.1865 – 28 January 1938) was a prominent doctor and lawn bowls international from Northern Ireland who competed at the British Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games). He was President of the Irish Bowling Association in 1912.[1]

Biography

Rusk studied at Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland and the Queen's University Belfast. He joined Shaftesbury Bowling Club in 1899 before joining Belfast Bowling Club from 1905 until 1917.[1]

In 1909, 1912 and 1913 he won the fours championship of Ireland with Belfast BC.[2] He then joined Cavehill BC, with whom he won the inaugural national pairs with Bobbie Campbell in 1923.[3]

Rusk won the prestigious national singles title in 1932[4] before representing the 1934 Northern Irish Team[5] at the 1934 British Empire Games in London, participating in the singles event.[6]

Rusk was a well known medical practitioner in Belfast, running his own practice.[1] He died on 28 January 1938 at his home at 228 Antrim Road in Belfast.[1]

The singles championship at the Irish National Bowls Championships was named after him.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Dr John Rusk dead". Ireland's Saturday Night. 29 January 1938. p. 7. Retrieved 29 October 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^ Bolsover, Godfrey (1959). Who's Who and Encyclopaedia of Bowls. Rowland Publishers Ltd (Pre isbn). pp. 418–420.
  3. ^ Hawkes/Lindley, Ken/Gerard (1974). the Encyclopaedia of Bowls. Robert Hale and Company. p. 139. ISBN 0-7091-3658-7.
  4. ^ "Previous Winners". Irish Bowling Association.
  5. ^ "Northern Ireland London 1934". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  6. ^ "England Win Title". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. 10 August 1934. p. 14. Retrieved 29 October 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ Sullivan, Patrick (1986). Guinness Bowls – The Records. Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 46. ISBN 0-85112-414-3.