Those who attended the World Bowls Championship in South Africa in 1976 remember it as the greatest championship ever. Not only was the venue fantastic but the crowd support (10,000 people per day), the quality of bowls played, and the way in which the athletes and officials were hosted has never been matched since.  

The leadership of the organising committee was in the hands of prominent businessman and bowls administrator George Atkinson. The commentary about him in the official record of those games says it all: “Without any doubt, George, honorary life president of the South African Bowling Association, honorary life member of the Southern Transvaal Bowling Association, convenor of the national selection committee and generally known in South Africa as ‘Mr. Bowls’ deserves the accolade of ‘a legend in his lifetime.’  

“His unparalleled career of bowls administration at all levels, including his recently concluded two-year term of office as honorary secretary of the International Bowling Board and his managership of the Springbok bowls side in Worthing in 1972, has been climaxed by his inspiring leadership and incredible efforts since November 1972 to ensure the success of the 1976 World Bowls Championship Tournament.  

Through example, his pleasant personality and sense of humour, he has received outstanding support from his colleagues which, in turn, has contributed significantly to the team spirit which has characterised the tournament committee. It is noteworthy that he has been ‘capped’ as a Southern Transvaal player and as such was a member of a fours team which won a South African Inter-District Tournament.”   

George was a great leader and personality. The organising committee for World Bowls 1976 included 103 members of 23 sub-committees, including his wife Joan Atkinson leading the catering sub-committee – quite an undertaking.  

The result for South Africa was overwhelming. They won the overall WM Leonard Trophy with an unprecedented clean sweep of all four gold medals, which has never been repeated. There were golds to Doug Watson in the singles, Kevin Campbell, Nando Gatti, Kelvin Lightfoot and Bill Moseley in the Fours, Watson and Moseley in the pairs, and Campbell, Gatti and Lightfoot in the triples. Across all four disciplines they only lost five games during the championships, urged on by the huge crowds of local fans. 

There is little doubt that George would have been an IBB president in the 1980s but for the Gleneagles agreement which banned South Africa from international sport from 1977 to the early 1990s.