Sunbury resident and entrepeneur Colin Marsh is passionate about the game of bowls and founded ‘Drake Scoreboards’ – a real-time digital scoreboard company. Oscar Parry spoke with Colin about his connection to Sunbury and his scoreboard company.
What is your connection to Sunbury?
My wife and I have been living in Sunbury for almost three years now. One of my favourite things to do is visit the local dog park, where our two dogs can run around freely and safely. Since we don’t have a huge backyard, it’s a great way for them to get exercise and meet other locals.
What do you like about where you live?
Sunbury has pretty much everything we need, and we’re lucky that it’s close to the airport too. The dog park is a big plus for us, as it gives our dogs a chance to run around safely. The dog park community is really friendly, and we’ve got fantastic neighbours. Some of the local cafes are real gems too – like The Court Coffee Bar on Sussex Court, which is dog-friendly, and Kydeon, another great spot. Bánh mì from Lai Bakery is a personal favourite too.
What, if anything, would you change about where you live?
It’s been a bit too windy recently! Wind isn’t great for lawn bowls. The wind can really affect the game – if it’s blowing hard, it changes the trajectory of the bowl, making it either wider or less predictable. When the wind’s coming from behind, it speeds up the bowl more than you’d expect. So yeah, a little less wind would be great!
Tell us a bit about your company Drake Scoreboards.
Drake Scoreboards was born out of a conscious effort to provide something affordable for local bowls clubs. A lot of the time, the available digital scoreboards are really expensive, which makes it tough for smaller clubs. I’ve been involved in bowls for over 20 years, and I started Drake Scoreboards because I noticed that scorekeeping errors were frustrating for both players and spectators. My digital scoreboard is designed to eliminate those errors. It’s portable, easy to see, battery-powered, and can be operated via Wi-Fi with an Android device. The proprietary application I developed makes the system user-friendly and effective. I’ve also designed the scoreboards to be versatile – they can be powered by batteries or connected to the mains, depending on the needs of the club. You can learn more about it on my website.
What was the story behind the invention of your digital scoreboard system for local bowls clubs?
The idea really came from playing in a lot of finals and noticing how often scoring errors happened. In bowls, especially during pennants, you have individual rink scores that then get tallied onto the main board. Before digital scoreboards, each rink would flip over their score manually, and someone else would then update the main board. It was easy to make mistakes, and those mistakes could affect the entire match. As a player, you want an accurate, real-time assessment of how you’re performing, and the manual system just didn’t provide that. So, I decided to create a digital solution to eliminate those scoring anomalies and make the whole process smoother and more accurate.
How does this scoreboard enhance the game experience of bowls?
With our scoreboard, players and spectators can look at the main board and know that the score is always accurate and up to date. It removes any doubt or confusion that comes from manual scorekeeping. The real-time updates mean you can focus on the game without worrying about errors, and it just makes the whole experience more enjoyable for everyone involved. Plus, the scoreboard is bright, easy to see, and portable, which makes it a great addition to any club, no matter its size.
