MOORDOWN Bowls Club president, Alan Tavener, has died at the age of 64.

He was born on September 16, 1952, in Newbridge, Gwent and left school to join Griffiths Hauliers as an apprentice mechanic.

He progressed well in his chosen career and moved on to join the Westinghouse Company as a mechanic.

On Boxing Day 1970, Alan suffered life-changing leg injuries as the victim of a hit and run driver, leaving him incapacitated for several months.

However, he went on to recover enough to become involved in rally driving as a navigator to his father Jack in 1974/75 and went on to become members of the Pontllanfraith Rally Motor Club. They spent most weekends driving their Mini Cooper before moving on to Ford Escorts.

Alan moved to Bournemouth area in 1979 and set up a hardware business on the Waterloo Estate in Broadstone, before moving the business to Charminster Road in Bournemouth.

He met his wife, Kim, through a lonely hearts club newspaper column and the couple got engaged in July 1988 before marrying in August the following year. They settled in Kim’s village of Hinton Martel in east Dorset and both became members of the Flight Refuelling Social Club.

They were also introduced to short mat bowls, which in turn led them into lawn bowling at Wimborne Bowls Club in 1992 and Alan went on to join the committee.

Kim and Alan relocated to Bournemouth in 1998, eventually settling in Kinson, and joined the Moordown Bowls Club, where Alan became involved in the day to day running of the club.

He went on to become the executive committee member of the Bournemouth and District Bowling Association from 2007 to 2011.

Alan was also co-opted onto the Bournemouth Open Tournament Committee in 2008 and became the Chairman in 2011.

Just a week before he died on November 6 of a heart attack while travelling with his wife, Kim, he was elected as the Moordown Bowls Club president.

His funeral took place on Tuesday, November 22 at Poole Crematorium.