My boss said today that last week she had "hailstones, not as big as golfballs but about the size of Tom Bowlers". Of course I nodded knowingly and came home and asked my Mum, aunt and google what it was. I thought it was some kind of lolly like a jawbreaker, Mum said it was a chocolate wheel, Aunt said it was a horse racing game thingy, google was undecided, but apparently there is a talented under 14's cricket player in Wiltshire by that name, none except my thought are smaller than a golfball

Sooooo, can anyone else tell me??

Women....

Everyone knows that a Tom Bowler is a type of marble, usually about the size of a ping-pong ball.

Ohhhhh! Yes, now I remember!

Duhhhhhhh. Least I was closer than my Mum

Do me a favour and do NOT try to eat one.. it would add a whole new meaning to 'jawbreaker'..

hehe!

My aunt said "not everyone knows they are a marble ... but they do know that you're a smart****" Consider her sense of humour to be like mine.

I wonder where the word Tombola comes from?? (mutters and goes to look it up)..
ah "from the Italian'tombolare'= to turn a somersault.
You see how you learn on this site. What a little mine of useless information I am!

Ah, now I see ... not a "name" at all I, for some reason, thought it was going to be a rhyming slang thing.

Copago,
You are right as well. It is a jawbreaker, hard candy around about the size of the Tom Bowler marble - a bit like a 'Chup-a-chup' without the stick.

a good tombola was a prized marble, and you used it with care. I would only play with my best tombola if I thought I had a fair chance of winning!
(Actually, some of them were really beautiful)

Another fact jotted down.