Matthew Jenkin tries his hand at traditional English bowls with a trendy twist at the Vauxhall Motors Bowling Club in Brick Lane.

PING pong, roller-blading and now Pentanque or Boules - every summer has a trend.

In parks and posh little squares around London, young professionals and students alike can be seen flinging big shiny metal balls at randomly placed smaller shiny metal balls and cheering at seemingly nothing when they clash into each other.

Either not quite hitting the mark or deliberately setting itself apart from the crowd, Vauxhall Motors laid down their very own turf lawn in the eternally trendy Brick Lane on Sunday for a spot of traditional English bowls.

Yes, you heard it right, bowls – the same game your grandfather used to play in a crimped white suit and a flat cap.

But as ever, the organisers of the super cool Vauxhall Skate have turned a rather stuffy and staid sport into an event to see and be seen at.

With celebrity DJs Matt Horne and Rick Edwards pumping out a mix of upbeat party tunes and stalls selling everything from tea and cup-cakes to Pimm's and some lethal but delicious fruit cocktails, by the time I got round to treading the lawn in my skinny jeans – de rigeur for a visit to Shoreditch – any notion of the game's old fashioned reputation evaporated.

Having only briefly skimmed the rule book, I felt confident even a seven-year-old could lick me at this game.

However, help was at hand from one of the handful of instructors eager to impart their wisdom and knowledge on the mainly young and clueless guests.

What at first appeared to be a game as simple as aiming a ball and chucking it wildly in the general direction of a jack, turned out to have a lot more skill than most people give it credit for.

It was also surprisingly fun to play and if it wasn't so difficult to find a decent lawn in this city, I don't see why it couldn't become as fashionable as its French rival.

For one afternoon, Vauxhall Motors succeeded in not only hosting the perfect summer party, but gave an English tradition a new life.

Just take it easy with the punch - it'll only mess up your back hand.

For more pictures of the event, visit vauxhallmotorsbc.co.uk