Bowden was born in
Palmerston North and attended
Palmerston North Boys' High School, where he captained the first XI in 1945. He also played in the
Hawke Cup for
Manawatu from 1945–46 to 1957–58, and for
Bay of Plenty in 1963–64. He set a Manawatu record in a Hawke Cup elimination match in 1953–54 when he scored 234 in 348 minutes to help Manawatu overtake Hawke's Bay's first innings total of 492. He worked in insurance for North Island Motor Union. He died in
Taupō, where he was living with his wife Christina, on 20 January 2021, aged 93. ==References==