Rossmoyne teen enjoys rapid rise in lawn bowls world

HE has only been playing lawn bowls for just under two years, but Jack East has already announced himself as one of the country’s bright stars.

After making last year’s national championships less than a year after picking up the sport, the Rossmoyne Bowling Club prodigy won a silver medal in the Under 18’s singles this year.

East said he had felt slightly overwhelmed at his first national competition, but arrived at this year’s tournament far more confident.

“Last time going to nationals, I’d only been bowling for about seven months, I was a little bit inexperienced and nervous when I rocked up,” he said.

“My first year, I went to New South Wales thinking ‘what is this?’, but I reckon it was good experience.

“I felt like I deserved to be there, I was pretty good for how long I’d been bowling, but it was still a big shock.”

The Rossmoyne Senior High School student said he was introduced to the game by his mother and despite being a teenage in a sport dominated by older people, always felt at ease on the bowling green.

“My mother came down with my grandad, and grandad was no good so he stopped playing, but mum stuck with it and she dragged me down here eventually,” she said.

“It’s definitely quite unique, I get to spend a lot of time with older people, it’s a little bit different but it’s good fun and there are good people down here.”