THE creation of a bowling competition that has been likened to Twenty20 Cricket has helped the Manning Eagles Bowling Club claim a prestigious prize.
The club jointly won the inaugural Bowls Australia Award Club of the Year with Queensland club Helensvale, while club member Therese Hastings won the Coach of the Year award.
Club president Ken Jolly said the creation of Jack Attack social nights was a major reason why the bowling club claimed the prize.
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READ NOW“Teams only need three players, which means people can interchange, and it’s only played one night per week on Wednesdays,” he said.
“We’ve got some of our young players running it and it’s gone from strength to strength, it started with eight sides and there were 22 sides the last time we played it and we are running it again from November 9.
“It’s like Big Bash League Cricket, the players play two sets over a 12 week period and we having music playing and we put meals on too.
“If anyone shows potential then we run some free coaching sessions and give them discounted membership to the club.”
Mr Jolly said another reason for the club’s success was its connection with the community.
“We’ve put on outdoor movies and let some of the other clubs hold functions at our place; I think it’s all about giving back to the community,” he said.
Mr Jolly said the club’s success off the greens also translated to games, winning Bowls WA and pennant competitions in the past.
“We’ve got some junior players in the Australian squad and our ladies’ and men’s teams have won multiple pennants,” he said.