Juniors Team KO at Greenhead Park

Bowling News

On Sunday September 3, the Junior League will hold its annual Team Knockout competition at Greenhead Park for the first time. Seven teams of six – Golcar, Spen Victoria, Lindley, Almondbury, Grange Moor, Marsh and Cowcliffe – will compete and organisers hope visitors to the park will stop by to watch.

Junior league founder and secretary Geoff Martin said: “We want to reinvigorate crown green bowling and while we have local hubs at the various clubs we thought where better to try to widen the appeal of the sport than use Greenhead Park. “There are two greens in the park, which had been prone to vandalism, and we have worked with Kirklees Council, the team who look after the park and the Friends of Greenhead Park and they’ve all been very helpful and supportive. “We’ve put some money into improving the greens and we hope Greenhead Park can be a showcase and a shop window for the sport.”

Geoff said the Try Bowling taster sessions had already proved successful in getting people involved and added: “Crown green bowling is a great sport for anyone from nine years old to 90. “We just need to encourage people to give it a go. What we find is once they have a go they get hooked. It’s a great way to get out, meet new people and get some exercise.”

Geoff hopes the junior knockout competition will showcase the sport too. He added: “When I was a kid my dad would take me to watch the bowling and there would be huge crowds of people. “We won’t get back to that, of course, but we can certainly get people out watching and build up a new following.”