BARHAM Bowls Club is living in paradise with their new indoor rink now in operation at the Barham Services Club.
“IT doesn’t get much better than this– we reckon it’s as good as any court in the country – it’s all state of the art, including the carpet, scoreboards and lighting,” club president Reg Scott told the Gannawarra Times.
The club held its grand opening on Friday, September 15, with more then 160 in attendance.
“On the Saturday, we had our opening day of bowls, which was a great success as well with 96 people playing,” Scott said.
“We have nine indoor and outdoor rinks, and on the day, we had eight rinks going on both, which was just something to behold.
“It was a special day, and we even had to knock back a few entries because our members deserved the first crack, but it just shows how much interest there is.”
Scott says the facility is already getting rave reviews, as highlighted by one punter he met at the bar.
“There was this bloke in the bar a couple of weeks ago who wanted to have a look at it, so I took him, and he loved it,” he said.
“He ended up staying an extra two weeks in Barham so he could play on opening day.”
According to Scott, this will be just as big for the town – with barefoot bowls, and future tournaments at the facility in the works, Barham’s tourism industry is set to profit.
“This is going to be huge for the town – a lot of people initially weren’t happy with it – but just have a look at it now, and you can’t fault it,” he said.
“We’ll run a night competition further down the track and try to get the Victorian Premier League to send up four or five professional teams which will bring people here.”
Night-time bowls is possible with the modern lights illuminating the court.
“If you’re here for dinner and you see the lights are on, go have a look because it’s amazing,” Scott said.
The lights are pointed upwards towards the roof, which reflects it down onto the court, meaning there are no shadows.
It is a new era for the club, which is an amalgamation of two previous bowls clubs in Barham.
“There were previously two bowling clubs in the town – Barham Sports Bowling Club and Barham Services Bowling Club – but the board decided just before COVID to combine the two clubs, which has been great,” Scott said.
The facility’s completion has come at the perfect time, with the summer season of bowls beginning on Saturday, October 8.
