In 1998, Tenpin Bowling made an appearance the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, but like darts and snooker, it does straddle the divide between sport and pastime. Nevertheless, as it’s early days in the challenge, and the weather is pretty ropey, I decided to take Ena for her first ever game, on a busy Saturday morning while Kayleigh was at work.
When I think of tenpin bowling, I think of clown shoes, The Simpsons, and awful kids parties, and two of these were in evidence on Saturday. Boringly, Basingstoke BowlPlex lets you wear your own shoes, but I decided to go for an elegant pair of size 11 Velcro half red/half white pair, with Ena sporting a complimentary set.
We managed to fit in one game, and Ena nearly beat me, although she did have an unfair advantage by using the ramps and having the side barriers up, so it wouldn’t have counted anyway, something I made quite clear to her at the start.
In between the announcements for about 10 different birthday parties, I managed to explain to Ena what she had to do, but I turned by back for a second and she’d picked up one of the biggest balls and thrown it halfway down the lane.
I can imagine if you played once or twice a week, as with darts and snooker, there would be a noticeable improvement within a couple of months but for me there is not enough variation in what you can do for it to be a sport I could see myself ever taking up seriously, and it’s one of the few where if you enjoy your chicken served in a basket, you’re likely to end up with a net gain in calories.
Enjoyment - 65%
Success - 45%
Will try again - Yes, with Ena
First timer's recommendation – There can’t be many people left in the UK who haven’t had a go at Tenpin Bowling, but if you haven’t, take some earplugs or go during the week.
