Junior bowls is categorised for those boys and girls under 18 years of age. 

Junior bowls continues to grow in popularity with almost all bowls clubs conducting active coaching and bowl’s programmes for junior members.

Whilst junior bowls competes for our youngster’s leisure time up against football, cricket and surfing, bowls is progressively being introduced into high schools as a school sport option.

Many of today’s elite bowlers and State representatives started playing bowls as a junior and have grown into the game. Like most other sports the younger you start in the game the greater the chance you have of becoming a champion player.

Outstanding Central Coast Junior Bowlers
On the Central Coast we have some outstanding examples of junior talent excelling in the junior ranks at State level and then progressing into ‘open company’ and achieving State representative level.

Aron Sherriff from the Halekulani club is a great example, having started the game at the tender age of 10 years. His abundance of natural ability and a desire to learn and succeed was well nurtured and harnessed by his coaches throughout those formative years. Aron won State titles as a teenager and at 20 years of age was a valued member of the NSW State Side playing in open company.  Aron has just won his tenth open Zone title and the world of bowls is his oyster.
Another good example of our talented youth is Darren Morrison who was named the NSW Junior Bowler of the year in 2005 and is a valued Zone representative player now competing in open ranks.

Why Play Bowls?
The big advantage that bowls has over other sports is that it is a sport that you can stay with and play competitively well into your senior years. It is low cost sport that once you have passed through a club’s normally free coaching programme you can roll up and practice as often as you wish, play in club social events, participate in club championship titles and represent your club in the pennant competition.

Many of our youngsters who take up the game get hooked on the competitive and social nature of the sport, but it is also a sport that you can take a break from and come back to at a later time. It is also a sport that will hold you in good stead throughout your life, so the stigma that it is only a ‘sport for geriatrics’ is most unfair, and shouldn’t deter any young person from taking up the game.

Junior Bowls on the Central Coast
Junior bowls on the Central Coast is well structured under the management control of John O’Connell who conducts special junior events during the January school holiday period, Inter-Zone visitations, representative fixtures and annual Zone championship titles for Singles, Pairs and Fours.

The winners of the Zone championship titles qualify to play in the RNSWBA Junior State Titles played at Warilla Bowling Club each year. The designated home club for the playing of all Zone Championship events on the Central Coast is The Entrance Bowling Club where all these Zone events are usually played under lights of a Monday evening during the summer months. If a junior is seeking to take up the sport it is suggested that they contact the Manager of Junior Bowls for the Central Coast District Bowling Association John O’Connell (Ph 4333 1546) who will be able to indicate the nearest club to where you live that conducts an active junior’s programme. 

Aron Sherriff and Daren Morrisson congratulate each other on Aron becoming the 2005 NSW Bowler of the Year and Darren the 2005 NSW Junior Bowler of the Year

 New bowlers Ryan Clarke and Nathalie Jones playing in the Everglades Junior Programme.