Its winter time, and that means staying indoors. But it doesn’t mean you can’t get into a bit of friendly team sport action! There are indoor tenpin bowling alleys all over Australia so grab a gang of friends and get going.

Just imagine it... you and your crew arrive at the bowling centre and register for your lane. You pull on those gorgeous shoes and hit a booth. At last it’s your turn. The music is pumping as you get up, choose a ball and strut toward the lane to show off your bowling style… you lean and throw that shiny ball at the ten white pins… don’t get your fingers stuck! CLUNK it hits the lane and rolls…! Is it going to be a strike or a gutterball? A strike! Your team cheers madly, as you stroll on back to your seat and get stuck into the burgers and soft drinks, maybe have a perve at your boy as he bends and drives his own ball home. Wow, bowling is an awesome game – whether you’re super competitive, in party mode or just up for a laugh at how unco you are. And the kids love it too, didn’t you?

The History of Bowling - Did you Know?
In 1930, British anthropologist Sir Flinders Petrie along with a team of archaeologists, discovered various primitive bowling balls, bowling pins and other materials in the grave of an Egyptian boy dating to 5200 BC. Their discovery represents the earliest known historical trace of bowling. The first written reference to bowling dates to 1366, when King Edward III of England banned his troops from playing the game so that they would not be distracted from their archery practice.

It is believed that King Henry VIII bowled using cannon balls. In Germany the game of Kegal (Kegelspiel) expanded around other parts of Europe with Keglars rolling balls at nine pins, or skittles. Ninepin bowling was introduced to America from Europe during the colonial era, similar to the game of skittles. It became very popular and was called Bowl on the Green. The Dutch, English, and Germans all brought their own versions of the game to the new world, where it enjoyed continued popularity, although not without some controversy.

In 1841 a law in Connecticut USA banned ninepin bowling lanes due to associated gambling and crime, and people were said to circumvent the letter of the prohibition by adding an extra pin, resulting in the game of ten pin bowling. Modern American ten-pin bowling is most closely related to the German game Kegelspiel. Germans were instrumental in fostering the game's popularity as they formed their own bowling clubs both before and after the American Civil War.

The first indoor bowling alley was Knickerbockers of New York City, built in 1840. The Brunswick Corporation's addition of bowling equipment to their product line also served to increase the sport's popularity. In 1914 Brunswick replaced their line of wooden bowling balls with hard rubber Mineralite bowling ball. The change was met with great approval. Today, over 100 million bowlers play in over 90 different countries. More men and women worldwide play bowling than any other sport, with the possible exception of football.

State of the Art.
This July AMF opened Australia’s hottest new tenpin bowling centre at Macarthur Square Shopping Centre, Sydney. Featuring 24 Brunswick pro-lane synthetic lanes, the futuristic multi-million dollar centre has world class facilities with sound and lighting systems, glow lanes and plasma screens. There’s also gourmet food and drinks, and events like Extreme Bowling for hardcore fans.

Win AMF bowling passes! To see what’s going on at your nearest AMF bowling centre visit the website www.amfbowling.com.au