Brooke bowls perfect 300
Horsham teenager Bevan Brooke has achieved something most tenpin bowlers can only dream about – a perfect 300 in front of a crowd of onlookers at a major competition.
Brooke, 16, completed the feat during the two-day Emerson Shield competition at Point Cook at the weekend.
The competition is one of Tenpin Bowling Association Victoria’s biggest events of the year, with teams from across the state FRQWHVWLQJ WKH ¿QDO DIWHU TXDOLI\ LQJ LQ ]RQH ¿QDOV
Brooke was a member of a +RUVKDP WHDP WKDW ¿QLVKHG VHF ond overall to Bendigo at the weekend.
But his personal highlight came on Sunday, when he bowled 12 strikes in a row to reFRUG WKH ¿UVW HYHU SHUIHFW JDPH by a junior Horsham bowler in competition.
Brooke said he was elated to achieve the feat against bowlers much older and more experienced than him.
He said he had received encouragement from bowlers he was competing against, including a member of the Australian team.
“It was really good to do it in that sort of situation with the people who were around,” he said.
“The whole centre stopped for WKH ODVW ¿YH IUDPHV DQG SHRSOH were standing around watching – it was awesome.”
Brooke said he found it hard to combat his nerves as he bowled WKH ¿QDO IHZ IUDPHV EXW GLGQ¶W let them get the better of him.
“I was nervous for the fact 300 was there,” he said.
“I was just thinking about repeating what I’d done the frame before and just throwing a good shot.
“I wasn’t thinking ‘I’ve got to keep it going’ – you just let it all go out of your mind and throw your shot.”
Brooke was named to the All Star team as one of the bowlers ZLWK WKH ¿YH KLJKHVW DYHUDJHV across the weekend.
“There would have easily been more than 60 bowlers there,” he said.
“Some of them were adults who were bowling for Australia, so it was good to be one of the WRS ¿YH ´
Brooke’s mother Kendrell said the perfect game was the culmination of a lot of hard work by her son.
³%HLQJ KLV ¿UVW HYHU LQ D tournament environment, it was pretty tough to do,” she said.
“A lot of people do them at their home centres, but to bowl a perfect game in a big tournament is a huge achievement.
“He does a lot of training and he’s very passionate about his sport.”
Brooke has been a member of Tenpin Bowling Association Victoria’s youth team for the past two years and will compete at national junior championships in April.
He will also try out for the Australian junior team, which will compete at World Bowling Junior Championships in Paris next year.
Brooke believed he was in with a chance of making the team.
“I feel like I have a chance, but I’m still unsure,” he said.
“It would be an absolute dream if I make it.”