Bowled over by win against older player
Troy Tupe thoroughly enjoys participating in a number of sports, so when the opportunity came up for him to give lawn bowls a go, he jumped at the chance.
The 14-year-old Matamata College student got his first taste of bowls during a Physical Education class where they went to Matamata Bowling Club.
‘‘ I really enjoyed playing. I thought I may as well keep going with it.’’
Troy was a member of the Matamata College team that went to the Waikato Secondary Schools Bowls Championships at Hamilton Bowling Club on March 20 and 21.
During the first day he played five games, where he had two wins, a bye, a draw and a loss. These results saw him qualify for the Top Four for youth from around the Waikato.
On the second day Troy won a game against a year 13 Fraser High School student. There are no age categories in the bowls champs and this win meant Troy was awarded third place at the competition.
‘‘I was really happy with third place. To go up against a year 13 and someone who has been playing longer than me was scary,’’ he said.
At the end of last year Troy was also part of the pairs team with his mate Kevin McFadyen, who took out the pairs title at the same competition.
‘‘Since we started playing, we have never lost a game as pairs,’’ he said.
As well as bowls, Troy also plays basketball and rugby.
He wants to continue to hone his bowling skills and may look at joining either Hinuera or Rewa Bowling Club in the future.