Bowling, also called 10- pin bowling, is a game in which a ball is rolled down
along a narrow lane toward a group of pins, the object being to knock down more pins than
an opponent.
In its present recognisable form, bowling can he traced to the 13th Century in England. In
India the game was played in the 19th century. Till 1947, there were nearly 100 clubs but
they have dwindled since Independence. The Royal Calcutta Club (Bowling section) was
started in 1887. The East India Singles Championship, started in 1910, was for many years
the only surviving championship in India. It is still being conducted by the Bowling
Federation of India and is one of the most prestigious of meets. The first All India
singles and pairs championships were held in Calcutta in 1987. V. Dhawan won the singles,
while R.S. Bengani and G.R. Sharma won the pairs title. Jackie Lewis won the title in the
inaugural edition of the ladies section of the, All India Championship in 1988. The Indian
team made its international debut in the Commonwealth Games at Auckland, New Zealand in
1990. The team consisted of seven members. Singles: V.S. Pai, Pairs: B. Rampuria and V.
Dhawan, fours: R. S. Bengani, G.R. S harma, P.S. Bengani and S.S. Saigal.
The game has revived in the metropolitan cities of the country towards the end of the 20th
century. A number of bowling alleys have come up in the cities, especially were multi
national companies have set up their offices. The game is slowly catching up as an
important entertainment sport among the corporate entities of the country. |