Dawlish Bowls Youth Academy member Maddison Pyper (Former Dawlish College) has gained her English Indoor Bowling Association Proficiency Silver Award.
This is a National Youth Scheme award for bowling skills executed to a high standard of competency.
Maddy is the third in Devon to be awarded this honour following fellow club members, Chris & Andrew Moore.
This tests a player’s ability to deliver a bowl within 2 feet of the target. The target remains on the mark known as the ‘Tee’ and the playing mat is then moved each time by one mat length (2 feet) increasing in distance starting at 23 meters. This is repeated at 10 different distances aiming to the right (a bowls shape means it travels in an arc and a right handed player would need to aim to the right of the target for a forehand delivery) This is then repeated, delivering a backhand shot (aiming to the left of the target). The player has only 2 consecutive attempts to achieve this with at least a 60% success rate in each direction.
Then a week or more later the test is repeated by decreasing in length each time starting at 32 meters distance and again only 2 bowls each attempt to do it with.
Maddy’s bowling talent has been spotted as a regular player for Devon County Colts U18s and she has already received the Devon County Colts U18s ‘Player of the Year Award’ for 2022.
Head Coach Rick Purnell (pictured presenting the award to Maddy) commented: “Maddy has great potential to become a class bowler. This is a test that very few adult club bowlers can achieve – well done Maddy – onwards and upwards!”
Any young person under 18 can try bowling with the Academy by messaging our website www.marinabowls.co.uk for sessions on a Tuesday afternoon after school (by 4:00 pm). This is at the outdoor bowling greens at Sandy Lane Dawlish from April to September, then we move indoors to Dawlish Indoor Bowls for the winter; September to April.
