Family involvement with Sponsors League at Moonah Bowl from around 1970-71.
I started going to watch my aunty bowling in the league in 1977 where all the ladies would look after me, got absolutely hooked on the game from a very tender age.
Got a set of skittles and used a baseball as a bowling ball, one of the labourers at the giant cordial factory that overlooked my home knocked up at a little masking unit and kick backs out of old CHEP pallets.
Played thousands and thousands of games in the loungeroom down here.
Lost interest in it as football took over my childhood, but by the age of 8 (1983) I started back playing skittles again, and then shortly after took up real bowling.
Still played a bit of footy here and there, but bowling was my passion and still is.
Still play in Sponsors League - have done from 1990-2005 and apart from a 3 month break in 2000, and a 6 month injury lay-off last year, have played continuously since 1983.
Won a State Masters and a few other tournaments, played a couple of Shield's, bowled a 300 and average around 204 at the moment.
When I injured myself last August and faced the prospect of not being able to play again, I was pretty gutted.
Humble beginnings that were a hell of a lot of fun