Gosford City Bowling Club is gearing up to host the NSW/ACT Blind Bowlers Championships in September with a social day for blind bowlers held this month.
Players came from Muswellbrook, Singleton, Fingal Bay, East Maitland, Avalon and the Central Coast in a practice run for the championships which will be held on September 20-22.
NSW Blind Bowlers President Rob Hudson and his wife Jacky, an award-winning bowler, attended from Fingal Bay.
Hudson welcomed the players and their support crews and invited them to participate in the NSW Championships, as well as the Para Games which will be held in November.
It will be the first time Gosford has hosted the championships and the first time local players will participate.
Vision-impaired bowlers are graded according to their level of vision and that ranges from people with no vision (B1), to people who are legally blind but can see with some restrictions (B4).
Players from all grades played on the day.
“If you know someone who is vision-impaired and you think they may enjoy this challenging non-contact sport please call Vision Australia Gosford and they will point you in the right direction,” a spokesperson for the club said.
Vision-impaired bowlers gathered en masse recently at a public meeting to speak up against Central Coast Council’s plan to use the bowling club land for more intensive uses such as selling it for a hotel.
Council has the land earmarked for redevelopment as part of its plans to revitalise the waterfront at Gosford.