It just happened earlier than he expected.

The Mortlake Blue player, now 52, took up the sport 12 years ago.

“I always knew I’d be a lawn bowler eventually – both of my parents (Ron and Faye) play at City Memorial,” he said.

“Dad is in City Blue in division two but he played at the top level with City Red for a long time and has decided to kick back and it enjoy it with his mates.

“Dad has played bowls for a long time. He started at 40 too at Derrinallum and they sold the farm and moved to Warrnambool.”

Grant, a builder by trade, conceded the lure of “cheap beer” also played its part.

“A mate, Colin Goldsworthy, brought it to my attention that beer is cheap at bowls clubs,” he said.

“Barefoot bowls got me into it earlier. I thought I’d get into it when I was a bit older.”

Grant missed out on a chance to play in opposing rinks when his dad played for City Red.

“In all our years we’ve never drawn each other’s rinks,” he said of the ballot-like system chosen to determine which three rinks play each other in pennant.

Grant suspects the family ties to the sport will stop with him.

The father-of-three said his children – Emily, 25, Jeremy, 22, and Lily, 19, – had other interests.

Emily is a teacher in Tasmania, Jeremy is working in the Canadian ski fields and Lily is studying podiatry in Melbourne.

Mortlake Blue will play City Memorial Gold in Western District Bowls Division round six action on Saturday.

Grant said his side, which has a 2-3 win-loss record and sits one rung above City Gold in eighth position, was confident of its chances on its home green.

“We are definitely looking to win against City Gold and we were thrilled last week to get a win over Warrnambool Blue,” he said.