THE first bowl has been rolled under a soaring roof at Warrnnambool's City Memorial Bowls Club after an eight-month wait for new sheltered greens.
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Hardly a breath of wind could be felt within the 4000-square metre undercover area despite strong weather affecting the outside greens.
Club chair Ray Cooknell, who was among nearly 100 bowlers testing the two greens on Thursday, said the new facility was "tremendous".
"The biggest challenge is the wind that affects the quality of the game in Warrnambool," Mr Cooknell said.
"It's never an easy game, but this might make it a bit more predictable."
The curved roof at its highest point soars to about nine metres and is designed to keep bowlers protected from sun and rain.
The upgrades also include a new alfresco dining area to seat between 80 and 100 people, electronic score boards and lights to facilitate night games.
Club general manager Julie Dosser said the upgrade, which cost $2.9 million, would shift the club's reliance on gaming for income and draw in younger bowlers at night.
"You see each year gaming and sometimes bar figures tend to drop," Ms Dosser said.
"So it is looking at another activity to bring people back into the club."
Works began in February when volunteer club members lent a hand demolishing pavement and fencing. The upgrade is the biggest for the near 70-year-old club after it built a new clubhouse at the Cramer Street site in 2002.
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"It was great to see all the smiles on all the people's face coming in today, it has been a long time coming. I think we are very lucky to have a facility like this, and in Warrnambool this could be a fairly major attraction," Ms Dosser said.
She said the club was nearly booked out for its first night game next Tuesday, when 32 teams will play under lights.
The upgrade has been completed in time for the pennant bowls season, beginning in mid-October. It is believed to be the only Victorian bowls club to have two undercover greens.
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