‘Strictly Come Dancing’ star and boxing legend join forces to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tenpin Bowling in the UK.
Strictly Come Dancing star Ali Bastian and former heavyweight boxing champion Sir Henry Cooper have joined forces with the Tenpin Bowling Proprietors Association [TBPA] to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the sport this year.
Celebrities of the day – including former British heavyweight boxing champion Sir Henry Cooper OBE and intrepid Mount Everest explorer Sir John Hunt – rolled the first balls to officially declare the first ever bowling alley open for
business.
Since then, the sport has gone from strength to strength, gaining popularity across the generations as a fun yet competitive pastime for all. At one stage, there were more than 200 bowling alleys open in the UK and currently worldwide there are over 100 million bowling aficionados in 90 different countries – a level of popularity superseded only by one other sport, football.
Paul Quaintance, TBPA Chairman, commented: "Tenpin bowling is one sport which has really stood the test of time, with bowling centres constantly evolving to stay aligned with current trends. It has continued to remain at the heart of the family, as a fun pastime for all. There is a real resurgence in the popularity of the fun sport with many celebrities choosing to bowl – it really appears to be a growing trend. Everyone in the tenpin bowling industry is incredibly excited to see what the next 50 years will bring.”