AFTER two long years in the doldrums, tenpin bowling, along with many other sports, is getting back to some sort of normality.

The tenpin bowling centre at Shipley has always been a hotbed of league and tournament play and has provided the backbone of many of the Championship winning Yorkshire County teams, from youth to senior levels.

A number of top coaches are now at the centre, including Mark Heathorn, who has been appointed as head coach for Adult Team England at the 2022 Men’s European Championships.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Mark Heathorn is one of the top coaches around.Mark Heathorn is one of the top coaches around.

A number of other coaches operate out of Shipley, including ex-England Youth player Callum Simons and stalwart of Shipley Youth Bowling Club, Lee Metcalfe.

But is not just the coaches who stand out, and after a series of ranking events and trials, some Shipley players have been picked to play for their country.

George Jagger, aged 18 and coached by Heathorn, has been selected to play for Adult Team England at the European Men's Championships in Helsinki, Finland, from May 31 to June 11 this year, one of the youngest players ever to play for his country.

Jagger and another Shipley bowler, Jack Blyth, coached by Lee Metcalfe, have been selected to play in the World Junior Championships (under 21 years of age), to be held in Helsingborg, Sweden, from June 19-30, 2022.

Blyth has also been selected to play for Youth Team England in the European Youth Championships (under 18 years of age) in Wittlesheim, France, from the September 2-11, 2022.

Blyth was also England’s representative in the televised AMF promotional event held in France last year and will also be England’s representative in 2022.

Joining Jagger and Blyth at the World Junior Championships, this time playing for Team Scotland, is Callum Carver, who has been making long trips north to play the Scottish qualifying events, finishing third in the Scottish rankings.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Callum Carver will be going up against colleagues George Jagger and Jack Blyth in June. Callum Carver will be going up against colleagues George Jagger and Jack Blyth in June.

All the above are members of the highly successful Shipley Youth Bowling Club, which meets on a Saturday morning at Go Bowling Shipley.

Shipley YBC also has a number of other bowlers in the England Rankings who are vying for a place in the next Youth Triple Crown events, including Declan Simons, Jon Frear-Binns, Tom Cummings, Jacob Villigas, Ryan Smith, Sam Cummings, Grace Thomis and Harriette Bowes.

Not to be outdone by the youth bowlers, Shipley have two seniors who have just competed in the Triple Crown event in Blanchardstown, Ireland, from April 9-12, 2022.

Carole Orange, playing for Senior Team England, won a Team Gold and Trios Bronze, while Jack Smith, bowling for Senior Team Scotland, won a silver in the doubles.

Smith also represented Scotland in the last European Senior Championships.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Jack Smith and Carole Orange have just turned out for Senior Team Scotland and Senior Team England respectively.Jack Smith and Carole Orange have just turned out for Senior Team Scotland and Senior Team England respectively.

All in all, it is not a bad turn out for a small 12-lane centre in the north of England, with Shipley once more punching above its weight in the world of tenpin bowling.