30 lawn bowlers are expected to lace up for the inaugural Brunei National Lawn Bowls Premier League (BPL) on Tuesday.
The competition, held by the Brunei Darussalam National Lawn Bowls Association, will see 10 teams compete over nine rounds. Each squad comprising three players will take on their respective opponents in a singles, pairs and triples match in each round.
The first round will see all teams clash over two consecutive days (Tuesday and Wednesday) at the Lawn Bowl Centre of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas. Following rounds will be played on the following Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays.
The Warriors will go head to head with the Jets, Tigers take on Lions, Thunder face Eagles, Scorpions challenge Panthers and Sabres go against Stingrays. The top four teams will then progress and try to bowl their way to the top in the final series.
National lawn bowls coach Tony Scott said that the competition was met with excitement from the bowlers when first discussed. "Back in 2013 I was asked to put forward my vision for bowls in Brunei and I submitted (the BPL proposal) with my resume," said Scott who landed in the Sultanate in March this year.
"The development of a domestic league is a must for existing players," he said. "The competition was due to have eight teams. In the last week we had an influx of new and former bowlers wanting to be a part of it," said Scott.
"This is great news for our association and the sport as this means (we received) at least six new members since the concept was first mentioned," said the Australian. Teams were selected through a player pool to reduce the pressure on new players.
"This was done to give the newer players the opportunity to play with the more experienced players," noted Scott. Scott believed that having the domestic league will help benefit the Sultanate's players with their regular match and competitive play.
The league is also hoped to improve the skill level of the participants, as well as their confidence when competing in a competitive environment. "I am sure I can speak for the association in saying how excited we are with the BPL," said Scott.
"The bowlers of Brunei have really put in effort into training and the BPL will be a great reward. Hopefully a successful competition will be born in 2014.
"The (national) squad train four nights a week at present (and) once the competition starts training will be held at least two nights a week," added Scott.
