The Ōpōtiki Twilight Bowls games for 2025 drew to a close this week with 60 people showing up to take part on Tuesday.

Club captain Michael Scholfield said some taking part urged the club to run the event the following week as well, but they would have to wait till early next year to resume the evening event.

“By popular demand, twilight bowls will begin again on the last Tuesday of January (January 26) and run for four weeks,” Scholfield said.

“We’ve got an event that people really enjoy. There’s friendly competition, an opportunity to socialise, and enjoy a drink later.

“What we’re hearing is that people did not realise that Ōpōtiki Club had such great facilities and that bowling could be so much fun.

“It’s certainly not just a game for old people, as some may have assumed. Many of those who are coming to twilight bowls have been pretty young.”

Scholfield said the club had faced a marketing challenge as demonstrated by the fact that membership had dwindled to 25 by the middle of the year. It was now 44.

He came on board as club captain in June and began applying principles, which had helped his business of 40 years to succeed. The main challenge had been operating in a smaller population than clubs in nearby centres.

“We had to get the word out to people who didn’t know they had a bowling club with great facilities in their town.

“We’re on the way to winning the marketing challenge once they come along and see how much fun and entertainment there is in bowling.

“It helps when they see our excellent greens, kitchen, bar and outdoor seating. In fact, wider exposure has seen a surge in corporate bookings.

“We’ve had a group using the bowling club for their functions almost every week leading up to Christmas,” Scholfield said.