The first phase of lawn bowling coaching camp for the ensuing National Games at Astro Turf complex. Picture by Manik Bose

Ranchi, Aug. 31: The first step was an international-quality bowling alley.

Today, Jharkhand took yet another serious step to promote lawn bowling in the state with the director of sports, P.C. Mishra, inaugurating a 45-day training camp at astro turf at Morabadi grounds.

The camp is purely residential, as players are expected to stay at the complex during training for over a months

“The practical classes would be grilling. Over the next 45 days, right from 8am till 5pm, 34 players, including 14 girls, would learn the basics of the game the hard way.

“The lessons would mainly involve curving the ball and getting close to or hitting the pins accurately to win points,” said Madhu Kant Pathak, the secretary of the Jharkhand Lawn Bowling Association (JLBA), explaining the game basics.

“This game is tougher than what people see it as. It is quite difficult to assess the correct angle required to roll the bowling ball. And it requires precision to find gaps between balls already played,” added Jai Kumar Sinha, a JLBA member, negating the popular Indian sentiments that sees bowling being “easy”.

For now, the 45-day coaching schedule has been spread over nine hours because of the paucity of bowling balls.

As of today, the JLBA has 16 bowling balls, courtesy the Indian Olympic Association secretary, Randhir Singh.

“But we are waiting for 15 more sets, which we have been purchased from Australia for Rs 2.52 lakh. The bowling balls have reached Calcutta. We are trying to exempt them from custom duty,” Pathak added.

Through this session and many more to follow, the association is aiming to prepare a contingent of 20 players — 10 boys and 10 girls — for the 34th Ranchi National Games. For this particular workshop, the association is using local experts — all due to logistical constraints.

“But sometime in the near future we plan to bring in two international coaches from the World Bowling Association.

“Though for hiring them we shall have to foot the airfare from Delhi to Ranchi and back, and their boarding and lodging expenses, the experience would be invaluable for the players” Pathak added.

Incidentally, it seems that Lady Luck is smiling upon the particular game in Jharkhand as the lawn bowling complex, courtesy Jharkhand Olympic Association (JOA) president R.K. Anand, is nearly completed. The complex is being set up in Namkum.

The no-expenses-spared complex would have imported turf and top-class club facilities for both members and players.