Mohd Khairul Farhan Bukhari and Nazar Mahmud started working on their project last May after seeing the positive response to a similar DIY bowling lane at another school in the state.

“We have basic experience in the sport and had previously trained students at a commercial bowling alley near our school,” Khairul, 36, told Bernama.

“So, when we saw fellow teachers at a school in Padang Terap build a DIY bowling lane, which received positive feedback, we began thinking about building one at our own school, especially since we’d had plans to start a bowling club.”

Their school’s DIY bowling alley, which cost about RMM3,000 to build, is now 90% complete and was funded by the school’s parent-teacher association as well as fees collected from previously organised bowling classes.

Khairul said the bowling lane was built in the corridor next to the school’s design and technology lab, using original bowling-lane boards purchased secondhand from a commercial bowling management company.

“The length of 18m follows original specifications, except we shortened it by 3m to allow space for students to move. The ball-return mechanism uses gravity to allow the ball to roll back to the player with a slight push.

“As for the pin setup, it’s done manually for now, but we’re planning to find an automatic system to improve the current setup,” Khairul explained.

Meanwhile, Nazar said the bowling lane can accommodate a minimum of two players and a maximum of six at a time, allowing training sessions to be conducted in turns.

“Before the lane was built, training was held at a nearby hotel that had bowling facilities, but the cost of RM8-RM9 per session was a challenge, especially for our students from B40 families,” the 52-year-old said.

“Now, we can train our students at our own lane, which is more cost-effective and convenient. Our students’ interest in bowling has also grown and, so far, the response has been very encouraging.”

He noted that the construction of the bowling lane was approved by the authorities and its recent opening was officiated by the Sungai Petani district education office.

According to Nazar, even before the official formation of the school’s bowling club last year, several students had already joined district- and state-level competitions, including the Malaysian Schools Sports Council bowling championship, as individual participants.

“With our own lane now, we hope more students can nurture their talent in bowling and no longer see it as an elite and expensive sport,” he added.