Game over: Antrim Forum bowling alley bites the dust

IS there a more satisfying noise than the solid thwack of the perfectly delivered strike in ten-pin bowling?

Some may argue the toss for others - the laughter of children, the final school bell at the end of the summer term, or some such tosh - but I’m afraid they are wrong.

No, the music of scattering pins is where it’s at.

And then the theatre. The fake nonchalance of the champ who delivered the devastating ball. The flush-faced dejection of the vanquished foe. Oh, what a time to be alive.

And for a few short years Antrim’s alley cats, well used to travelling to Ballymena or Glengormley for their bowling fix, had a venue of their own.

A dozen lanes, no less. And it glowed in the dark.

Not since the days of the Rollerdrome have so many people voluntarily queued to slip on a pair of pre-sweated rented shoes.

Finally young people had something to do that didn’t require lifting heavy weights or pulling on a pair of swimming trunks.

In February 2020 Antrim and Newtownabbey Council said it was the perfect way for families to spend half-term.

And then Covid happened.

Which, of course, was a gutter ball for bowling. With people advised to wash their hands umpteen times a day, the prospect of plunging those sanitised fingers into a shared ball was a non-starter.

The alleys were closed. It was a bitter pill for the bowlers, but a necessary one. They resolved to play the long game. Be patient.

In time the virus receded and normal life returned. But the bowling did not.

The Guardian decided to investigate - and the council has confirmed that the all-singing, all-dancing facility is no more.

“The bowling alley has been developed into two state-of-the art fitness studios,” a council spokesperson told the Guardian.

“Council has no plans on reopening a bowling alley at the Antrim Forum.”

So there you have it. Game over.

No-one would quibble that fitness, state of the art or otherwise, is important.

But what about the people who preferred to get their exercise swinging their trusty ball?

What about the fun?