SuperStrike Mayfield tenpin bowling centre to close on Thursday

The pair played on the same team at Mayfield's bowling centre for a combined total of 35 years, and Ms Gentle is still going.

"I have memories of her at Mayfield," she said.

"You bowl the first nine pins out and then for the second bowl you have one left in the corner. My mother used to hate that. Every time I am left with that particular pin, I always feel like I'm doing it for her."

The general manager of SuperStrike Graeme Cox has announced the centre will close on Thursday. The site changed hands on Friday after prolonged negotiations. He said the new owner planned to redevelop it as student accommodation.

Mr Cox said the building, constructed by Olympic Bowling in the early '60s, held a special place in the hearts of Novocastrians.

"It's one of those businesses in Newcastle where people would have come as a child, and now they're bringing their children," he said. "I've got some regulars that would have been bowling here in their 20s and they're now in their 80s."

Mr Cox said weekly regulars, like Ms Gentle, had become the business' base.

"It's struggled for many years now, mainly because of the access and age of the building. People like the latest and the greatest.

"Warners Bay [SuperStrike] just reopened as Dullboy's and in it we have bowling, two restaurants, bars, putt putt golf. We've got dodgem cars.

"Unfortunately, we can't do something like that in this building. It's just not viable."

On Tuesday, a few of the centre's lanes were occupied by families enjoying the school holidays.

Workers Debbie Lawrence and Warrick Garner said the centre had been "absolutely buzzing" in their youth.

Mr Garner began working at Mayfield 40 years ago, at the age of 22, and returned as a casual employee in 2009. He said he is now out of a job.

"It was the era of bowling," Mr Garner said. "It was a great atmosphere, great camaraderie. There were lots of people here of a night time. I loved it."

Ms Lawrence will relocate to Maitland SuperStrike after working at Mayfield for 14 years. She said she would "miss the people most", and mentioned she recently helped two bowlers renew their vows at the centre.

"Thursday's going to be a sad day," she said.

Mr Cox said that of the around 10 remaining staff some had other work lined up, some would change branches and others "would unfortunately not have jobs".

He said SuperStrike planned to eventually convert its Maitland and Salamander Bay sites into Dullboy's Social Co branches.

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