Ekurhuleni’s bowling champion
John Malupe (27), is the Ekurhuleni Men's Singles Bowling Champion of Champions 2014.
He started working at Springs Town Bowling Club in 2009 as a green keeper and ground maintenance employee.
He says he was only 22 years old at the time and was watching the people playing bowls.
The interest in the game grew every day and the late Barry Walker, who was one of the coaches then, noticed John’s interest in bowls.
“It was in 2011 when Barry started coaching me, teaching me how to play bowls,” says John.
He did well and in 2012 and was crowned as the club’s Men’s Singles Club champion.
In 2012 he was chosen by Ekurhuleni bowls to play in the EGB U/25 squad and came sixth.
John and one of his fellow bowling partners, Mabel Ndaba, were eighth in the Mixed Pairs in 2013.
This year he is once again the Men’s Singles Club champion.
Therefore he represented the club at the Champ of Champs competition recently held at Avion Park Bowling Club, where all the club champions of Ekurhuleni Gauteng Bowls (EGB) came together to compete. John did extremely well and was the overall winner of the competition.
“I never thought I would win the competition because my first opponent was a strong player,” he says.
When he won his second game with a 21-20 score against a Springsbok bowler, he regained his confidence.
He says from there on he knew he could be the champion.
During the final game he was two shots down and had to play his last wood.
He says he thought if he messes up this shot he will only be runner-up.
“But to my surprise I drew the shot,” he says.
It was only when he saw the marker shaking his opponent’s hand that he realised he was the winner.
John will never forget the moment he looked at the score of 21-17 in the final game.
Being the first black man to ever win the Champion of Champions is a huge achievement for this 27-year-old bowler.
He says if Barry was still alive, he would have been so proud of him.
“Barry said to me I will be the champ of champions within five years, and I have done it within four years,” he adds.
He was also selected by EGB to play in the B squad later this year.
Izak Hattingh, spokesman for Springs Town Bowling Club, says John has a bright future in bowls.
