DESPITE having recently outlaid almost than $2.8m to extend and modernise his centre, Strikezone Raymond Terrace tenpin bowl owner Neville Marchbank is determined to keep the sport and associated entertainment areas affordable for families.

This week he detailed numerous inexpensive July school holiday options.

These include $6 games during happy hour and a package deal of two games, a drink, and a choice of either a hotdog or chips for just $17.95.

A comparison of advertised prices elsewhere reveals Strikezone’s Happy Hour price is $4 cheaper than the next lowest.

Even in non-holiday periods, Strikezone is easily the price leader with deals such as $6 games all day Sunday.
Neville embarked on the $2.8m redevelopment of the 24-year-old centre just as Covid forced industry wide lockdowns.

Despite the prospect of being without revenue for months, he was determined to go ahead.

He added four lanes, installed new approaches throughout, purchased new pins, upgraded the computer scoring systems and installed a state-of-the art computerised lidar sensor analytics system that takes coaching and practice to a whole new level.

Known as Specto, the system gathers 120 readings per lane per shot.

It then uses this information to calculate 40 different readings including speed, revolutions, and track. T
he system has caught the attention of coaches everywhere, resulting in Strikezone having already hosted training camps for two national squads.

Neville said that money aside, the most difficult challenge he has faced in his vision to build a nationally recognised centre of excellence, has been finding tradesmen.

“We have been waiting months for plumbers to upgrade our amenities.

“We recently sought prices from eight stainless steel fabricators with only one response,” he said.

At a time when tenpin centres are increasingly taking an arcade game approach to cut costs, installing machinery that dangles pins from strings and thus eliminates the need for back-end staff, Neville is determined to stay true to the highest standards of the sport with traditional pin setter equipment.

However, he is just as determined to continue to grow the fun side of his business.

In the past twelve months he has doubled the size of his arcade games area, adding all manner of amusement machines and a prize shop.

Currently he is in the middle of a $200,000 development that will see the addition of a 3D putt putt golf course on the ground floor and a licensed mezzanine area with pool tables and dart boards.

“As well as providing yet another level of entertainment for our existing customers, we intend that this new area will allow us to regularly host both pool and darts tournaments,” Neville said.

StrikeZone is opposite the swim centre on Leisure way and is open seven days a week.